Re: [EE] Suggestions for barcode scanning

I used small pocket sized barcode scanners that simply scanned to internal
text file.

I then used vba in excel to extract data (the scanner mounts as a drive).
Once in VBA i got it to do all sorts of automated things and compare with
our online parts systems.

If as you implied, each part is individually barcoded then you could scan
every barcode then use vba to count how many of each unique barcode it
found.

If not individually barcoded, then just scan the bin barcode as many times
as there are parts in that bin.

It means that the button gets pressed 50 000 or 1000 times if there are 5
scanners in the wild.

The ones we used had buttons to remove the last entry.  Additionally for
errors or quick quantity addition you could have a print out of your home
made barcode code (is used the free barcode font) that you can scan, such
as -1, x2, x5, x10 etc. Then VBA uses those code to do the post processing.

The closest image match I could find online for the ones we used were
Symbol CS1504,  They are cheap and charge when connected via usb.  I never
had one go flat.

They turned a 2 person day task into single person 30mins.  No longer
having to data enter each item found or find it in a massive list to cross
it off.

It also could scan barcodes that were visually out of reach or where the
numbers were human unreadable.  Obviously badly damaged is no go but
impressive to see what it could scan.  It did find a couple of items that
we had thought lost.

Justin

On Mon, Nov 17, 2025 at 3:44 AM Alan Pearce <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Depending on the format of the barcode, it should be possible to use a
> readily available barcode reader to enter the barcode into a spreadsheet
> column, with the count then being entered into the next column. A simple
> bit of VBS programming could then move the cursor to the first column in
> the next row.
>
> Easy to do if the barcode is a UPC, possibly more difficult if the barcode
> is a 2D one that could contain other info as well (e.g. UPC, supplier, etc)
> although this wouldn't be impossible to deal with using some VBS.
>
> Then you have everything in a spread sheet that you can sort on barcode to
> match against whatever stock program you use.
>
>
>
> On Sun, 16 Nov 2025 at 19:30, smplx <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > If you're thinking of writing your own code the simplest solution might
> be
> > to take a picture of the barcode along with a hand written count then
> dump
> > all the pictures to a PC and post process. It should be trivial to
> process
> > the pics.
> >
> > Regards
> > Sergio Masci
> >
> > On Sun, 16 Nov 2025, Denny Esterline wrote:
> >
> > > I'm overseeing a physical inventory count at year end and looking for
> > tools
> > > or suggestions.
> > >
> > > We’ve got about 7,000 part numbers and roughly 50,000 total parts.
> Every
> > > item has a barcode label with its part number.
> > >
> > > Ideally, I’d like to deploy 2–3 people with mobile phones or tablets
> > using
> > > a simple workflow:
> > > Scan bin -> enter count -> upload to spreadsheet -> repeat.
> > > Seems straightforward, and if we can get it down to ~10 seconds per
> > cycle,
> > > I think we could cover everything in a day. That’s not a hard
> > requirement,
> > > just a ballpark that feels reasonable.
> > >
> > > I’ve done some searching and haven’t found anything that even remotely
> > > matches this workflow. Most tools I’ve seen are layered with features —
> > > inventory management, purchasing, stock levels, etc. They may be great
> in
> > > their own right, but they’re not built for this kind of “count only”
> > audit,
> > > and they seem to take several minutes per cycle and the math on that
> > looks
> > > like multiple weeks. That doesn't feel reasonable.
> > >
> > > I cannot possibly be the first person to want to do this.
> > >
> > > Usually when I can’t find something that “just has to exist,” it’s
> > either:
> > >
> > >   - I’m describing it wrong / using the wrong search terms
> > >   - Or I’ve got my head up my backside and there’s something I’m not
> > seeing
> > >
> > > There’s precedent for both. :-)
> > >
> > > I’m about 90% convinced I need to write my own app for this, but
> before I
> > > commit, I wanted to ask the hivemind:
> > >
> > >   - Am I asking the wrong questions?
> > >   - Am I thinking about this wrong?
> > >   - Any tools, workflows, or suggestions you’ve seen or used?
> > >
> > > At this point, I’d even settle for slings and arrows.
> > >
> > >
> > > -Denny
> > > --
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