Firefly RFID Solutions FFP466M12P1 Firefly RFID Expansion Card User Manual VER 551 11UMx

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Firefly RFID Solutions, Inc.

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1521 Boone Trail Road, Sanford NC 27330

User’s Manual

Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader

for Psion Workabout

User’s Manual

Document ID: VER-551-11UM

Version 2.0

Owner: BCS Solutions, Inc.

Author: Bill Davidson

Issued: 1-March-2013

Updated: 15-May-2013

By:

Firefly RFID Solutions, Inc.

Division of BCS Solutions Inc.

1521 Boone Trail Road

Sanford, North Carolina USA 27330

Phone: +1 (919) 460-1177

Fax: +1 (919) 460-1179

www.RFIDresolution.com

Customer

Verdasee

Date:

Sales and Marketing:

N/A

Date:

Technical:

Bill Davidson

Date:

15-May-2013

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Firefly RFID Solutions, Inc.

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Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

FCC Notice

FCC ID: SD8FFP466M12P1

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device,

pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is

subject to

the following two conditions: (1) this

device may not cause interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference, including

interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.These limits are designed to

provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This

equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used

in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.

However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this

equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be

determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the

interference by one or more of the following measures:

•

Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•

Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

•

Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver

is connected.

•

Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

Warning: Modifications not approved by the responsible party could void the

user’s authority to operate this equipment.

IC Notice

IC ID: 10968A-FFP466M12P1

This device complies with Industry Canada licence-exempt RSS standard(s). Operation is

subject

the following two conditions: (1) this device may not cause interference, and (2) this device

must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the

device.

Le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d'Industrie Canada applicables aux appareils radio

exempts de licence. L'exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes : (1) l'appareil ne

doit pas produire de brouillage, et (2) l'utilisateur de l'appareil doit accepter tout brouillage

radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d'en compromettre le

fonctionnement.

Under Industry Canada regulations, this radio transmitter may only operate using an antenna of

a type and maximum (or lesser) gain approved for the transmitter by Industry Canada. To reduce

potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its gain should be so chosen

that the equivalent isotropically radiated power (e.i.r.p.) is not more than that necessary for

successful communication.

Conformément à la réglementation d'Industrie Canada, le présent émetteur radio peut

fonctionner avec une antenne d'un type et d'un gain maximal (ou inférieur) approuvé pour

l'émetteur par Industrie Canada. Dans le but de réduire les risques de brouillage radioélectrique

à l'intention des autres utilisateurs, il faut choisir le type d'antenne et son gain de sorte que la

puissance isotrope rayonnée équivalente (p.i.r.e.) ne dépasse pas l'intensité nécessaire à

l'établissement d'une communication satisfaisante.

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Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

Exposure

Energy

THIS MODEL DEVICE MEETS U.S. AND INTERNATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EXPOSURE

TO RADIO FREQUENCY RADIATION.

The VER-551-11 is a radio transmitter and receiver module. It is designed and manufactured not to

exceed the emission limits for exposure to radio frequency (RF) energy set by the Federal

Communications Commission of the U.S. Government and by the International Commission on

Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The device also meets the European Radio and

Telecommunications Terminal Equipment (R&TTE) directive, for protecting the health and safety of

the user and other persons.

These limits are part of comprehensive guidelines that establish permitted levels of RF energy for

the general population. The guidelines are based on standards that were developed by

independent scientific organizations through periodic and thorough evaluation of scientific studies.

The standards include a substantial safety margin designed to assure the safety of all persons,

regardless of age and health.

Before a device model is available for sale to the public, it must be tested and certified to operate

within the limits for safe exposure established by the FCC and international organizations. The tests

are performed in positions and locations (e.g., next to the body) as required by the FCC for each

model. The FCC has granted an Equipment Authorization for this model device with all reported

SAR levels (see below) evaluated as in compliance with the FCC RF emission guidelines.

This device meets RF exposure guidelines when the antennas are positioned at a minimum

distance from the body. In order to transmit data or messages, this device requires a quality

connection to the RFID tag devices. In some cases, transmission of data or messages may be

delayed until such a connection becomes available. Be sure that the recommended distance is

observed until the transmission is complete.

