Corded 1D Linear Imager
Cino FuzzyScan F560 Linear Barcode Scanner
The cheapest scanner we are willing to put our name to, and a clear account of where it stops. Three versions: USB, USB with the hands free stand, and RS232.
1D and stacked500 scans/s13 inch range1.6 m dropIP41USB or RS232
Every hardware list has a line on it that says barcode scanner with no further detail, and the honest answer is that a lot of counters are well served by the cheapest thing that works. The question worth asking is not what the scanner does, because they all read barcodes, but what it gives up to reach the price. On the F560 the answer is unusually easy to state. It gives up 2D: no QR codes, no Data Matrix. It keeps almost everything else, including the decoding engine that reads damaged labels, stacked codes like PDF417, a 1.6 metre drop rating and a five year warranty. If nothing in your business is a QR code, the money you would spend on a 2D scanner buys you nothing. Full figures are in the specifications below.
What you keep at this price
The decoding engine, not a cut down oneCino's FuzzyScan imaging reads labels that are smudged, scuffed, poorly printed or low contrast, which is where a budget scanner from an unknown brand usually gives up and the queue stops.
Stacked codes, which most cheap scanners refusePDF417, Micro PDF417, Codablock F and GS1 Composite all decode. Those turn up on licences, shipping labels and GS1 healthcare packaging more often than people expect.
A real drop ratingMultiple falls from 1.6 metres onto concrete and IP41 sealing. A counter scanner lives about a metre off the floor, so this is the rating that decides whether a knock is an incident or a purchase order.
Speed that is not the bottleneckUp to 500 scans per second, bi-directional, reading beyond 13 inches on a retail barcode and out to 18 inches on a larger Code 39. Nobody at a counter will outpace it.
Configuration tools from the expensive modelsiCode sets a unit up in one scan and DataWizard Premium reshapes the data before it reaches your software. Cino does not hold these back for the premium range.
Five years of warrantyA 60 Months Return to Base term on a scanner at this price is the part that tends to surprise people. It says more about how little there is to fail than any specification line does.
Where the line actually is
The F560 is a linear imager. It reads the barcodes printed as bars and spaces, which is nearly everything on a retail shelf, plus the stacked codes that are built out of those bars. What it cannot read is a two dimensional code: a QR code, a Data Matrix, an Aztec code. Those are squares of dots rather than lines, and no amount of firmware makes a linear engine see them.
So the test is simple. Walk the counter and look at what people actually present. If it is product barcodes, membership cards and shipping labels, this scanner covers the job. If customers arrive with QR codes on a phone, or you handle GS1 Data Matrix on medical packaging, you want the 2D model instead and we would rather tell you that now than take the order.
USB, serial, and why the cable decides
Cino sets the host behaviour with the cable the scanner ships with. The USB versions arrive as a keyboard, typing the decoded barcode into whatever field has focus, with no driver and no power supply because the port feeds them. USB VCOM is available for software that insists on a COM port.
The RS232 version is a genuine serial scanner rather than a dongle on the end of a USB cable, which matters on weighbridges, kiosks and older terminals where a converter is the thing that fails. One caution: a serial port does not always supply power, so ask us about the 5V DC supply when you order one.
The hands free stand version
One of the three part numbers includes Cino's hands free stand. Dropped into it, the scanner reads whatever is presented to the window without anyone pulling the trigger, and lifting it out returns ordinary trigger scanning.
It is a part number rather than an accessory fitted later, and the combined price is lower than buying the two pieces separately. On a counter that handles a queue of small items it removes the pick up and put down from every single scan, which adds up faster than it sounds.
Deciding between the three versions
- Start with the port. USB unless the host has a real serial socket and software that expects it. USB is cheaper to deploy because it needs no power supply and no driver.
- Then decide about the stand. If the counter handles a queue of small items, take the stand version. If the scanner mostly goes to the goods rather than the goods coming to it, skip it.
- Check the codes before you commit. Look at what arrives at the counter. Anything square and pixelated is a 2D code and needs a different scanner.
- Ask about the smart stand separately. Cino also builds the US-100 smart stand for this family, which switches presentation mode automatically. Tell us if that is what you had in mind and we will quote it.
The three part numbers
| Part number | Interface | Stand | Suits |
|---|
| PCW-F560-BSR-USB | USB HID or USB VCOM | No | The default for a modern till, scanned in the hand |
| PCW-KIT-F560USB | USB HID or USB VCOM | Hands free stand included | Counters working through a queue of small items |
| PCW-F560-BSR-RS232 | Standard RS232 | No | Weighbridges, kiosks and hosts with a genuine serial port |
All three are the same scanner with the same warranty. The cable sets the interface and one version adds the stand.
