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Other Uses for Digital Signature Scanners?

Posted by Cliff on from the finding-more-secondary-uses dept.

Tomcow2000 asks: "I just picked up a stack of digital signature scanners for way-too-cheap. They're originally from Bradlees and they are evidently made by MobiNetix. They have something that looks like a VGA port on the back, but nothing else (not even power). Anybody know what these are and what I can do with them?" Digital Etch-a-Sketch anyone?

16 comments

  1. How bout this? by terpia · · Score: 1

    Does it resemble any of these?
    Which MODEL do you have?
    Any FCC ID # on it?

    For the copy & pasters: http://www.pcupgraders.com/NewSite/pointofsale/Sig nature%20Capture%20Terminals/mobinetix.htm

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    .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
    1. Re:How bout this? by terpia · · Score: 1

      BTW: Mobinetix changed hands I beleive to AtPos and then to CrossVue. Im not sure if these were buyouts or reorgs though.

      CrossVue is [obviously] here

      --
      .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
    2. Re:How bout this? by Tomcow2000 · · Score: 1

      Yeah, it looks like the 3100 series. It says on the back model # PW3100. Nothing labeled as FCC ID, but there's some long number in hex that might be it (don't know much about this stuff). BTW, I cracked open one of them, and you appear to be right about the serial port ( bunch of serial processor chips.) Where it gets power, however, is still a mystery. Its brain appears to be a Vadem VG230, which is one of those computer-on-a-chip things with an LCD controller and everything built in. (It runs DOS ;) I can take some pictures and put up a page if anyone's interested...

      --

      Sleep: A completely inadequate substitute for caffeine.
    3. Re:How bout this? by Tomcow2000 · · Score: 1

      Sorry, it wasn't you that mentioned the serial port, it was the only other poster on this thread :)

      --

      Sleep: A completely inadequate substitute for caffeine.
    4. Re:How bout this? by Jackhamr · · Score: 1

      According to that website, they sell a AC adapter for that unit for $10. A RS232 serial cable runs $15. Definately sounds like a cool toy...

    5. Re:How bout this? by Jackhamr · · Score: 1

      check here (products->Sig Capture->Sig Capture->3100) for various docs and software downloads (looks like windows software)

    6. Re:How bout this? by terpia · · Score: 1

      heh heh
      damn, i thought i got blamed for something good finally!

      --
      .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  2. As for the use... by terpia · · Score: 1

    As for the use...
    what about user authentication? sounds very cool, of course forgery is always a possibility...but what if the logon was tied to a specific word that had to be written in a specific way...

    --
    .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  3. Another Possibility by terpia · · Score: 1

    Another Possibility --
    put one by the phone, fridge etc for phone messages and shopping lists and pipe it into some recognition software or use something like graffiti and have it publish to a private web web that you could view anywhere or even with your cell phone/pda etc...

    --
    .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
    1. Re:Another Possibility by duffbeer703 · · Score: 2

      The egyptians invented this thing called "paper" which works alot better. Less need for expesive cabling too :)

      --
      Conformity is the jailer of freedom and enemy of growth. -JFK
    2. Re:Another Possibility by terpia · · Score: 1

      not NEARLY as cool though.

      --
      .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  4. am i alone? by terpia · · Score: 1

    anyone else here today?

    --
    .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  5. Request for more info? by Usquebaugh · · Score: 1

    I would guess that funny vga port is an old fashioned serial port. Is there a standard for these things, if not contact the manafacturer and try and get hold of the interface.

    Another tack is to check out all the Linux point of sale projects and start haunting the mailing lists and looking for existing code.

    You can pick up a pen/tablet combo for under a $70 at http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?p rodzip=&product_code=275321

    I await with interest some of the ideas, graffiti would be a good one. But what else?

    If it has a screen, tic-tac-toe, othello, chess, hangman etc.

  6. best use I can see.... by Ryan_Singer · · Score: 1

    User authentication.....primitive graffiti sounds fun, but part of the reason I am typing this post on my PC and not my pda is that graffiti is annoying. Any thoughts on using it as a command interface? just lots of commands hotkeyed to you writing certain things (DIE, wake up, sleep, etc). my two cents.

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    Ryan Singer
    1. Re:best use I can see.... by terpia · · Score: 1

      yeah youre right, graffiti is annoying. command hotkeys sound better. since its obviously touch sensitive you might be able to assign areas of the screen to run a script or macro when tapped in a specific mapped area. Then make a quick overlay with the mapped areas outlined and labeled...

      --
      .sig wanted: Must be concise, funny, and display my cleverness.
  7. Handwriting recognition by michael_cain · · Score: 2

    And a follow-up question: What's the current state of the art in freely-available handwriting recognition code? Can I get an X widget that implements an input device for handwritten text?