Chatsworth Data Corporation announces the newest member of its Optical Mark Reader (OMR) product line, the ACF 200. With its automatic card feeder, this compact reader can capture data from more than 150 scannable forms per minute, or up to 7,200 forms per hour, providing a cost-effective solution for high-volume OMR applications including gaming, educational testing, medical and human resources surveys, customer satisfaction surveys and vote tabulation.

This unit's bottom-feed design allows for continuous batch loading, which maximizes document processing, operator efficiency and reader utilization. The ACF 200 provides an accurate, reliable technology platform for intelligent data capture applications where hand feeding forms is impractical. It is a compact, portable unit occupying less than 7" x 8" of desk space and weighing just 8 pounds.

The ACF 200 handles common operator problems automatically. If a form is inserted backwards, the unit will correct and properly transmit the data without user intervention. To maximize reader utilization, the distinctive accessible paper path allows operators to easily clear the unit and clean the optic area as needed without any special tools, thereby minimizing or eliminating service calls and downtime.

The unit can read #2 pencil, blue or black ballpoint pen, blue or black felt-tip pen, key-punched slots and preprinted marks. It features a next generation microprocessor and sophisticated mark discrimination capabilities.

The ACF 200 will be marketed and sold through value added resellers, system integrators and applications developers who embed Chatsworth technology into solutions tailored for several key markets. It is being launched on April 30 in Cairo at Pearson Assessments' International Distributor Conference. Pearson embeds Chatsworth Data OMR technology into solutions sold by itself and its distributors worldwide.

The MS-9 with its 2,000 scans per second is ideal for high speed applications. It is also beneficial in other applications because it provides multiple looks at a given label, thus ensuring data integrity. The MS-9 reads all standard bar codes including RSS. It can also read invisible ink or OMR (Optical Mark Recognition). Although designed to meet the reuirements of high speed processing, the MS-9 offers broad market appeal to many industries.

The small size of the MS-9 allows for flexibility in mounting and when integrating into exisiting machinery. Internal diagnostic tools monitor operating conditions and send user-defined messages to alert the operator when thresholds have been exceeded. To streamline the setup process, multiocolored LEDS, in conjunction with a programmable beeper, provide instant notification of a successful read. The LEDs also provide a visual read rate test, which is useful for finding the optimal read distance.

Easy to use. Compact. Portable. Efficient. Flexible. Durable. Accessible. Virtually error-free. When it comes to optical mark readers (OMR), the ACP 100 is short on price and long on performance. Featuring an accessible card path that ensures error-free operation, the ACP 100 is perfect for applications requiring a small, but highly accurate reader.

Measuring less than six inches wide by six inches long, the unit provides unobtrusive functionality and is an ideal solution for a wide range of business applications worldwide, ranging from scanning lottery ticket selection forms on a retail counter to compiling test answers at a school.

At a read-rate of less than two seconds per form, the ACP 100 can scan from 1,500 to 1,800 per hour. Entry is a simple face down, front feed. Beyond speed, yet another advantage of the ACP 100 over key entry is accuracy. The reader flawlessly captures properly marked data as entered on the input form.

The ACP 100 is not only error free when forms are property marked, but it's virtually maintenance free. The accessible card path design enables the operator to clear paper jams and/or clean the optic lens, thereby minimizing – if not eliminating – the need for service calls. No tools are required for card path access.

The durable design, simplicity of use, and versatility of the ACP 100 makes it an ideal device for a wide variety of data gathering applications. Constructed for long-term performance, perhaps the most attractive feature of the reader is its price. The ACP 100 is exceptionally affordable. And if you need this unit to be customized for your unique application or could use help in designing forms, they would be happy to meet your needs.

The most common use for the ACP design is as a Tote system play slip reader and for thermal receipt validation and cancellation. Other applications include lottery system terminals, sports gaming, Keno-type games, as well as many point-of-sale applications.

The option of a FLASH memory incorporates additional flexibility supporting the dynamic down loading of executable code to the ACP 2600 via a communications network. Complete programming of the FLASH EPROM takes less than 20 seconds.

The ACP 2600 utilizes visible red illumination that reads black or blue marks made with a pencil, ballpoint or felt-tip pen and pre-printed marks. Background printing must be in the visible red range. Infrared illumination is available as an option for only black pencil marking with colored background printing.

Chatsworth has taken the most common features of lottery and totalizator designs and incorporated them into the ACP 2600 unit, giving the application developer the greatest flexibility without the development costs associated with design and testing of a totally custom unit. The design concept utilized by the ACP provides a base unit that can be quickly modified to meet specific firmware, electrical and mechanical requirements, resulting in a low cost, highly functional OMR with unsurpassed accuracy.