Troubleshooting

Newland HR23 Dorada troubleshooting: lights, pairing, no data

What the HR23 lights mean, and how to fix a scanner that will not switch on, loses Bluetooth, does not read, types wrong characters or needs a reset.

10 min Difficulty: Easy Updated: By SCANSHOP team
In this guide

    Bar code names below are quoted from Newland's corded user guide and Bluetooth user guide. Programming bar codes work after Enter Setup; finish with Exit Setup.

    Find your symptom

    What you see Likely cause Fix
    Corded: no beep, no light, no aiming beam Cable or USB port Fix 1 →
    Bluetooth: does not switch on, or logo LED red flashing Battery protection mode or low battery Fix 2 →
    Bluetooth: LED bar flashing white Bluetooth connection lost Fix 3 →
    Some bar codes never beep Code type off, distance, phone screen Fix 4 →
    Beep and green flash, but no text on screen No text field active or wrong interface mode Fix 5 →
    Wrong, missing or swapped characters Keyboard layout Fix 6 →
    No Enter after the scan, or an extra empty line Terminating character or suffixes off Fix 7 →
    Scanner reads by itself in the stand, or reads the same code twice Smart Stand Mode, reread settings Fix 8 →
    Scanner does not react, or settings are unknown Restart or reset needed Fix 9 →

    Fixes

    1. Corded scanner shows no sign of lifeNo beep, no light, no aiming beam

    CauseThe corded HR23 is powered over its USB cable, so a loose plug or a dead USB port stops it completely.

    Fix

    1. Unplug the cable from the scanner and plug it firmly back into the data port.
    2. Plug the USB end into another USB port on the PC.
    3. Listen for the power-on beep, then press the trigger: the red aiming beam should appear.
    2. Bluetooth scanner will not switch on or runs flatTrigger does nothing, or logo LED flashes red

    CauseA new scanner, or one where Battery Off was scanned, is in battery protection mode. A slowly flashing red logo LED means the battery is low. In the default Level Mode the scanner also switches itself off after 5 minutes without use.

    Fix

    1. Place the scanner in the cradle and check that the cradle is connected to the PC. The logo LED lights red while charging and white when full. A full charge takes up to 6 hours.
    2. Hold the trigger until the scanner beeps.
    3. If it switches off too soon, choose a longer time or Disable Auto Power-off in chapter 4, section "Auto Power-Off Timeout".
    4. If a full charge no longer lasts a shift, the replaceable battery is wearing out. Ask us for a spare.
    4. Some bar codes do not readNo beep for certain codes

    CauseThe code type is off, the distance is wrong, or the screen is dim.

    Fix

    1. Move the scanner slowly closer and further away. Newland quotes 50 to 280 mm for a standard EAN-13 and from about 40 mm for small, dense codes.
    2. Some types are off by default on both versions, for example Aztec Code, Micro PDF417 and ITF-6. Find the type in the "Symbologies" chapter (chapter 6 corded, chapter 5 Bluetooth) and scan its enable bar code, for example Enable Aztec Code.
    3. Interleaved 2 of 5 codes shorter than 6 digits are ignored by default. Change this in "Set Length Range for Interleaved 2 of 5".
    4. Phone screens: turn the brightness up and scan Mobile Mode (corded) or Screen Mode (Bluetooth) in chapter 3, section "Scanning Preference".
    5. Scanner beeps but nothing appearsGood-read beep and green flash, no text

    CauseNo text field has the cursor, or the scanner is not in keyboard mode. USB CDC, HID POS and Bluetooth BLE send data only to software written for them.

    Fix

    1. Click into Notepad and scan again.
    2. Corded: scan Enter Setup, USB HID Keyboard (chapter 5) and Exit Setup.
    3. Bluetooth with cradle: scan Enter Setup, Bluetooth Dongle KBW (chapter 4) and Exit Setup. Connected directly to a tablet or PC: scan Bluetooth HID instead.
    6. Wrong charactersSymbols, letters or national characters wrong or missing

    CauseThe scanner assumes a U.S. keyboard, but the PC uses another layout. Characters that do not exist on the selected keyboard are left out.

    Fix

    1. Check that Caps Lock is off on the PC.
    2. Set the keyboard country, or for Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian layouts switch on Emulate ALT+Keypad ON. Our HR23 programming guide lists the right entry for each of our markets.
    7. Enter missing or doubledCursor does not move, or an empty line after each scan

    CauseThe terminating character, the key sent after the data, does not match what your program expects.

    Fix

    1. For Enter, scan Enter Setup, Set Terminating Character to CR (0x0D), Enable Terminating Character Suffix and Exit Setup (chapter 7, section "Terminating Character Suffix"). Tab is set with its code 09, as the programming guide shows.
    2. Still no Enter: also scan Enable All Prefixes/Suffixes (chapter 7, "Global Settings"). It is off by default.
    3. Empty line or cursor jumping down: CRLF is set. Scan Set Terminating Character to CR (0x0D). If your program adds its own Enter, scan Disable Terminating Character Suffix.
    8. Unwanted or repeated readsReads by itself in the stand, or the same code twice

    CauseSmart Stand Mode, on by default, switches the scanner to automatic reading (Sense Mode) whenever it sits in the stand or cradle. Reread Timeout, which blocks a second read of the same code, is off by default.

    Fix

    1. To use the trigger in the stand, scan Enter Setup, Off in chapter 3, section "Smart Stand Mode", and Exit Setup.
    2. To stop double reads, scan Enable Reread Timeout in chapter 3, section "Reread Timeout". It works in Sense and Continuous Mode.
    9. Scanner frozen or settings unknownNo reaction, or settings changed by mistake

    CauseThe scanner has hung, or unknown programming bar codes were scanned.

    Fix

    1. Restart. Corded: unplug the cable and plug it back in. Bluetooth: press and hold the Reset button on the bottom of the scanner with a straightened paperclip.
    2. Reset to factory defaults: scan Enter Setup, then Restore All Factory Defaults (corded) or Reset Scanner (Bluetooth) in chapter 3, section "Default Settings".
    3. Set the keyboard country and terminating character again.
    4. If it still does not read or react, contact us with the model and serial number from the label.

    To start from scratch, see our HR23 setup guide. All guides for this scanner are on our HR23 Dorada page.

    Frequently asked questions

    What do the lights on the HR23 Bluetooth mean?

    The logo LED shows the battery: red while charging, white when full, slowly flashing red when low. The LED bar is white when connected, flashing white when disconnected, and flashes green on a good read.

    Why does my HR23 beep but not type anything?

    Usually no text field is active, or the scanner is not in keyboard mode. Fix 5 shows the bar code to scan.

    How do I reset the HR23 Bluetooth?

    Restart it with the Reset button on the bottom using a paperclip. For factory settings, scan Enter Setup and Reset Scanner from chapter 3 of the Bluetooth user guide.

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    Newland HR23 Dorada Series Barcode Scanner (NLS-HR2300-SA)67,86 €+VAT View product