Full specifications
| Brand | Cino |
| Series | FuzzyScan F560 |
| Product type | Corded handheld linear imaging scanner |
| Optical system | High performance linear imaging engine |
| Light source | 630 nm LED |
| Print contrast | 20 percent minimum reflective difference |
| Minimum resolution | 3 mil, Code 39 at PCS 0.9 |
| Reading range | More than 13 inches on 13 mil UPC/EAN, up to 18 inches on 20 mil Code 39 |
| Scan rate | Dynamic scanning rate up to 500 scans per second |
| Reading direction | Bi-directional, forward and backward |
| Pitch, skew, tilt | Plus or minus 65 / 65 / 55 degrees |
| Host interfaces | USB HID keyboard, USB VCOM or standard RS232, set by the cable supplied with the version ordered |
| Configuration | Command barcodes, iCode, FuzzyScan PowerTool |
| Data editing | DataWizard Premium |
| User interface | Blue LED indications, programmable beeper, optional vibrator |
| 1D symbologies | Code 39, Code 39 Full ASCII, Code 32, Code 39 Trioptic, Code 128, GS1-128, Codabar, Code 11, Code 93, Standard and Industrial 2 of 5, Interleaved and Matrix 2 of 5, German Post, China Post, IATA, UPC/EAN/JAN with addendum, Telepen, MSI/Plessey and UK/Plessey, GS1 DataBar linear and linear stacked |
| Stacked symbologies | PDF417, Micro PDF417, Codablock F, Composite Codes |
| Operating voltage | 5V DC plus or minus 10 percent |
| Operating current | Typical 170 mA operating, 75 mA standby at 5V DC |
| Dimensions | 165.0 mm (L) x 64.7 mm (W) x 38.7 mm (D) |
| Weight | 106 g, cable excluded |
| Colour | Black on these part numbers. Light Grey is a Cino option. |
| Drop specification | Withstands multiple 1.6 m drops to concrete |
| Environmental sealing | IP41 |
| Operating temperature | -10 C to 50 C |
| Storage temperature | -40 C to 70 C |
| Humidity | 5 to 95 percent relative, non condensing |
| Ambient light immunity | 0 to 80,000 lux |
| ESD protection | Functional after 15KV discharge |
| Compliance | CE, FCC, BSMI, RCM, KC, VCCI. LED eye safety IEC62471 Exempt Group. RoHS. |
| Warranty | 60 Months Return to Base |
Before you order
- Confirm nothing in the business is 2D. This is the one decision that cannot be undone with a setting. Send us a photo of a label you are unsure about and we will tell you which engine reads it.
- Check the port if you want RS232. A serial port does not always power a scanner. Describe the host and we will tell you whether the 5V DC supply needs to go on the order.
- Take the stand with the scanner. The stand version is a separate part number rather than an accessory added later, and it costs less than the two bought apart.
- Ask about the vibrator option. Cino offers a vibrating version for libraries and consulting rooms where a beep is intrusive, and equally for plants where a beep is never heard. It is a build option, so it has to be decided before despatch.
In the box
- Cino FuzzyScan F560 linear imager in black
- Interface cable, USB or RS232 to suit the version ordered
- Cino hands free stand on the stand version
- Quick start guide
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth paying more for a 2D scanner?
Only if you have 2D codes. A 2D imager costs roughly half as much again and its advantage is reading QR codes, Data Matrix and codes on phone screens. If none of those appear at your counter you are paying for capability that never gets used, and we will say so rather than upsell you.
Can it read a barcode shown on a screen?
It reads ordinary 1D barcodes displayed on a screen, which covers membership numbers and some emailed vouchers. It cannot read a QR code on a screen, because that is a 2D symbol. If customer phones are a regular part of your counter, this is the wrong scanner.
What is the difference between the three versions?
The scanner is identical in all three. One ships with a USB cable, one ships with a USB cable and the Cino hands free stand, and one ships with an RS232 serial cable. They are selected from the dropdown above.
Does it need a driver or a power supply?
Neither on the USB versions. The scanner is recognised as a keyboard, so no driver is installed, and it draws 170 mA from the USB port. The RS232 version can need a 5V DC supply, because serial ports do not reliably provide power.
How tough is it really?
Multiple drops from 1.6 metres onto concrete and IP41 sealing, which covers dust and dripping water. That is a retail and office rating rather than an industrial one, and it is well above what an unbranded scanner at this price offers.
Will it read a damaged or faded label?
That is where the money went. The FuzzyScan engine is specified for smudged, scuffed, poorly printed and low contrast barcodes, down to 20 percent reflective difference. Warehouse labels after a month in a crate are the normal test, and it passes it.
Can we set up several the same way?
Yes. Cino's iCode carries a whole configuration in one printed barcode, so each unit is commissioned with a single scan. DataWizard Premium then reshapes the output where your software needs the data in a particular format.
Why is the warranty five years on a scanner this cheap?
Because a corded linear imager has no battery, no radio and no moving parts, so there is very little in it that ages. The 60 Months Return to Base term is return to base, which means the unit comes back to us for assessment and repair or replacement in Australia.
Buying more than a coupleOn a multi unit order we will prepare the configuration barcode for your setup and supply it with the hardware, so every scanner is commissioned identically. Tell us the till software and how many counters and we will put it together before despatch.
Cino FuzzyScan F560 corded linear barcode scanner, covered by a 60 Months Return to Base warranty. Supplied and supported in Australia by POS Sales, 1300 026 062.
Available as PCW-F560-BSR-USB, PCW-KIT-F560USB with the hands free stand, and PCW-F560-BSR-RS232. Reads 1D and stacked linear codes including PDF417, and does not read QR or Data Matrix.
1300 026 062
