Troubleshooting

Honeywell Xenon 1950g and 1952g troubleshooting: beeps and LEDs

What the Xenon beeps and LEDs mean, and how to fix scanners that do not read, do not type, lose the link to the base or need a reset.

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

    Find your symptom below. Bar code names are quoted as in the 1950g Quick Start Guide, the 1952g Quick Start Guide and the Xenon XP Series User Guide, listed on Honeywell's product page.

    Find your symptom

    What you see Likely cause Fix
    No aiming beam, no beep No power, loose cable or flat battery Fix 1 →
    Good-read beep, but nothing appears on screen No text field in focus, wrong interface Fix 2 →
    1952g: three beeps, or an error tone and scanner LED red after a scan Not linked or out of range Fix 3 →
    1952g does not link to its base Base locked to another scanner, link stuck Fix 4 →
    Wrong letters, digits or symbols Keyboard country or Caps Lock Fix 5 →
    No Enter after the scan, or one too many Suffix setting Fix 6 →
    1952g battery runs flat; base LED green does not flash with the scanner in the base Not charging, or slow charging over USB Fix 7 →
    Some bar codes never read Distance, bar code type off, poor print Fix 8 →
    Settings unknown or changed by mistake Reset needed Fix 9 →

    Fixes

    1. Scanner shows no sign of lifeNo aiming beam, no beep

    CauseThe 1950g gets no power over its cable, or the 1952g battery is flat.

    Fix

    1. 1950g: check that the cable is fully plugged into the scanner handle and the PC, that the PC is on, and try another USB port.
    2. 1952g: place the scanner in the base. The green light on the base flashes while it charges.
    3. Check that the red light on the base is on. If it is off, the base has no power or the PC has put the USB port to sleep.
    2. Scanner beeps, but no data arrivesGood-read beep, empty screen

    CauseNo text field has focus, or the interface is not USB keyboard (for example USB Serial).

    Fix

    1. Click into Notepad and scan again. If the data appears there, check your software.
    2. Close configuration tools such as EZConfig while you scan into other software.
    3. Scan USB PC Keyboard from the Quick Start Guide (USB Keyboard (PC) in the User Guide). On the 1952g, link the scanner first. Then set the keyboard country again.
    3. 1952g gives three beeps or an error toneData not sent

    CauseThe base did not confirm the data: the scanner is not linked, is out of range, or the base has no power. The 1952g Quick Start Guide describes no link as three beeps; the User Guide as an error tone with a red light.

    Fix

    1. Walk back towards the base. In range, the scanner links again by itself with a single chirp. Rescan any bar code that did not arrive.
    2. Check that the red light on the base is on.
    3. Place the scanner in the base to link it, then test a scan: one beep and a green light mean it is linked.
    5. Wrong characters on screenY and Z swapped, letters instead of digits

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

    Fix

    1. Scan the keyboard country that matches the Windows layout. Our Xenon keyboard country and suffix guide lists the setting for each of our markets, plus ALT Mode for layouts that are not listed.
    2. Case inverted: turn off Caps Lock, or set Keyboard Style to Caps Lock or Automatic Caps Lock.
    6. Enter missing or doubledCursor stays put, or skips a field or line

    CauseNo suffix is set, or more than one is set. Honeywell's USB keyboard interface code also adds a CR suffix.

    Fix

    1. Scan Remove Suffix.
    2. Scan Add CR Suffix for Enter, or Add Tab Suffix for Tab.
    7. 1952g does not charge or runs flat earlyNo green flashing on the base

    CauseThe scanner is not seated, the base has no power, charging is switched off, or the base runs on USB power only, which charges more slowly.

    Fix

    1. Seat the scanner fully in the base and keep it between 5 and 40 °C while charging.
    2. Check the base power. With USB power only, charging takes longer than Honeywell's 4.5 hours; a Honeywell 5 to 5.2 V, 1 A power supply speeds it up.
    3. If someone changed the base charge setting, scan the default option, marked with an asterisk, in the User Guide section "Base Charge Modes".
    4. If the battery still runs flat early, contact us. Honeywell's accessory guide lists the BAT-SCN05 battery for the Xenon XP 1952.
    8. Some bar codes do not readAiming beam on, no good-read beep

    CauseThe scanner is too far away or too close, the bar code type is switched off, or the print is damaged.

    Fix

    1. Change the distance. Our 1950g has HD optics: Honeywell quotes up to 368 mm for a standard 13 mil retail bar code, and very small codes need to be closer. The SR 1952g reads the same code up to 490 mm.
    2. Check the bar code type in the User Guide chapter "Symbologies" and enable it there.
    9. Reset to defaultsSettings unknown or changed by mistake

    CauseProgramming bar codes were scanned by accident.

    Fix

    1. Scan Standard Product Defaults from the Quick Start Guide to return to Honeywell's standard settings. If you saved custom defaults, Activate Custom Defaults in the User Guide returns to them.
    2. 1952g: a reset unlinks scanner and base. Place the scanner in the base and wait for the link.
    3. Set the keyboard country and Enter suffix again.

    Beeps and lights at a glance

    Beep or light Meaning
    One beep, scanner LED green Good read. On the 1952g also: the base received the data
    Two beeps, scanner LED green Setting changed
    Error tone (razz), scanner LED red Failed communication, or setting not accepted
    1952g: three beeps on a scan No link to the base
    1952g (and base, on first link): short chirp First link made, or link restored after being out of range
    1952g: three short beeps and one long Someone pressed the page button on the base
    Base red steady / short blinks / off Power on and idle / data transfer / USB suspend or no power
    Base green flashing Scanner battery charging

    Setup steps are in our Xenon setup guide. All guides for this scanner: Xenon 1950g and Xenon 1952g.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do I reset a Honeywell Xenon 1950g?

    Scan Standard Product Defaults from the Quick Start Guide. Then set the keyboard country and suffix again.

    Why does my Xenon 1952g beep three times?

    It is not linked to its base. Place it in the base and test a scan again.

    What does the flashing green light on the 1952g base mean?

    The scanner battery is charging.

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