A slot scanner remains stationary and the item with the bar code on it is pulled by hand through the slot.A pen wand can present a challenge to the user, however, because it has to remain in direct contact with the bar code, must be held at a certain angle, and has to be moved over the bar code at a certain speed. It contains no moving parts and is known for its durability and low cost. A pen wand is the simplest barcode reader.There are five basic kinds of barcode readers - pen wands, slot scanners, Charge-Couple Device ( CCD ) scanners, image scanners, and laser scanners. (The dark bars on a barcode reflect less light than the white spaces between them.) The scanner converts the light energy into electrical energy, which is then converted into data by the decoder and forwarded to a computer. A barcode reader works by directing a beam of light across the bar code and measuring the amount of light that is reflected back. Barcode scanners can be connected to a computer through a serial port, keyboard port, or an interface device called a wedge.
Because a barcode reader merely captures and translates the barcode into numbers and/or letters, the data must be sent to a computer so that a software application can make sense of the data. A barcode reader consists of a scanner, a decoder (either built-in or external), and a cable used to connect the reader with a computer. A barcode reader, also called a price scanner or point-of-sale ( POS ) scanner, is a hand-held or stationary input device used to capture and read information contained in a bar code.