PieceWorker - Handheld Computers and Scales

To collect data in the field, we use inexpensive handheld computers from Opticon, a leader in the mobile computing industry. The OPL9728/OPL9712 models are weather resistant and built for use in the field...we've dropped and abused them enough to prove it. An optional neoprene carrying case protects the handheld computer even further, and adds a belt clip for easy access in the field. Your data is protected by a powerful lithium battery that lasts for hours and recharges quickly, with a backup battery to help ensure the data stays safe. Each handheld is capable of safely storing roughly 72,000 individual work records.

If you want to automatically get weights from an electronic scale, use the Opticon OPL9712 handheld computer. After scanning the employee ID card, this handheld wirelessly receives the weight from the scale, and the scale can then optionally print a receipt.

Both the 9728 and 9712 handheld computers can be used to:

• Clock employees in or out for hourly work. Simply set “Clock in” or “Clock out” mode by scanning a barcode or making a menu selection, then scan the ID card of every employee being clocked in or out. After the initial clock in for the day, you can optionally clock EVERYONE on that handheld in or out with a single command.
• Collect “single unit” records for piecework jobs. Scan the employee ID card each time he brings a bucket, flat, lug, box, etc. to give him credit for one more unit to be paid…and see his current total on the handheld screen after each scan. You can also optionally record FRACTIONAL units in this mode (e.g. 1/2 bucket when breaking for lunch and some employees don’t have full buckets/flats).
• Collect “multi unit” records for piecework jobs. Scan the employee card and manually enter (or calculate) the number of units credited to the employee. Some people use this mode to collect row feet, some use it to manually enter a scale weight, and some use it as an alternative to scanning every bucket during the work day.

Collected data is downloaded quickly into the PieceWorker program by placing the handheld in the single-slot communications/charging cradle. Handheld computers can be charged quickly in the same single-slot cradle or you can purchase a five-slot cradle to charge FIVE handhelds at a time.

How many handhelds do you need? That depends on your overall needs and the number of places on the farm at which you will be collecting data. Some people have only ONE handheld, some have three, and some have as many as FORTY.

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