Handheld Scanners for eRegisters
First time set-up
The first time you use a handheld device, you will need to set it up.
Install the device drivers
In order to connect the scanner to your computer, you will need to install the device drivers. You can
download them from the Birkbeck website here.
Install the software application
Next, you will need to install the software application which allows you to read the data recorded on
the scanner. You can download the software from the Birkbeck website here.
Configuring the device
For each scanner, you will need to configure it. Start by connecting it to your PC with the USB cable.
Then, you will need to run the application software. You will find this in Opticon, OPN200x:
Alternatively, there should be a shortcut on your desktop:
The software application is, perhaps, not the friendliest looking software but it does not take long to
learn how to use it.
When you first use the software, you will need to change some settings:
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Set the formatting options to:
o CSV, Comma
o 24Hr
o EU date
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Put a tick in the “Save to file” box
o Click the “…” button and set the filename and save location. You can choose any
filename you want. The filename is used when the software creates the file
containing your data. You can also pick any location for the file to be created in but
it is recommended that you use your desktop or a folder in “My Documents” so that
you can easily find it.
Click the Set Time button. This will set the correct date and time on the handheld scanner. This is
very important!
When a student scans their card, the date and time of the scan is determined by the date and time
set on the handheld scanner so it is very important that this is correct. You should click the Set Time
button every time you connect the scanner.
The software will remember your settings so you should not need to do this again.
For each scanner, you may want to reduce the volume of the beep the scanner makes when it scans
a barcode. To do this, click the Device Options button. Scroll down to about half way until you find
“Volume”. Set this to “5 – On (Minimum)”.
Finally, you should disable the “Beeper Toggle” so that the beep cannot be accidentally turned off.
To save these changes, click the “Settings” button.
Your scanner and software are now configure and ready for use.
Using the Scanner
Using the scanner is very straight forward. You simply point the scanner at the barcode on the
Birkbeck ID card and press the button. Point the laser at the barcode and the device will beep to let
you know that it has read and stored the barcode.
Downloading the Data
To get the data off the scanner, you will first need to connect to your PC with the USB cable. Next,
you will need to run the software application.
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Click the Get barcodes button to copy the data off the handheld scanner.
This will create a file of the barcodes using the name and location you specified when you set up the
software.
Note: If a file of the same name already exists, the software will append the barcode data. Please try
to avoid this as it will eventually make the file very large and make the processing of the file take
much longer. Try to have a separate file for each class where possible.
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Check you file has data in it. Open the file to make sure that the dates and times are what
you were expecting.
You can now delete the barcodes from the scanner by clicking the Delete Barcodes button.
This will clear the data on the scanner reader for the next class.
Finally, click the Set Time button to make sure that the data and time on the scanner are
correct
Uploading your data
The final step is to upload your data so it can be processed.
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Log into My Birkbeck for Staff
Use the search link in the top right to search for a Teaching Event
Find the event you have data for and follow the links to the eRegisters entry
Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the Import button
From this screen, click Browse and locate your file which contains the data. Then click Upload. The
file will be uploaded to the eRegisters system and processed against this event. When a match is
found for a student, they will be marked as present. Any students where no match is found will be
marked absent.
You should now either delete or archive the file containing the data. This will ensure that the next
time you get data from a handheld, it will be in a fresh file and not appended to an existing file.