Using the Inateck P6 Scanner with SpoolFab

The first step is to launch SpoolFab and select Help/Print Barcode Reference Sheet. The Reference Sheet contains a series of barcodes along the lines of the example below. Each code, S31, S32 etc. represents a production Stage. Note that with the Inateck P6, the Start and Clear barcodes are not used.

These instructions may work for other scanner models as well.

The first five production Stages (see example below) are always the same. The remaining Stages are simply a list of all user-definable status headers that contain the word “Date”.

S31 Chk date
S32 InFab date
S33 Hydrodate
S34 PWHT date
S35 Complete date
S36 Cut Date
S37 Fab. S.B. Comp. Date
S38 S.B. Weld Comp. Date
S39 Fab Comp. Date
S40 Weld Comp. Date
S41 Dimension Check Date
S42 X-Ray Comp. Date
S43 PT Comp. Date
S44 MT Comp. Date
S45 UT Comp. Date
S46 PMI Comp. Date
S47 Client App. Date
S48 Ship to Site Date
S49 Req. on Site Date
S50 Final Weld Date
S51 Final Fit Date

Note that if Fit Date, Weld Date, Final Weld Date, and Final Fit Date stages are present in the list of Status Headers, those dates will be written to the status table automatically, based on data entered via the drawing. You would therefore probably not want to use barcode scanning for these particular stages.

It is possible for a client to have its own data folder and hence its own list of status headers, but the barcode reference sheet is always based on the status headers in the main Data folder, i.e. the one directly under the Clients folder.

The status headers in a client Data folder and the main Data folder can be different, but obviously you can only scan for stages listed in the main Data folder, as only these are listed on the Barcode Reference Sheet. To the extent that main and client-specific status headers contain the same stage descriptions, the status updating process will handle them correctly, even if they occupy different field positions. For example, if Cut Date is listed as Field 3 in the main data folder and Field 10 in a client data folder, the status table will still update correctly in both cases.

Once you have verified that the main status headers include all the desired stages, you may want to print several copies of the Barcode Reference Sheet, one for each station where you will be scanning.

Before using the Inateck P6 for the first time

SpoolFab requires the scanner to be in Inventory Mode. In this mode, the scans are recorded in the scanner, for later transmission. Before first use, you need to scan the Inventory Mode barcode shown below. You only need to do this once. The P6 uses reflected light, so you cannot scan a screen image; to scan successfully, the bar code has to be on paper. You therefore need to print this page. If you are using a different scanner model, you may find these codes on a card supplied with the scanner.

The P6 does not record the date of the scan, so when you transfer the data to SpoolFab, it will assume it was recorded as of today’s date. It is therefore advisable to clear the buffer once the data has been successfully transferred. Be careful not to scan “Clear Buffer” accidentally before transferring the data, otherwise you will have to redo those scans.

‍Scanning Procedure

Power up the P6 using the thumb switch on the back.

If this will be the first scan of the day, clear the buffer by scanning the Clear Buffer barcode. Be careful not to scan this code again until you have uploaded the data.

Scan the appropriate stage code from the reference sheet. For example, if you are about to scan a batch of spools for which X-Rays have just been completed, scan the X-Ray Comp. Date barcode on the reference sheet. Then scan the drawings to which the stage code applies. You can then scan a different stage such as Ship to Site and then scan the drawings to which that status applies, and so on. The scans are stored in the P6, because it is in Inventory mode.

If you accidentally scan the wrong stage code, you do not need to undo that scan, just scan the correct stage code before scanning any more drawings.

Connecting the Inateck P6 to your computer

To connect the barcode reader, you can either plug the Inateck dongle into a USB port, or connect the reader to a USB port using the supplied cable.

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Downloading the P6

Select Help, Enter Spool Status using Barcode Reader. SpoolFab will receive the data and display it as it is received.

After the data has transferred, click the Update Status Tables button. A message will display showing which jobs were updated. <cf>

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Clear the Buffer

Since the P6 does not timestamp the scans, SpoolFab assumes that all scans refer to the date when it received the data. You should therefore scan Clear Buffer following the transfer. Otherwise, if you transfer the same data to SpoolFab on a subsequent date, the wrong date will be entered in the Status Table.