Zebra DS8108 and DS8178 troubleshooting: beeps, LEDs, fixes

CauseThe DS8108 gets no power over its cable. The DS8178 battery is flat, not yet charged for the first time, or missing.

Fix

1. DS8108: push the cable into the scanner until it clicks, and try another USB port.
2. DS8178: put the scanner in the cradle and check that the cradle LED blinks amber. A new battery needs a charge before it works.
3. A deeply discharged battery can stay dark for several minutes (cradle LED steady amber) and may need up to 20 minutes before it scans again.
4. A PowerCap needs scanner firmware CAACXS00-004-R00 or later, and a new one works only after a first stay in the cradle.

CauseThe bar code type is switched off, the code is damaged, or the scanner is at the wrong distance.

Fix

1. Move closer for small codes and further away for large ones.
2. Try a good bar code of the same type. If that reads, the label is the problem.
3. If no code of that type reads, enable it in the PRG chapter "Symbologies" (DS8108 chapter 12, DS8178 chapter 13).
4. White bars on a dark background: scan Inverse Autodetect in section "Inverse 1D".

CauseThe DS8100 reads phone screens, but a dim screen, glare or a moving phone can stop it.

Fix

1. Turn up the screen brightness, hold the phone still and tilt it slightly to avoid reflections.
2. If phone codes still fail, scan Enhanced in Both Modes in section "Mobile Phone/Display Mode".

CauseNo text field has focus, the host type is wrong, a cable is loose, or the DS8178 is not paired. Four long low beeps mean the data was not sent.

Fix

1. Click into Notepad and scan again. If the data appears there, check your software.
2. Scan USB Keyboard HID from the Quick Start Guide (section "Connect Host Interface"). In the DS8178 PRG it is called HID Keyboard Emulation.
3. Check that every cable is firmly connected.
4. DS8178: insert the scanner in the cradle or scan the pairing bar code, and wait for the low-high beep.
5. Low/high/low beeps point to an invalid ADF rule. Correct it, or reset (Fix 9) if you do not need it.

CauseThe scanner assumes a US English keyboard, but the PC uses another layout. Inverted case comes from Caps Lock.

Fix

1. Scan the country keyboard type that matches the Windows layout, for example Estonian or Polish (214): DS8108 PRG Appendix G, DS8178 PRG Appendix B, both called "Country Codes". The names are the same as in our keyboard layout guide.
2. For case problems, turn off Caps Lock or scan USB-Override Caps Lock Key (Enable) from the Quick Start Guide.
3. Characters missing at random on a slow system: scan Medium Delay (20 msec) in section "USB Keystroke Delay" (direct Bluetooth: "HID Keyboard Keystroke Delay").

CauseBy default the scanner sends no Enter. If Enter appears twice, both the scanner and your software add one.

Fix

1. To add Enter, scan Add Enter Key (Carriage Return/Line Feed) from the Quick Start Guide.
2. To remove it, scan Return to Factory Defaults and set your other settings again, or scan Data As Is in section "Scan Data Transmission Format".

Tab and prefixes work as in our Enter and Tab suffix guide.

CausePairing failed, the scanner is out of range or set to direct Bluetooth, or the cradle has no host connection.

Fix

1. Insert the scanner in the cradle, or scan the pairing bar code on top of the cradle. Wait for the low-high beep before you scan anything else.
2. Long low, long high means the scanner could not reach the cradle. Move closer (Zebra quotes up to 100 m; walls reduce it) and pull the trigger to reconnect.
3. Scanner used with a PC or phone before: scan Cradle Bluetooth Classic (PRG section "Cradle"), then pair again.
4. Cradle lost the host: unplug the power supply (if used), then the host cable; wait three seconds; reconnect the cable, then the power supply; pair again.
5. Staff often out of range: see Out of Range Batch Mode in section "Batch Mode".

CausePoor contact, temperature, slow USB charging or a worn battery.

Fix

1. Amber fast blinking means a charging error. Reseat the scanner until it clicks. If that does not help, clean and dry the contacts on scanner and cradle.
2. Charge between 0 and 40 °C.
3. Full charge from empty: about 7 h 45 min on a standard USB port, 3 h on a BC1.2 port, 2 h 15 min with a 12 V supply. During heavy scanning a standard USB port may not keep up.
4. Red on the cradle LED, or green/red or amber/red alternating on the scanner's power gauge, means the battery is at the end of its life. Replace it with a spare battery (BTRY-DS81EAB0E-00).

CauseProgramming bar codes were scanned by accident.

Fix

1. Scan Return to Factory Defaults under "Set Defaults" in the Quick Start Guide. In the PRG, use Set Factory Defaults in section "Default Parameters".
2. Set Enter and keyboard layout again. DS8178: if scans no longer arrive, scan the cradle's pairing bar code.