Not sure what inexpensive is, but Opticon has some fairly reasonable priced scanners.
You might look at www.tyner.com to see some of the models as well as other brands.

On Fri, 10 Nov 2000 08:42:27 -0500, Pfaff, John wrote:

>There is an article in the November Linux Journal (www.linuxjournal.com)
>about dissecting the CueCat.  It talks about how the author used a PIC
>(doesn't specify which one) to try to extract data from the 93LC46 serial
>EEPROM.  Although he completely erased the EEPROM in the process (before he
>got any useful data), he speculates that the only thing in there was the
>serial number.  All-in-all, interesting reading.  I was planning on going
>out and getting one before they're gone.  You can also order for free (+S&H)
>at www.getcat.com.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: William Chops Westfield [mailto:billw@cisco.com]
>Sent: Friday, November 10, 2000 3:22 AM
>To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>Subject: Re: [OT] Low cost serial bar code scanner
>
>
>    Could anyone suggest some easily available bar code scanners that are
>NOT
>    expensive and will send data back through RS232?
>
>CueCat and a PIC?  There's a project for someone!
>
>(The CueCat is a (free!) barcode scanner w software you can get (at radio
>shack) that's designed to go straight from a bar code to a web page (and
>they get their money setting up the mappings for would-be advertisers.)
>While it's output is somewhat obfuscated "somehow", that's apparently
>already been solved, and you can get assorted PC software that will use the
>CueCat WITHOUT any of it's "specialized" associated software.  I got one to
>help catalog my library, and it works "ok."  The CueCat sits on your
>keyboard cable between your keyboard and your computer, so the timing and
>protocols are well within the ability of something like a 2509...)
>
>(Get yours fast, I don't think the business model is going to pan out :-()
>
>BillW
>
>--
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>
>--
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>
>
>
>

Ivey Cole icole@onr.com

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