Barcode Education

Portable Data Terminals (PDT) operate like "electronic clipboards" similar to what United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express use. These terminal devices are used wherever portability is an issue. RF (Radio Frequency) terminals are used in applications where portability and real-time access with a host computer is necessary. This type of terminal is commonly used in warehouse environments for order picking, receiving, and shipping.

The portable bar code reader provides a convenient and efficient way of collecting a large amount of bar code data while moving about away from the computer. When data collection is finished, the PDT can be connected to a personal or host computer through an ordinary serial link for uploading data to be further processed by the computer.

Portable readers are ideal in situations where inventory applications can be performed off-line or batched. Portable readers are relatively inexpensive when compared to most RF products and are easily integrated into a user's environment. Some portables readers can be easily programmed on the unit itself and generally take less than one hour to program from start to finish. Other units can be programmed using C/C++ and require several weeks of development time. Generally, warehouse applications require only the item number and quantity to be input for inventory applications and thus a PDT is ideal for most operations. Others add the warehouse number, aisle, bin, and shelf which is also supported by most manufacturersÕ PDTs.

The data that is stored in the PDT can be uploaded into a host computer such as PC using the manufacturerÕs communication protocol software package or an off-the-shelf program such as PROCOMM. The data is generally loaded into a text file using delimiters to separate the fields. Once the information is loaded into the computer, the data can be processed by any host application.