Barcode Scanners

ClinSpark treats barcode scanners as a keyboard wedge, therefore no specialized software is required.

Scanners must be configured to terminate with a line break to work properly with ClinSpark.

Symbol DS4608-HC Series

Manufacturers product page.

We have not evaluated or tested this scanner at this time.

Symbol LS4208

Customers have had good results with the Symbol LS4208. We have seen these wired USB scanners work well with a variety of our customer hardware configurations, barcode labels, and computing environments.

Symbol LS2208

We have also seen some use of the Symbol LS2208, but to a lesser extent. The LS2208 does not perform as well with certain barcode labels printed in a small and narrow configuration, and thus is not our primary recommendation.

Configuring the LS4208 and LS2208 for ClinSpark

Symbol scanners must be configured to insert a termination character upon scan.

LS4208

• Download the LS4208 Quick Reference Guide (below)

• Reference page 7 and and page 11.

• Scan the ‘Set Defaults’ code from page 7.

• Scan the ‘SCAN OPTIONS’ from page 11.

• Scan the ‘ENTER’ from page 11.

• Scanner should beep differently and now be configured for use with ClinSpark barcodes.

LS2208

• Refer to the link above for the LS4208 Quick Reference Guide (below).

• Reference page 7 and and page 11.

• Scan the ‘Set Defaults’ barcode from page 7.

• Scan the ‘SCAN OPTIONS’ barcode from page 11.

• Scan the ‘’ barcode from page 11.

• Scan the ‘ENTER’ barcode from page 11.

• Scanner should beep differently and now be configured for use with ClinSpark barcodes.

Bluetooth

Foundry Health does not use wireless scanners during the development and testing of ClinSpark. We generally have not found them as reliable as their wired USB counterparts.

Some customers have considered (and experimented) using wireless scanners in various settings. For example, it could be convenient if users are in a more mobile setting such as a lab, scanning samples into fridges and freezers.

One of our customers shared their experience with wireless scanners at a user group meeting; the presentation can be viewed here.

Some things to consider:

• Wireless scanners take additional time to set up with paired equipment

• Wireless scanners need to be charged

• Wireless scanners have more points of failure than wired

• If customers are using (or interested in using) a wireless barcode scanner with ClinSpark, please reach out to us and let us know about your experience.

Stationary Scanners

Some customers have inquired about the use of stationary scanners, perhaps in situations where there could be a concern with staff inverting an already-centrifuged tube in order to scan with a handheld scanner.

We define stationary scanners as a “fixed” device, typically placed in a setting where the scanner would not move from a specific orientation and location. There are many varieties of these types of scanners, such as ones you would find in a grocery store checkout queue or airport kiosks that read LCD screens of mobile phones.

We do not have any recommendations regarding stationary scanners; handheld barcode scanners are widely preferred at the moment. That said - any wired handheld scanner can be “converted” into a stationary scanner with the right equipment!

Our ‘favorite’ scanner - the Symbol LS4208 - can be purchased with official Zebra accessories that allow the scanner to be mounted on a wall, or, placed in a “holster” device that can make the barcode scanning laser fire on a fixed setting.

The part numbers for these Zebra accessories are:

20-70774-02R

11-66553-06R

Alternately, there are companies that sell “similar” style and design accessories at a much cheaper price point that also meet this task. These are called “Goose Neck” hands free adjustable stands. For example:

If selecting a non-Zebra (or Motorola) branded device, it’s important to check to make sure it will fit the size and dimensions of whatever scanner is being used.

QWERTY and AZERTY

Certain barcodes configurations that create printed labels require that scanners are set to scan in a ‘QWERTY’ keyboard layout in order to scan the labels properly. QWERTY keyboard layout ensures that scanned barcodes are properly input into ClinSpark, especially when barcodes are produced of a certain character length and delimiters. Scanners that are set to AZERTY keyboard configurations often have issues properly scanning barcodes for input and use in ClinSpark. It is key to match the locale settings of your scanner with your computer keyboard. Ensure that Caps Lock is off at all times when scanning.

Many scanners come with configuration instructions that allow keyboard layout settings to be updated by scanning a special “configuration” barcode that programs the scanner to the QWERTY layout.

We most commonly see our customers using both data entry computers and scanner configurations that match QWERTY keyboard layouts. Ensuring that the same layout match between keyboard layout and their barcode scanner configurations will also help reduce the chances of barcode scanning issues.

Notes on Foot Pedals

Occasionally customers will ask us about using USB foot pedals with ClinSpark in lieu of a mouse (or other input peripherals) such as a laboratory settings, to improve workflows.

The Foundry Health team is familiar with foot pedals and their intended use. However, we instead decided to add logic in certain workflows to allow a barcode scanner to serve as the primary input and act in a fashion to keep data collectors ‘hands free’. Here are a few examples:

• During data collection, if a given item requires barcode verification and the underlying type is a ‘date’; users can scan twice: the first will, of course, validate / verify that the user scanned the correct barcode and the second will act as the button push for setting the current time

• During data collection if a user scans their user barcode, it will be treated as clicking ‘Save and Close’ on the data collection form

• The sample processing workflow has extensive usability enhancements with basically each step; like data collection, scanning a user barcode will attempt to complete the task (ie closing a batch)

Those are just a few of the areas we’ve considered. Our goal in ClinSpark is for users to leverage the scanner as much as possible for the best possible user experience in context of various workflows as a way to make a foot pedal not necessary.

Troubleshooting

When your scanner doesn’t seem to work in Clinspark a good first step would be to try & scan the barcode in a text editor, like notepad. A more advanced editor like Notepad++ comes in handy to detect correct characters.

The procedure would be as follows:

• Open Notepad++

• In Notepad++ go to View > Show Symbol > Show All Characters:

• 

  Scan a barcode

• The result should look like this:

Verify that:

• The cursor is on the next line, and that the CR LF (Carriage Return, Line Feed) special characters are placed after the barcode. If that is not the case, re-check the steps at the section Configuring the LS4208 and LS2208 for ClinSpark

• Characters match the case (F instead of f), and that dashes and numbers are displayed correctly. If that is not the case, re-check the steps at the section QWERTY and AZERTY

• Clinspark expects the barcode to come in about 400msec from start to end. If the barcode is appearing in Notepad++ notoriously slow, check the connection or try another scanner.

A last thing to try, is entering the barcode manually in Clinspark using Chrome Developer tools & the barcodeListenCallback() function. Clinspark should then behave similarly as if the barcode was processed.

• Open Clinspark, and navigate to the dashboard.

• Open up Chrome Developer tools

• Go to the Console

• Ignore possible warnings in the console, and type on the last line, after the > the following: barcodeListenCallback("S1"). Replace S1 with the barcode you actually want to try/enter.

• 

  Press enter. Clinkspark will now execute that barcode, as when it would scan with a barcode scanner.

If the above it not working, verify the following:

• Is the content of the barcode correct & complete?

• Are you on the correct page in clinspark (e.g., dashboard, sample processing)? Barcode scanning doesn’t work on any clinspark page (e.g., doesn’t work on Administration pages)