Handheld Barcode Scanner Reader POS-1670

The Scanner You Buy Twenty Of

There are two ways to equip a shop with scanners. Buy one good unit per lane and maintain it, or buy a scanner per lane plus two spares and treat them as consumables. The second approach is not careless — for a supermarket with twenty lanes, it is often the cheaper one, because a scanner at a lane is a low-stress device: it reads the same EAN-13 labels it has read for twenty years, and it is replaced when the cable frays rather than when the imager fails.

The POS-1670 is built for that arithmetic. At roughly 92–110 g with the cable it is one of the lightest handhelds in the range, it runs from USB at 150 mA with no separate supply, and it interfaces as either a keyboard or a serial device — the two things a supermarket POS application is likely to want.

The Weight Argument Is Not Marketing

A cashier holds a scanner for the whole shift, and the number of times it is lifted is enormous: several hundred times an hour on a busy lane. At 200 g that is a visible load by the end of a shift; at under 100 g it is close to nothing.

Two consequences follow, and both are operational:

• Fewer dropped units. Fatigue drops scanners. A light unit is dropped less, and when it is dropped it hits the counter with less energy.
• Faster lane time. A light scanner is picked up and put down faster and the operator does not rest their wrist between items. On a lane doing 30 items a minute, small motion economies accumulate.

The pistol grip at 150 × 70 × 95 mm is the standard shape for a reason: the index finger sits on the trigger, the thumb stabilises, and the wrist stays neutral rather than flexed.

USB-KBW and USB-COM: One Connector, Two Very Different Devices

This is the single most misunderstood part of buying a scanner, and getting it wrong is the most common reason a new scanner “does not work” on an existing till.

USB-KBW (keyboard wedge) makes the scanner pretend to be a keyboard. Scan a code and the host receives it as typed characters, followed by an Enter. No driver, no API, works with any application that has a text field with focus. It is the right choice when the POS software was never designed to talk to a scanner.

USB-COM (virtual serial) makes the scanner appear as a COM port. The application opens the port and reads data as a serial stream. This is the right choice when the software expects a serial scanner, or when you need to distinguish scanner input from keyboard input — for example a till where the cashier also types.

Why the distinction matters in practice:

• In KBW mode, focus is everything. If the cashier clicks out of the item field, the scanned code types into whatever has focus. That is how a barcode ends up in a search box or a quantity field.
• In COM mode, nothing types anywhere. The application decides what to do with the data, which is more robust and more work to set up.
• Switching between them is a configuration barcode, not a driver install — but it must be done before the site goes live, because a scanner in the wrong mode looks like a dead scanner to the person at the till.

The unit also offers a DB9 connection. It is not needed for most modern installs, but it is what keeps the model usable where an older POS controller or an industrial terminal has a serial port and nothing else.

CMOS Imager Hardware, Retail Decode List

The specification lists a CMOS image sensor with 300,000 pixels — imager hardware, not a laser. The published decode list, however, is weighted to retail 1D symbologies: UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-8, EAN-13, Code 128, Code 39, Code 93, Interleaved 2 of 5, Matrix 2 of 5, Industrial 2 of 5 and Standard 2 of 5.

That combination is normal for a lane scanner: the hardware can capture an image, and the firmware is configured for the codes a supermarket actually uses. The practical instruction is straightforward: if the deployment needs QR, Data Matrix or PDF417, do not assume — confirm the 2D configuration with us, or specify a model whose published list includes the 2D set, such as the POS-1800A or POS-3230A.

The rest of the optical specification is honest about what it is: 4 mil minimum resolution at 90% PCS on Code 39, 31° × 26° field of view, print contrast floor of 25%, and a reading angle of 360° roll with ±50° pitch and skew. That is a normal imager envelope for a lane where the operator brings the item to the scanner.

25 cm/s: The Honest Number

The published decode speed is 25 cm/s. That is a deliberate presentation — the item is moved to the scanner and paused for a fraction of a second, which is exactly how scanning works at a supermarket lane where the cashier passes items over a fixed window anyway.

It is not the unit for a conveyor. If items move at 50–80 cm/s, the read rate drops and the operator starts missing codes, which is why line-scanning deployments specify a higher motion tolerance — the POS-1800A is rated at 75–80 cm/s for that reason.

Being clear about this saves a return: for a hand-held lane scanner the number is irrelevant; for anything that moves, it is the number that matters most.