The exposure standard for wireless devices employs a unit of measurement known as the Specific

Absorption Rate, or SAR. Tests for SAR are conducted using standard operating positions specified

by the FCC with the device transmitting at its highest certified power level in all tested frequency

bands. The SAR limit set by the FCC is 1.6 W/kg. The international guidelines state that the SAR

limit for mobile devices used by the public is 2.0 W/kg averaged over 10 grams of body tissue. SAR

values may vary depending on national reporting requirements and the network band. Although the

SAR is determined at the highest certified power level, the actual SAR level of the device while

operating can be well below the maximum value because the device operates at multiple power

levels and at a low duty cycle based on the number of RFID tag devices it is currently

communicating with.

SAR information on this model device is on file with the FCC and can be found under the Display

Grant section and http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid after searching on FCC ID: SD8FFP466M12P1 and

IC: 10968A-FFP466M12P1.

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Firefly RFID Solutions, Inc.

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Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

Contents

1 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 5

1.1 Installation ........................................................................................................................ 5

1.2 Module Verification ......................................................................................................... 6

2 Module Operation ......................................................................................................... 8

2.1 Module Command Channel ............................................................................................ 8

2.2 pRFID passive RFID subsystem ..................................................................................... 9

2.3 a433 active RFID subsystem ......................................................................................... 11

3 Applications on the Module ........................................................................................ 13

3.1 Developing on a Handheld ............................................................................................ 13

3.2 Developing on a PC ........................................................................................................ 14

3.2.1

Putty Serial Connection ............................................................................................................ 14

3.2.2

JTAG Connector ....................................................................................................................... 15

4 Revision History .......................................................................................................... 16

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11UMV2

2013

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11UMV2

2013

1.2 Module Verification

The module performs a self check whenever power is applied and whenever the module

enable pin changes from off to on. The results of this self-check are immediately

presented on the serial interface to the host device. The results can also be querried by

the host device at anytime by issuing a status request command over that serial interface.

The micro-controller serial interface is always available when power is provided over the

interface connector, even if the module enable pin is off. The radio functions however

will not operate unless this enable pin is on. Since this module can fit in different host

devices, the enable pin can be configured at time of installation to be active high, low or

don’t care with serial interface on/off commands required. The status can be verified

without having to enable the module.

It is a function of the host device’s human interface to alert the user of a problem with the

status. It is important to note however that the firmware within the module will not

allow any operation that the self check has shown to be unavailable, such as requesting

operation over an antenna port that is showing faulty/missing antenna status or

requesting operation when there are insufficient power levels to execute the operation.

On the very first power up, the module will output the two non XML format lines over

the serial interface which identifies the master firmware on the module and the module’s

hardware version including the board manufacturer’s identification.

VER-551-11Sx1.7 2/26/2013

VER-551-11Hx1.1 2812-475 1007624-5

From this point on, all serial line communications in either direction will be in an XML

format. The module does a self check then puts out a status report on the current state.

The following would be a typical example;

<Status state="RST" fmwr="VER-551-11Sx1.7 2/26/2013" hdwr="VER-551-11Hx1.1 2812-475

1007624-5" a433="000004" PWR="300" ANT="43-1" Vcap="3.72" Vsup="3.72" seq="000001"/>

state

RST

Indicates the module is starting operation from

RESET, which could be power

up, power glitch or watchdog timer.

mwr

VER

551

11S…

Gives the master firmware for the module. The version and date shown in the above

example above is that which went through compliance testing.

hdwr

VER

551

11H…

Gives the module’s hardware version and manufacture information. The vers

ion

shown in the above example above is that which went through compliance testing.

a433

000004

Gives the version number of the 433 MHz transceiver used for the ‘active’ telemetry

channel.

ANT

Indicates that antenna ports 4, 3 and 1 on the passi

ve RFID reader radio are properly

connected to an antenna. There is a problem with port 2, either the antenna is not

connected or there is a problem with the cable or connectors. In anycase it means

any passive RFID operations will be restricted to ports 4, 3 and 1.

Vcap

Indicates power level available for operation of the radios. This read the same value

as Vsup when fully ready for operation. At power up as in this case or after high

power operations, it will read lower than Vsup and then build up to Vsup.

Operation is suspended unit this value builds up to a level that can support the

requested operation.

