Hi.
A "Keyboard-wedge" emulates the type of keyboard it was designed
for.

If designed to be connected to a PC, it emulates the PC-kbd-
scan codes, so the keyboard driver in e.g. Windows "sees" normal
ASCII charactes. The wedge is connected between the normal PC-
keyboard and the keyboard input on the PC box. There is absolutly
*NO* reason to use a PC-kbd-wedge if you *don't* have a PC (or
some other equipment that expects PC-kbd-scan-codes).

Use a "stright" RS-232, ASCII output scanner, no need to decode
anything, just read and act on the data.

You say "decode bar code to ASCII". What exactly do you
mean with "bar code" in this case. The actual digital stream from
the reader (before the decoder) ? I hope not ! Well, if you aren't
building some equipment for quality checking of barcode labels where
you have to measure that, e.g, a Code-31 label are within specifications.

What types of barcodes are you planning to use ?
Only standard 1-D codes such as code-31 or code-128 ?
Or also 2-D codes such as PDF-417 ?. It doesn't matter that
much, just interested...

Is it the "piece of equipment that reads bar code" that will
conntain the PIC ? Or is it the "application" ? And what is the
"computer". A PC ? Or some *real* computer ?

How will the termal printer be controled ? By the PIC ?
And all this other "peripherals", will they be peripherals to
the PIC ?

Jan-Erik Svderholm
S:t Anna Data
Sweden

>1st, thank you all for the numerous & continuous helpful responses.
>This new application involves a piece of equipment that reads bar code, a
>RTD, and potentially another sensor, then combines all readings, stores
>them, & later send data to a computer via RS232, (USB optional).  Other
>peripherals include a keypad, module LCD and thermal printer.  I don't know
>if the "wedge" type scanner offers similar codes than those of a PC Keyboard
>referred to before as "KBD scan codes"  I could HW interface this easily.
>Decoding this type of stream is easy as well.  This approach would be my
>"code concept" or conceptual design technique. (decode bar code to ASCII).
>many tx, {slewrate}

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