Environment and Power

DC 5 V at 150 mA working, which is inside a standard USB port’s budget — no power adapter, no extra cable run. That simplicity is part of the cost argument: one cable per lane, no power strip, no adapter to lose.

Two reading modes, manual and inductive (auto-sensing), with LED and buzzer feedback. At a noisy checkout the buzzer matters more than the LED — the cashier hears the confirmation without looking. Make sure the buzzer volume suits the site; in a quiet pharmacy the same volume is intrusive.

There is no IP rating published for this model, and it should not be specified for wet or dusty environments. It is a shop scanner: counter, lane, back office.

Where the POS-1670 Fits

• Supermarket and convenience-store lanes. The core case: EAN-13 all day, light unit, USB power, low unit cost.
• Multi-lane rollouts with spares. Price per lane matters more than durability when the workload is light.
• Legacy software that expects a keyboard or a COM port. USB-KBW, USB-COM or DB9.
• Not for conveyor or moving-item scanning. 25 cm/s decode speed; use the POS-1800A.
• Not for QR or phone screens unless confirmed. The published decode list is 1D-weighted — verify the 2D configuration before ordering.
• Not for outdoor or wet environments. No IP rating; for semi-outdoor work the POS-3230A is specified to 100,000 lux.

The Handheld Range at a Glance

• POS-1670 — this unit. 92–110 g, USB-KBW/USB-COM/DB9, 25 cm/s, retail 1D decode list.
• POS-1800A — 145 g, IP42, 15 kV ESD, 75–80 cm/s, 14 keyboard layouts. The rugged wired 2D unit.
• POS-3230A — 115.5 g, USB-C with Bluetooth 5.0 option, 100,000 lux ambient immunity, −20 to 60 °C.
• POS-2210A — wireless with 100,000-code storage, four working modes, ten-hour battery. The stocktaking unit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will it work with my existing POS software?

Almost certainly, in keyboard-wedge mode — it types the code as if from a keyboard, so any application with a text field accepts it. If the software expects a serial scanner, use USB-COM or the DB9 connection.

Does it read QR codes?

The hardware is a CMOS imager, but the published decode list is retail 1D. If QR or PDF417 is required, confirm the 2D configuration with us before ordering rather than assume.

Does it need a power adapter?

No. It runs from the host’s USB port at 5 V / 150 mA.

How fast can it scan?

Published decode speed is 25 cm/s — suited to presenting an item to the scanner, not to a moving conveyor.

Is it durable?

It is a light shop scanner with no published IP rating. For dusty, wet or drop-prone environments the POS-1800A (IP42, 15 kV ESD, 1.5 m drop) is the right unit.

What is the warranty?

12 months minimum. OEM branding and packaging available for volume orders.

Next step: tell us how many lanes, whether the POS software expects keyboard or serial input, and whether QR is on the roadmap — we will confirm the configuration and quote factory-direct. Email sales@dcapos.com or contact us.

Related: POS peripherals · POS-1800A 2D scanner · POS-8280A desktop imager · POS systems

Communication mode	USB（USB-KBW，USB-COM），USB
Image sensor	CMOS
Pixel	300,000 pixels
Resolution	≥4mil/0.1mm（PCS90%,CODE 39）
Decoding speed	25CM/S
Reading mode	Manual reading and inductive reading
Prompting mode	LED indicator, buzzer
Viewing angle	31° * 26°
Reading angle	Test Conditions：CODE39,10mil/0.25mm,PCS90%
	Roll: ±360°, Pitch:±50°, Skew: ±50°.
Print contrast	≥25%
Ambient light	Dark environment, indoor natural light,
Code reading system	1D：UPC-A，UPC-E，EAN-8，EAN-13，Code 128， Code 39，Code 93， Interleaved 2 of 5，Matrix 2 of 5，Industrial 2 of 5, Standard 2 of 5(IATA25) ,Codabar（NW-7），etc. 2D: QR Code, Micro QR Code, Data Matrix，PDF417,，etc.
Weight	About 110g (excluding wires)
Appearance size	L150mm * W70mm * H95mm
Wire length	1.5 meters
Interface type	USB male, DB9 female
Operating voltage	DC 5V
Electric current	150mA（WORK）

Nice appearance:

Small, lightweight, ergonomically designed, and comfortable in the hand.

Excellent durability: IP54 dustproof and waterproof, and can withstand the impact of falling to the concrete floor from a height of 1.5 meters.