Office & commsShows up, but not every week
Barcode scanner
Also called hand scanner, USB scanner.
An office cleanout part. If it types numbers into a text editor, it is a finished tool. The laser or imager inside is not a better prize than that.
A donor is the dead machine. The parts below are what is still worth removing from it. “Leave it” is a part that is physically in there and should stay in there: too dangerous, too worn, or only useful as part of a repair you are not doing.
Plug the module in before you take it apart. A webcam the computer already sees, a scanner that types into a text box, or a speaker board that plays music is the finished part. The chips on the board are not an upgrade.
Why it is in the trash while the parts are not
The register was replaced. Scanners often still work.
Before you open it
Do this while it is still unplugged, cool, and not leaking. Plug it in first.
Where the dead machine usually is
- Office cleanout — Commercial
- Thrift store — Retail
Ask on a retail teardown. They are easy to miss in a crate of cables.
How it comes apart
Do not. Configuration is done by scanning barcodes from the model's sheet.
Tools: A computer.
What to take
The table is the short version. The notes under it describe that part inside this machine, not only the general description.
| Part | Call | How many | How often | Where to look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB barcode scanner | Prize | 1 | usually | The whole unit. |
| USB cable | Worth pulling | 1 | usually | Fixed or coiled. |
| Tactile switch | Bonus | 1 | usually | The trigger. |
Prize
USB HID keyboard wedge, sometimes RS-232.
The whole unit.
Test it. Find the manual for the suffix codes.
Usually good.
Worth pulling
Sometimes a replaceable cable.
Fixed or coiled.
Test under flex.
Coiled leads break at the ends.
Bonus
A larger tact or a microswitch.
The trigger.
Only if the scanner is dead.
Good.