Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!ncar!boulder!sunybcs!rutgers!apple!well!dwheeler
From: dwheeler@well.UUCP (Douglas N. Wheeler)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.atari.st
Subject: Re: Barcode readers
Message-ID: <10277@well.UUCP>
Date: 8 Jan 89 22:23:58 GMT
References: <890108003518.926496@PCO-MULTICS.HBI.HONEYWELL.COM>
Reply-To: dwheeler@well.UUCP (Douglas N. Wheeler)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 22

In article <890108003518.926496@PCO-MULTICS.HBI.HONEYWELL.COM> Friesen%PCO@BCO-MULTICS.HBI.HONEYWELL.COM writes:
>... What I would like to do is modify a
>Tandy bar code reader 'pen' (for their portable 100's,102's) so it would
>plug into the joystick port of the ST.  The pen has a nine pin plug, and
>I have pin layouts for the ST's and the Pen's plugs, so I can make an
>adapter to connect the current and ground etc.
>
>Aric Friesen

You're in luck!  I've already converted a Tandy Barcode reader to use with the
ST (they were on sale).  I move the wires to the following pins (they just
slide out):
   White  -  6
   Red    -  7
   Black  -  8
That will give you the equivelent of a button push (left mouse, or joystick,
depending upon which port it's plugged into) whenever the reader passes over a
bar (I don't recall whether white or black lines cause a pulse, experiment).  I
would love to hear how it goes, as I just haven't had the time to write the
software.  Good luck.

--Doug