[Koha] Open source replacement for 3M self check station

[glaws]

At it's simplest, I think the main issues would be:

1. a lock-down mode (kiosk) so that users could not access anything
other than the checkout software

2. a barcode reader that provides input to whatever software is being
used to connect to the Koha database
    -- I am not terribly familiar with the self-check functionality
mentioned by Ryan Sipes in this thread, but if that works then (1) and
(2) may be all that's needed, if RFID is not being used

3. It's possible something like this RFID programmer
(http://tinyurl.com/o4dygcz) would work as a reader/writer. I honestly
don't know what the standards are that are mentioned in the ad (ISO/IEC
14443 A and B). There are a number of these things on eBay, I just
happened to pick the first one that seemed applicable. When/if we get to
this for real we'll figure it all out.

One of the things we really work at here at our library is reducing the
footprint of our computer hardware, especially for systems used by the
public, like a self-checkout would be. We've played with the Raspberry
Pi (and Cubieboard) some, and generally feel it doesn't have enough
firepower to be a satisfactory web browser, out-of-the-box anyway. A
computer we do use more, clearly a couple of steps up from the Pi, is
the Zotac. It has enough gas in the engine (sorry for the Americanism, I
mean "power") for nearly everything we use it for, but we've also had
some flake issues with HDMI output, so we're still cautious, but mostly
we're happy with it.

http://www.zotacusa.com/zbox-ad06-plus.html

This computer has the advantage of having a "good-enough" CPU, RAM and
hard drive, and there is no OS installed so there is no "penalty" for a
pre-installed system that we need to just wipe out.

Greg
-------------------------------------------

On 09/25/2013 12:31 PM, Galen Charlton wrote:
> Hi,
>
> On Wed, Sep 25, 2013 at 7:45 AM, glaws <glawson at rhcl.org
> <mailto:glawson at rhcl.org>> wrote:
>
>     Unfortunately it seems that you need a system now, and anything we do
>     won't be worked on until at least mid- late-2014. This is, however, a
>     good discussion topic and worth continuing.
>
>
> Would it be an accurate statement that the primary distinctive issues
> (as opposed to the usual issues with setting up a kiosk computer) that
> an open-hardware self-checkout machine would be need to deal with are:
>
> - interacting with whatever device desensitizes security strips?
> - interacting with RFID pads?
>
> Regards,
>
> Galen
> -- 
> Galen Charlton
> Manager of Implementation
> Equinox Software, Inc. / The Open Source Experts
> email:  gmc at esilibrary.com <mailto:gmc at esilibrary.com>
> direct: +1 770-709-5581
> cell:   +1 404-984-4366
> skype:  gmcharlt
> web:    http://www.esilibrary.com/
> Supporting Koha and Evergreen: http://koha-community.org &
> http://evergreen-ils.org

-- 
Greg Lawson
Network Administrator
Rolling Hills Consolidated Library
1912 N. Belt Highway
St. Joseph, MO 64506
816-232-5479 x2303