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Employee time clock — Parallax Forums

Employee time clock

carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
edited 2013-07-23 00:29 in General Discussion
Hi, Ive got a few programmable card which Parallex sells and prop and pickaxe. Cards should be easy to program due to the objects provided. The thing i am wondering is it is not god to hold the informatin in the cards as employees are likly to lose them sooner or later. So the issue is is storing the times in the little black box and then transferring that data to the office computer.

My first thought is that i might be able to use a usb stick, I hate to say it but a couple of farm employees are writing down hours down that we know are not right, up to 18 hours extra in 1 week was the worst case.

In this day and age here in Queensland it is troublesome to say the least to accuse someone of lying. They can g o to the Fair Work department and create hell. Employees have more rights than employers it seems.

Anyway id like to try this just as an experiment. I have all the parts. Just not sure how its all going to work. Ill make a start and then post problems. wish me luck :)

Comments

  • WBA ConsultingWBA Consulting Posts: 2,934
    edited 2013-06-14 12:32
    Here's something to check out:

    [h=1]Thread: [Finished Project] RFID Employee Time Clock (Version 3)[/h]http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/130902
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-14 12:45
    your qick and thanks, its 5am in Queensland, i thoght itd be hours for a reply, im about to follow the link, "im getting excited already :)
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-14 12:52
    The cards i have are the parallex smart cards and card readers.... i HAVE NOT REALLY THOUGHT THROUGH THIS TILL I READ THE LINK. SORRY CAPS.... AS FAR AS MY WORRY ABOUT EMPLOYEES LOSING THE CARDS, NOW I THINK IF THE CARDS WERE LEFT NEAR THE BOX THEN THATS NO PROBLEM I DONT THINK. tHEN THE CARDS COULD BE TAKEN TO THE COMPUTER AND THE DATA DOWNLOADED FROM THE SMART CARD..... IM GOING TO HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THIS A BIT MORE!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-06-14 13:23
    YOU COULD USE RFID CARDS OR IBUTTONS, CHEAP TO REPLACE

    As are keyboards with stuck capital letters! :)
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-14 13:48
    erco, is the RFID CARDS SO AS YOU DONT HAVE TO PLACE THE SMART CARD IN THE HLDER/READER....I THINK I JUST WROTE A RETORICAL QUESTION :)....WHAT is wrong with this keyboard???? I havent sdlept for 20 hours, maybe thats it ??
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-14 13:58
    i cant find the smart card in the obex ? help..
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2013-06-14 15:02
    You don't want to store info in the cards. The simple cards broadcast a random ID which is guaranteed to be unique to the card. Give the time clock a setup function to associate this code with an employee. Then you can replace a card that's lost by associating a different card with the employee if necessary, and both the cards and readers are cheaper and easier to work with. If you only have a few employees you can store the swipe data in larger than 32K EEPROM on a Propeller board. It will take years to wear out the EEPROM with just a few swipes per day.
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-15 04:45
    localroger wrote: »
    You don't want to store info in the cards. The simple cards broadcast a random ID which is guaranteed to be unique to the card. Give the time clock a setup function to associate this code with an employee. Then you can replace a card that's lost by associating a different card with the employee if necessary, and both the cards and readers are cheaper and easier to work with. If you only have a few employees you can store the swipe data in larger than 32K EEPROM on a Propeller board. It will take years to wear out the EEPROM with just a few swipes per day.

    I must hole heartedly agree that was not well thought out having the card store the data. I did have a reason, that being the ease of transfering the data to a PC and i had 6 smart cards to use !

    Check this out, i searched ebay 5 minutes ago, not bad for $85 dollars. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/2-8-Color-TFT-Fingerprint-Time-Clock-Attendance-System-Employee-Entry-Biometric-/280953392464?pt=AU_Home_Personal_Security&hash=item416a208d50&_uhb=1

    W    hat do you think ?
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-06-15 12:54
    like punch cards before them the tags can be left with someone who can scan them for the unscrupulous employees, I still think that fingerprint or iris readers are best for stopping fraud.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,451
    edited 2013-06-15 15:03
    That's a surprisingly good price on the turnkey fingerprint system. Of course it's hard to say how a thing like that will go wrong until it's been in use for awhile. Personally I've found that the cheap non-reprogrammable RF cards are very secure (when there isn't enough incentive for someone to set up the equipment to sniff the codes and construct fakes). The new ones (meaning last 10-12 years) are indistinguishable from normal credit cards and your guys can just "wallet jam" the reader. Of course the readers I'm using are more than that AU$85 fingerprint based system. But then most of those cards are being used by truck drivers, which is a special situation.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-06-15 16:39
    Here's a US seller with a turnkey unit for $56, free ship: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-4-TFT-fingerprint-time-attendance-Clock-Employee-Payroll-Recorder-US-Shipping-/251289321591?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8202c077