Vsup

3.72

Indicates voltage level of power supply to the module

provided over the interface

connector. Typically this is the battery level in a handheld or portable device.

seq

00001

Indicates the very first operation after a hard reset.

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Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

The above table shows the important fields on the startup status which indicate the

device has been properly installed. The fact that the message comes up at all indicates

there is power and the module is functioning. The version levels will give compatibility

information for the application. The antenna information is important to gain data about

the configuration whether intentional or error/damage during installation. The voltage

levels give battery condition and indication of whether there is enough power to operate.

very first power up, the module will output the two non XML format lines over the serial

interface which identifies the master firmware on the module and the module’s hardware

version including the board manufacturer’s identification.

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551

11UMV2

2013

Workabout Pro Internal Connector

SPI

2 Module Operation

The block diagram at right gives the

general architecture of this module. There

are three major components; the passive

915 MHz RFID reader, the active RFID

433 MHz reader (DASH-7 in diagram)

and the power management system. The

power management system handles all

communications to the host device

(Workabout Pro in diagram at right) and

controls all operations of the other two

components. It converts commands from

the host into the appropriate actions

keeping the module working within

specification and withoperating conditions.

2.1 Module Command Channel

All module command and control is through the serial port on the host interface

connector with the exception of the enable hardware line which can be configured at time

of installation to enable or disable the radio functions in the module. The commands are

in an XML format, typically with multiple attributres and no elements. The ‘XML TAG’

identifies the destination as the passive 915 MHz RFID radio, the 433 MHz radio or the

power management system. The ‘XML ATTRIBUTE(S)’ defines the actions required. The

four possible ‘XML TAG’s or destinations are;

• pRFID - Passive RFID reader only actions / parameters,

• a433 - Active 433MHz telemetry only actions / parameters,

• ALL - Actions / Parametrs affect both radio subsystems,

• MAINT - Maintenance actions and parameters.

For example the pRFID:pwr attribute is a separate attribute from the a433:pwr attribute,

and ALL:pwr sets both the pRFID:pwr and a433:pwr to that same value or to the

maximum/minimum for the function that best matches the requested power.

<pRFID pwr="300"/> Sets passive RFID 915 MHz power to 300 deci-dBm (30.0 dBm)

<a433 pwr="75"/> Sets active RFID 433 MHz power to 75 deci-dBm (7.5 dBm)

<ALL pwr="300"/> Sets passive radio to 30.0 dBm and active radio to 10.0 dBm

These commands can have multiple attributes so that;

<pRFID pwr="300" ant="31"/> is equivalent to issueing the following two commands;

The above commands will configure the passive 915 MHz RFID reader to use only

antenna port 1 and antenna port 3 at a power level of 30.0 dBm. The reader will remain

in this configuration until those attributes are changed.

The module will respond as appropriate to the command as described in the sections

bellow or with a <NAK /> if it cannot decode the command.

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Integrated 1W UHF pRFID Reader for Psion Workabout

551

11UMV2

2013

2.2 pRFID passive RFID subsystem

The passive RFID reader subsystem commands are of the following general format;

The above command, which is a read request on antenna ports 1,2,3 and 4 at full 30.0

dBm power reporting back oid, count and antennae, might give the following response

of a tag read if that tag was in view of the module’s port 2 and port 3 antennae.

Note here that the ‘xml tag’ pRFID identifies this as an action to be taken by the passive

RFID reader. The on-board power management system decodes this command into the

required actions based on power availability and forwards the appropriate commands to

a 1 watt UHF M6e radio.

The <pRFID />attributes are optional. Those attributes required for the requested action

are based on;

1. Attributes in the command string, such as pwr="300" in the above example

2. If not in command, then use last setting of the missing attributes.

<pRFID cmd="MR"/> (Issued after the above example repeats the same command)

3. If not in command and not previously set, missing attributres use the default

values as described below.

