ABSTRACT
Computer integrated electronics manufacturing and testing is a highly competitive activity on the international scene. Important parameters which affect quality, time, and cost require monitoring, tracking, and assessment. Since the ubiquitous keyboard is an integral part of a display and control station, its capabilities are utilized to communicate with the central computer. However, the procedure is labor intensive, slow, and, because it involves manual input by a human operator, prone to error. Decoding an encrypted message is always fascinating to the inquisitive mind. This chapter is intended to reveal how bar codes are read. The details of how they are designed are contained in the section entitled “Bar Code Design.” The bar code messages are read at appropriate points in the manufacturing cycle by an optical scanner either stationary or portable, and the information is stored in a central or host computer.
