User Manual eSkan250
Getting Started
iPulse Department of Development
2013-08-19
IQ Suite getting started guide
Only applicable to eSkan250 - later versions may differ and render this guide inaccurate. For updates, please visit
www.ipulse.co.za or mail us: iqsuite@ipulse.co.za
Contents
UNPACKING AND CHECKING EQUIPMENT ................................................................................................... 3
PC SETUP SOFTWARE ................................................................................................................................... 3
ORIENTATION .................................................................................................................................................. 4
Top view ........................................................................................................................................................ 4
Bottom view ................................................................................................................................................... 6
Display ........................................................................................................................................................... 7
BASIC OPERATIONS ....................................................................................................................................... 9
Scanner on/off................................................................................................................................................ 9
Charging ........................................................................................................................................................ 9
Barcode scanning ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Introduction............................................................................................................................................... 10
Best practice ............................................................................................................................................. 10
Procedure ................................................................................................................................................. 11
Uploading data ............................................................................................................................................. 12
Connection ............................................................................................................................................... 12
POP-UPS ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
Enabled .................................................................................................................................................... 13
Popup size and location............................................................................................................................ 13
Additional functions ..................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
NOTES: ....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Only applicable to eSkan250 - later versions may differ and render this guide inaccurate. For updates, please visit
www.ipulse.co.za or mail us: iqsuite@ipulse.co.za
© 2013 iPulse Systems Page 2
UNPACKING AND CHECKING EQUIPMENT
Carefully unpack the scanner.
Included in the packaging is a 1.6m USB cable to charge, setup and upload files to and from the scanner to a
PC.
It is also possible to purchase a USB charger (similar to the one you use for your new smartphone) to charge
the device where no PC is available. You will require a 1A, 5V DC (± 0.2V) charger to charge your eSkan device.
PC SETUP SOFTWARE
Setting up the PC software falls outside the scope of this document.
Please refer to the installation manual on how to install and configure the eSkan and PC software.
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ORIENTATION
Top view
1 Magnetic card swipe slot.
Swipe the card from left or from right. The magnetic strip on the card must face down and toward the
scanner. This slot can also be used to locate the SA driver card when scanning
2 Left scan button (scroll up button)
Momentarily press and release this button to scan a barcode. Release the button when an audible
beep is heard. In scan mode this button has the same function as the right scan key. This button is
also use as a scroll up button in the menu section.
3 Display
Refer to page 7
4 Mini USB client connector
The mini USB cable is required to configure the scanner for the first time as well as to upload saved
data from the scanner in case a WI-FI network is not available.
The USB cable is also used to charge the scanner when connected to a PC.
Note: The scanner can also be charged from any 5V/1A charger terminated with a mini USB
connector.
5 Finish (back button)
This button is used to indicate the end of a transaction. Typically when you have finished scanning a
vehicle (and its occupants) you would press the finish button and proceed to the next vehicle.
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6 On button (down button)
This button is used to switch on the scanner. Release the ON button when an audible sound is heard.
This button is also used as a scroll down button when in the menu or when more barcode decode
detail must be displayed.
This button can also be used to turn on the screen backlight when scanner is in sleep mode.
7 Scan window
The barcode sensor is located here. Keep this window clean at all times. Ensure a clear path (obstacle
free) in the blue area below, between the barcode sensor and the barcode label itself.
8 Off button (select button)
This button is used in the main screen to turn off the scanner. In the menu tree this button is used to
select a function or a sub menu.
9 Right scan button (scroll up button)
Momentarily press and release this button to scan a barcode. Release the button when an audible
beep is heard. In scan mode this button has the same function as the left scan key.
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Bottom view
1 Unit serial number
Each scanner has a unique serial number. The first number after the eID indicate USB(1) or
WI-FI(2)
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Display
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1 Wi-Fi signal strength indicator
The antenna icon and each of the 4 bars represents 20% signal strength. If only the antenna icon is
displayed with no bars, the signal strength is less than 20%. The icon and 2 bars represent signal
strength of 60%.
2 Left function configurable
Function for the far left blue key. This function can change for each menu displayed. This function is
not always available; it all depends on the scanner configuration. A custom script can change the
function of this button.
3 WI-FI connection status icon
This icon indicates the status of the wireless link. There are 6 possibilities:
- No icon: WI-FI radio is not fitted (eSkan150) or not enabled (incorrectly setup)
- Small filled square: WI-FI radio is turn off. No data to be uploaded.
- Small hollow square: WI-FI radio is searching for an access point or a router.
- Small square colon: WI-FI radio found router and is searching for an IP address.
- Antenna: WI-FI radio is connected to router and IP address was allocated.
- Lightning: Scanner is connected to the server and is uploading data.
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4 USB connection status indicator
This icon indicates the status of the USB connection. There are 3 possibilities:
-No icon: No valid USB connection is present.
- usb icon: Scanner is connected to a valid USB host.
- charge icon: Scanner is connected to a USB charger.
5 Right function configurable
Function for the far right blue key. This function can change for each menu. A custom script can
change the function of this button
6 Battery capacity remaining indicator.
The battery icon and each of the 4 bars represents 20% charge level. If only an icon is displayed,
only 5% battery capacity remains and unit will switch off soon. In the above screen, the battery is 80%
charged, 3 bars + icon.
7 Available file storage indicator.
This indicator displays the amount of files that can be stored on the scanner in off-line mode. Each
barcode that is scanned will be saved as a separate file. So if it displays <1981 free>, 1981 different
scans (doesn’t matter what type of barcode) can be stored on the device to be uploaded at a later
stage.
