Silverlight Shows Blank White Screen in IE9

Certain computer configurations seem to have a problem displaying certain Silverlight content in Mosaic Vivarium.  This could include things like the file uploader and the Cage Side Assistant.  A blank white area appears instead of the usual software controls.

Thanks to our friends at the FMI for finding a solution to this problem:  tell IE9 to use software rendering.

Tools -> Internet Options: Advanced Tab: Tick 'Use Software Rendering instead of GPU Rendering'

Here are some related links provided by the FMI:

http://wgsnetman.blogspot.ch/2011/12/ie9-rendering-problems.html
http://forums.silverlight.net/t/248409.aspx/1

Connecting the Wasp WWS500 Bluetooth Scanner to a Laptop/Tablet

The following guide is posted with permission courtesy our friends at the City of Hope.

Turn on scanner and scan the following barcode to prepare scanner for pairing. The scanner will remain discoverable to 1 minute.

Click start and type bluetooth. Click “Add a Bluetooth device”.

Add a device window will come up. Highlight WWS500 HID scanner, right click and choose properties.

Check “Drivers for keyboard, mice, etc. (HID) then click OK.

Scanner is now paired with the PC.

Barcode Scanners for Mosaic

Bluetooth Wireless Scanners
These are the way to go. We’ve had best luck with the Zebra/Motorola (Symbol). The Wasps work, but they are not as sensitive for smaller barcodes. We have increased the barcode size on many of our cage card templates to accommodate, and these now work fine for Cage Side Assistant tasks.  For the most efficient census, you should also test distance – you can do a more efficient census when you can stand back from a column of cages and scan them with minimal motion.  (Or ask us about RFID integration.)

It is important to have a visual idea of how these work:

For Zebra/Motorola (Symbol) LS4278, the recommended setup has a cradle that sits next to the laptop and plugs in via USB.  When you place the Bluetooth scanner into the cradle, the scanner pairs seamlessly with the cradle which then talks via USB to the laptop.  The advantage is that you don’t need to fuss with Bluetooth pairing the scanner to the computer.  The scanner also charges while in the cradle.  If you are using a cart+laptop, this is what we recommend.

Here is a convenient link to a recent (2019) option from Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NKZTOH2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want to try tablet computers for a little more mobility, then you need to pair your Symbol/Motorola Bluetooth scanners directly with the tablet.  See our guide here: http://mosaicvivarium.blogspot.com/2010/07/connecting-symbol-ls-4278-bluetooth.html

The Wasp also has a smaller USB/Bluetooth adapter/dongle which should both work with tablets and reduce the headache of connecting to the computer.  With its lower price and convenient connectivity options, the only reservation with the Wasp is distance sensitivity.

Our recommendation?  If you are tooling up for one or a small number of rooms, we’d recommend the Zebra/Motorola (Symbol) LS4278.  For a larger number of rooms, consider Wasps for most work with a couple of Motorola setups for census tasks.

USB Wired Scanners
Save some money if you can live with having a USB cable.

The old standby: Symbol (Motorola) LS 2208
http://www.barcodesinc.com/symbol/ls2208.htm
http://mosaicvivarium.blogspot.com/2009/08/programming-symbol-ls2208-barcode.html

Lower cost:  http://mosaicvivarium.blogspot.com/2011/12/lower-cost-barcode-scanners.html

Entering Colors in Mosaic Vivarium

Almost any value that you enter via a pull-down list in Mosaic can have a color associated with it.  Visit Administration | Lookup Lists to see all the lists.  Click on a row number for a list to see the current values in the list.  The list values have a Color field that you can control.

Click Edit in the lower worksheet and then add a row or click on the color cell of an existing row.  You will then see our simple color chooser:

Simply click on one of these colors.  However, if you want a precise color, click on Custom… to get the custom entry screen:

To get a “hexidecimal RGB value” you can use one of many online tools for this purpose.  Here is one that we have used:  http://www.2createawebsite.com/build/hex-colors.html#colorgenerator

After you find the perfect color, cut the “Hex” value and paste it back into Mosaic’s “color” box on the Custom Color dialog.