Physical Scale Integration

Owned by DATASCOPE WMS, created
Last updated: Jul 15, 2024
3 min read

3rd party

The following must be considered when choosing and setting up a physical Mass scale to integrate with DATASCOPE WMS

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premium_HARDWARE_MASS_SCALE_INTEGRATION_project_quick_guide_IG - v0.1.pdf

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Modules using Scale Integration

The following modules can integrate with a physical weight scale.

Module

Linked Action

Plugin required

Final Mass Checkout

Fetch Mass Button

Final Mass Checkout Fetch Mass

Inbound Mass Check

Fetch Mass Button

Final Mass Checkout Fetch Mass

MSN Grocery Checkout

Fetch Mass Button

MSN Grocery Checkout Fetch Mass

Line Mass Checkout

Fetch Mass Button

Line Mass Checkout Fetch Mass

Pack Station Checkout

Fetch Mass Button

Pack Station Checkout Fetch Mass

Shipping TrackID Dimensions

Fetch Mass Button

Shipping Dimensions Fetch Mass

Mass Based Job Picking

 

 

Hardware requirements

The key requirement for the scale integration is a Scale with a Serial Integration Port, also known as an RS232 Port. This port allows the scale to be connected to a PC via a direct Serial Cable or via a Serial to USB Converter Device. The data format from the scale is mentioned later in this document.

An example of a scale make & model would be the following:

Most modern mass weigh scales that interface with a PC will work with DATASCOPE WMS. However, the following units have been interfaced with in the past:

  • Fairbanks 29824 Ultegra

  • Scale Model at NSS

  • Scale Model at Gedore

How scale communicates with PC

Scale Dump Mode

The scale dump mode setting is the way the scale communicates with the PC. There are 2 options here from the scale perspective:

  • Continuous Feed Mode – Scale is sending data continually to the port in a stream no stopping.

  • Print Mode – Scale will only send data when the “Print” or “Dump” button on the scale is pressed.

How to connect the scales with WMS

Direct vs Indirect

Then, the scale communicates with WMS. This can be direct or indirect, and the following applies to these options:

  • Direct – WMS Reads directly from the COM Port of the scale.

  • Indirect – WMS Reads from a flat text file, which is created using the Scale Logger application which communicates with the scale.

For DATASCOPE WMS the following modes are supported:

  • All Mass Checkouts – Dump Mode ONLY, using the Scale Logger ONLY.

  • Mass-Based Job Picking – Continuous Feed Mode ONLY, using the Direct option ONLY.

Data Formats

Direct Mode (Mass Based Job Picking)

When the connection is in the direct mode, the data string required from the scale is in the format as follows:

000000010.000, where this would represent 10 kg.

The length of this can be variable as the start and end read positions can be configured within WMS.

Indirect Mode (All Checkout Modules)

When the connection is more indirect, the data in WMS will be read from the Scale Logger text file. This application allows for some mapping options between Scale and WMS. The following is the most coming configuration:

GROSS WT 12.45Kg, where this would represent 12.45 Kg, the Scale Logger will translate this into a text file with the number represented as 00000000012.45.

Plugins to configure.

Various plugins on the Mass Checkout, Shipping, and Mass-Based Job-picking screens can be configured for the Fetch Mass button.

For more information, refer to the Plugin Configuration User Guide.