Saturday, March 15th, 2008
Archive for March, 2008
Accessing a AS/400 from Linux
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008It took me a long time to configure a Debian Box to access our iSeries. Here are the basics:
1. Install unixodbc
2. Install IBM iSeriesAccess
3. edit /etc/odbcinst.ini
[ODBC] Trace = No TraceFile = /tmp/sql.log ForceTrace = No Pooling = Yes [iSeries Access ODBC Driver] Description = iSeries Access for Linux ODBC Driver Driver = /opt/ibm/iSeriesAccess/lib/libcwbodbc.so Driver64 = /opt/ibm/iSeriesAccess/lib64/libcwbodbc.so Setup = /opt/ibm/iSeriesAccess/lib/libcwbodbcs.so Setup64 = /opt/ibm/iSeriesAccess/lib64/libcwbodbcs.so UsageCount = 1 CPTimeout = CPReuse = Threading = 2 DontDLClose = 1 FileUsage = 1 # TRACE = 31
4. edit /etc/odbc.ini
; see http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/
iseries/v5r3/?topic=/rzaik/connectkeywords.htm
; ConnectionType=0 = Read/Write | 1 = Read/Call | 2 = Read-only
[AS400]
;CCSID=1208 ; utf-8 unicode
; 273 germany
CCSID = 819 ; latin-1
UNICODESQL = 1
Description = Production AS/400 Database
Driver = iSeries Access ODBC Driver
System = as400.example.com
UserID = ODBC_RW
Password = Hj12SDf7gZ
DefaultLibraries = SMKDIFP ; you have to change this
AllowDataCompression = 1
AllowUnsupportedChar = 1
ForceTranslation = 0
Trace = 0
TraceFile = /tmp/odbc.trace
Servername = as400.example.com
You now can type isql AS400 to access your machine.
Laser Range finder & Python
Friday, March 7th, 2008
The Hokuyo URG04 LIDAR now works as expected. This is the code I used to read and display the data.
See here for possible applications.
HOKUYO URG-04LX Laser Range Finder
Friday, March 7th, 2008I managed to connect a shiny new HOKUYO URG-04LX LIDAR to my Mac.
So far the Results are not exactly what I was expecting.
… perhaps a cluttered kitchen table is a bad testing range.
Automatic Identification of Storage Locations
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008A few days ago I have shown how mounting a barcode reader on a fork lift mast assembly can make automatic logging of which pallets are being transported possible.
The beauty of this solution is that it also can be used to identify where these goods are put.
By carefully placing barcode labels on your storage racks you can scan at which location a pallet is being put. Care must be taken so neither the pallet nor the forks hide the barcode. You probably have to experiment with the placement and angle of barcode reader.
Identifying locations in the Warehouse
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008If you want to computerize your warehouse you need to identify storage locations within the Warehouse. Usually you label every possible storage location with a 3D coordinate.
Then every location can have it’s unique ID consisting of Row of shelfes (red in the image above), Column (all locations above each other; blue in the image above) and Level (all location besides each other; yellow in the image above).
This scheme allows you to label allocations with Row-Column-Level, e.g. 01-02-03 for the first Row, second Column, third Level. Usually labels identifying the storage locations are places on the shelfing above level 1.
Building a Pallet Identifying Fork Lift
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008If you building deep IT integration in a warehouse you probably want to now which Pallets are where. Your WMS knows where the Pallets should be placed. But where are they placed in reality? Since usually Pallets are transported by Fork Lift it would help to exactly know what is really is on the Fork Lifts.
An easy way to make Pallets identifiable is to put Barcode stickers on the Pallets. If you place them on the middle block they are easy to fix there by glue or clamps and easy to read automatically.
One good location to place a barcode reader is at the fork/mast assembly (detail):
Mount the scanner looking about 30 degrees downward. At the mast assembly the barcode scanner is relatively well protected against damage an can be affixed without to much hassle. The main obstacle is getting power and data lines from the moving fork/mast assembly to the chassis.
After mounting the scanner it should permanently project a scan line on the forks about 80 cm away from the mast.
Now when the fork lift picks up a pallet it should automatically read the barcode during entering the pallet. See below for an illustration:
Java: Develop once, break anywhere.
Sunday, March 2nd, 2008Bought Sun hardware again and I’m again deeply disappointed.
Sun knowingly ships broken Java stuff to its paying customers.