The one exception is the cmd attribute which if not specified will cause the unit to return

version numbers and configuration for the module. The attributes have the following

effect;

• cmd default - if not specified, unit returns version and configuration

o cmd="MR" specifies unit to do a multiple scans for tags on the each of the

specified antennae for the specified duration of continuous power at the

specified power level with the whole operation being run the specified

repeat number of times. The repeat rate being governed by the specified

duty cycle and the amount of power available according to the power

management system.

o cmd="CR" specifies unit to do a continuous scans for tags on the each of

the specified antennae for the specified duration of continuous power at

the specified power level with the whole operation being repeated

continuously. The routine will continue to run until the abort command

or until power levels are too low to reliably continue operations. As

above, the repeat rate being governed by the specified duty cycle and the

amount of power available according to the power management system.

o cmd="AB" specifies unit to abort all reader operations. This includes

continuous reads or multiple read operations.

o cmd="ON" same effect as the Psion’s hardware line. It overrides that

control line and will turn on the reader.

o cmd="OFF" intended to turn off the reader if ther Psion control line is not

being used, however if that control line is set to enable the reader that

will override this command.

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o cmd="LT" Lists all tags in the buffer since the last LT command was

issued. It packages the tag reads into a

• ant default ant="12" This attribute is a string of up to 10 characters which

specifies the antennae to be used in the scan and their sequence. For example an

attribute of ant="121314" would specify starting the scan on antenna 1 then

scanning antenna 2 then antenna 1 again then antenna 3 and so on. In this

manner one can bias the scan to specific antenna elements as required by the

application. The above example having a heavy bias in favor of antenna 1.

• pwr default pwr="300". This attribute is a number from 1 to 300 and

represents the rf conducted power used for the reading in tenths of dBm. The

maximum is 300 and represents 30.0 dBm or 1 watt conducted power.

• rpt default rpt="1". This attribute is a number from 1 to 250 and represents

the number of time the scan sequence through all the specified antennaes is

repeated.

• dur default dur="250". This attribute is a number from 1 to 1000 and

represents minimum time in milliSeconds that the reader will stay scanning on

each of the specied antennae.

• dc default dc="30". This attribute is a number from 1 to 100 and represents

the duty cycle in percentage points for operating the reader. The reader shuts

down between successive read scans to save power. This factor basically

determines how long that shutdown is based on usage in a scan sequence. A dc =

30 with dur = 300 would give a read of 300 mS every second. This number is a

goal and may be overridden based on power and battery conditions.

• baud default baud="115200". This attribute can be one of the following rates;

{ 460800, 230400, 115200, 57600, 38400, 9600, 4800, 2400, 1200 }.

This routine only looks at the first three significant digits to set one of the above

fixed baud rates, so using baud=115900 would end up setting the baud rate to

115,200 however setting a baud rate to baud=9643 would be unrecognizable and

would end up not changing baud rate since the current rate is communicating.

• fields default fields="oid+ant". This attribute is a collection of field names

separated by ‘+’, or any white space and specifies the attributes that are returned

with each tag read. The valid field names are;

o oid This value is the tag’s OID, typically 96 bit EPC number,

o ant This value is antenna that the read was made on,

o pwr This value is the conducted power used for the read..

o cnt This value is number of times the tag was read during the scan.

o rssi This value is the receive signal strength for the read.

o bat This value is the battery voltage after read.

o seq This value is an incrementing sequence number .

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11UMV2

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2.3 a433 active RFID subsystem

The active RFID reader subsystem is more of a peer to peer type communications and

could actually be viewed as a telemetry channel. Indeed the system would not know that

it is talking to an active tag or another tag reader other than by the data content over the

protocol. This channel can then be used as a bridge between different types of readers, or

to a remote access link. The commands are of exactly the same format as for the passive

RFID subsystem other than the defaults and limits.

The above command, which is identical to the pRFID example above would also execute

a read request but ignore the ant attribute as that subsystem can only use the PCB

antenna integral to the module. The power level would be 10.0 dBm as that is the

maximum power level available on that subsystem. It would report back oid, count and

antenna and might give the following response of a tag read if that tag was in range of

the module. Note if requested the ant field will always respond back as 0 for this

subsystem to indicate the integral PCB antenna.

As with the 915 MHz reader, <a433 />attributes are optional. Those attributes required

for the requested action are based on;

4. Attributes in the command string, such as pwr="300" in the above example

5. If not in command, then use last setting of the missing attributes.

<p433 cmd="MR"/> (Issued after the above example repeats the same command)

6. If not in command and not previously set, missing attributres use the default