8 Scanner clock.
The scanner clock is synchronized with the server every time it connects to the server via USB or
when uploading data over the Wi-Fi network. An internal battery will keep the scanner’s clock up to
date for months without the need to be connected to the server.
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Charging source
Scanner status
Duration
PC
on
5½ hours
PC
off
24 hours
USB Charger
on
2½ hours
USB Charger
off
24 hours
BASIC OPERATIONS
The primary function of the eSkan250 is to decode and decrypt the South African drivers and vehicle license in
an off-line mode without the need to be connected to a remote database.
The decoded and decrypted information obtained from the scanned barcode will then briefly be displayed on the
scanner display.
The information will stored also be stored in its internal memory for uploading later if a WI-FI network is not
immediately available.
Note:
The operations below are based on eSkan software version 3.0.37 or later.
Scanner on/off
The red button on the scanner is used to turn the device on. To turn the device off, press the far right blue key
but only if the OFF function on the display bottom right corner is visible.
The 2 blue keys can be pressed simultaneously to force an emergency shutdown.
The scanner boot-up sequence is complete when the battery capacity is visible in the right hand side of the
display. Only then the scanner is ready to scan a barcode.
Note that the scanner will switch off if not used for 5 minutes to preserve the battery
Charging
The internal battery can only be charged using the scanner USB port.
The table below illustrates how long the eSkan battery will take to charge from empty to full under different
charging conditions.
From the above table it is obvious that the scanner must be switched ON to fast charge the battery.
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Barcode scanning
Introduction
All the license holder information in the front of the card is encoded and encrypted in the barcode.
The primary objective is to scan the barcode with the eSkan to retrieve all the information stored inside the
barcode.
Best practice
The following factors will influence the speed and ability to read the barcode:
1 Type of the barcode
The more complex the barcode, the more difficult it is to decode it. The driver license barcode contains
more information than the vehicle disk license, so the scanner will decode the vehicle disk quicker
and easier.
2 Quality of the barcode
The scanner will find it more difficult to decode a barcode if the barcode is dirty or when the barcode
is covered with a transparent layer. Always ensure the barcode being scanned is clean.
3 Steadiness of barcode while scanning
The barcode and the scanner must be kept as steady as possible during a scan. Do not swipe the
barcode passed the scanner. The magnetic strip card must be swiped; the barcode scanning is a
photo that is captured, so steadiness is most important.
4 Distance between barcode and scanner
The scanner takes a picture of the barcode for decoding, so the focus distance between the scanner
and the barcode is limited. The minimum distance to decode a barcode is when the license is inserted
in the magnetic stripe slot. The maximum distance is 5cm from the scanner.
Minimum scan distance Maximum scan distance
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5 Angle of barcode while scanning
6 Ambient light
Procedure
1 Placement
If the barcode is covered with a transparent layer like the SADL, it helps if the card is positioned at a
slight angle to minimize reflections back to the scanner.
If scanning outdoors, best practice is the block direct sun from the scanner and barcode. Strong light
is reflected back to the scanner so it struggles to decode a barcode image. The operator must try and
shadow the scanner and barcode using his hand or body.
Place the barcode in front of the scanner with the barcode facing towards the scanner
2 Scan
To activate the scan process, momentarily press one of the two yellow side buttons
3 Processing and save
After a successful barcode scan, the results will be displayed on screen. Use the red button to scroll
down for more info. The scan data is saved in memory.
4 Next scan
At any time press the yellow button to continue scanning, no need to be in the main menu.
5 Data uploading
With an eSkan250, as soon as data is stored in memory the WIFI will start uploading files to the
server in the back ground. No user intervention required to start the upload process. The eSkan250
will also upload data via USB if it is connected to a PC.
With an eSkan150, data will be uploaded once scanner is connected to a PC.
6 Finish
The eSkan will automatically group transactions together until the Finish button (left blue key) is
pressed. Once all the barcodes that are part of the same transaction has been scanned press the
finish button before proceeding to the next transaction. Typically this would be a vehicle license disk
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and the driver of the vehicle’s driver’s license. You could also include any other barcodes/licenses to
be linked to the vehicle. When you are done press the finish button.
Uploading data
Connection
The scanner must be connected to a PC via USB or via the WI-FI network to upload saved data.
The icon indicates a valid USB connection while the icon indicates a WLAN network connection.
For USB uploading the icon must be visible on the scanner. If not, the PC doesn’t recognize the scanner so
contact your system administrator.
The WI-FI connection is slightly more complex. Refer to page 4 for an explanation for the different WI-FI icons.
The icon show a valid connection to the WI-FI network and scanner is ready to upload data.
The icon indicates a connection to the server software and data is busy uploading. The “free” number should
increment during this process until this icon return back to an icon. This icon will stay until more data is available
to be uploaded.
Note that the scanner will switch off the WI-FI after 30 seconds if no files need to be uploaded. On the
next scan, the Wi-Fi will immediately turned on again. This is to preserve the battery life.
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POP-UPS
Enabled
If the popups is enabled on the operator PC, the software will generate a pop-up image every time it receives
data from the eSkan. The type of popup depends on what is scanned by the eSkan.
To see if the popups service is active, look for the “eID logo with the red hat” on the left in the taskbar as illustrated
below. If no icon, contact your LAN administrator.
Popup size and location
If the popups are enabled, the following popup will appear in the desktop screen when scanning a driver’s license.
The popup will stay on the desktop or disappear after a few seconds; all depends on the configuration setup.
The operator can move or resize the popup and the settings will be stored once closing the popup. The next
popup will be the size and location of the last popup that was closed by the operator.
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NOTES:
END OF DOCUMENT
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