    Per localroger, quality is hard to gauge. But at that price, buy one and try it. If it works for your application, buy a backup unit or two ASAP. Heck, Sparkfun charges $50 just for a standalone fingerprint reader module: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/11792 IIRC, Duane Degn has & likes that module.
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-06-17 04:50
    The sparkfun reader looks good but one concern is the storage of actual images of fingerprints inside the unit that can be accessed later, Not sure in the US but in the UK the data protection laws would put paid to that. I have a couple of readers but they encrypt the data and specifically don't allow the original image to be retained for user's privacy.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-06-17 10:40
    skylight wrote: »
    ... would put paid to that.

    Another Britishism of which I am unaware. Bollix me!
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-06-17 10:47
    Sorry erco, I forget sometimes when posting, it means - would put an end to it
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-06-18 10:52
    Thanks and yes, I got that from the context. IMO it's interesting to note the origins of the phrase:

    http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/293200.html
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-06-18 11:29
    Interesting site, thanks for the link
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-19 07:34
    erco wrote: »
    YOU COULD USE RFID CARDS OR IBUTTONS, CHEAP TO REPLACE

    As are keyboards with stuck capital letters! :)
    what is an IBUTTON ? i guess its RFID?

    What about forgetting RFID and all cards and just using a keypad ?

    Goodnight, its just gone midnight. :thumb:
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,256
    edited 2013-06-19 08:37
    A keypad? The only thing secure about a keypad is the time stamp from the attached computer. Of course. anyone is free to type in their number and also their buddy's (who left two hours prior). From your very first post, "a couple of farm employees are writing down hours down that we know are not right, up to 18 hours extra in 1 week was the worst case."

    iButton=cheap electronic key. Requires brief contact to read. http://www.ebay.com/itm/DS1990A-F5-TM-Card-iButton-Tag-with-wall-mounted-holder-5pcs-Red-/260963981538?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cc2aa58e2#ht_1461wt_1146

    Did you look at that $56 turnkey fingerprint timeclock? If it works for you, it's your most secure option.
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,130
    edited 2013-06-19 09:34
    I've installed a few fingerprint readers in a past job and they work rather well. Couple things to watch out for... the scanner can get cranky if the window isn't kept clean and occasionally we would have an employee who just had trouble getting a decent scan of their fingerprint. Maybe the skin skin was a little too dry or a little too moist for a decent scan.(?) And there was one poor girl who we all felt the scanner didn't like! :-)

    Their use was in skilled nursing facilities with 50 to 70 employees working 3 shifts, 24/7. We had a housekeeper clean the scanner once each shift. All in all, despite the occasional hiccup, "most everyone" liked the system and it elimimated a lot of punch errors.

    Amanda
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-06-19 09:52
    Some form of RFID tag and a digital camera that takes a picture when a tag is swiped would be relatively inexpensive, simple to implement, and would eliminate the problem of someone other than the employee assigned to that tag swiping it in or out.
  • skylightskylight Posts: 1,915
    edited 2013-06-19 11:05
    Depends on how many employees, ploughing through all those pictures would be labourious, with fingerprints or iris it's virtually guaranteed the correct person scanned therefore no need to check afterwards.
  • kwinnkwinn Posts: 8,697
    edited 2013-06-19 11:31
    skylight wrote: »
    Depends on how many employees, ploughing through all those pictures would be labourious, with fingerprints or iris it's virtually guaranteed the correct person scanned therefore no need to check afterwards.

    True, and it also has the advantage of not having a tag to loose. Definitely the better choice if the scanner works reliably.
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-06-19 18:04
    yes Erco i did look and it seems the best option. SO thanks for the link. im going to build my own though i doubt it will ever be used, except mybe if i chip the cattle dogs, i dont trust them being in charge of their Hours book, :)
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-07-22 23:22
    Hi again, has anyone used the smart cards sold here with the obex solution? I am very interested in hearing from you.!!!!!
  • carlyncarlyn Posts: 78
    edited 2013-07-23 00:29
    carlyn wrote: »
    Hi again, has anyone used the smart cards sold here with the obex solution? I am very interested in hearing from you.!!!!!

    just wanted to say that here in Brisbane Australia the buses here use rfid cards , they are called go cards. You transfer any amout amount of money on your GOCARD and you swipe on and off buses. This 'takes' the money of your rfid card and also the bus computer hold that amount, then when the bus gets near certain wifi spots the money is 'taken' to a central computer.
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