Identec Solutions ICARD-NA RF ID PC Card User Manual i CARD User s Guide

Identec Solutions, Inc. RF ID PC Card i CARD User s Guide

Contents

users manual revised

PC i-CARD User’s Guide March 1, 2002 IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. Suite 102, 1860 Dayton Street Kelowna, British Columbia Canada V1Y 7W6 Tel: (250) 860-6567 Fax: (250) 860-6541 www.identecsolutions.com
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - ii – Proprietary Notice This document contains confidential information proprietary to IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. and may not be used or disclosed to other parties in whole or in part without prior written authorization from IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. and its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers, directors, employees and agents provide the information contained in this Manual on an “as-is” basis and do not make any express or implied warranties or representations with respect to such information including, without limitation, warranties as to non-infringement, reliability, fitness for a particular purpose, usefulness, completeness, accuracy or currentness. IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. shall not in any circumstances be liable to any person for any special, incidental, indirect or consequential damages, including without limitation, damages resulting from use of or reliance on information presented herein, or loss of profits or revenues or costs of replacement goods, even if informed in advance of the possibility of such damages. Trademarks “IDENTEC SOLUTIONS”, “Intelligent Long Range”, “ILR” and the stylized “i” are registered trademarks and “i-Q”, “i-D”, “i-CARD”, “i-PORT”, “i-LINKS”, “Solutions. It’s in our name.” are trademarks of IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. and/or IDENTEC SOLUTIONS AG. Copyright Notice Copyright © 2002 IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, photographic, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, or used in any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - iii – Radio Frequency Compliance Statement IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. is the responsible party for the compliance of the following devices: MODEL: i-PORT i-CARD i-Qxx TAGS FCC ID: O2E-ILR-IPORT O2E-ICARD-NA OO4-ILR-IQ8T or OO4-ILR-IQR CANADA: 35381032062A 35381032231 35381021756A or 35381021825 EUROPE: CE 0678(!) CE 0678(!) CE 0682(!) TYPE: II/S N/A SL/xx The user(s) of these products are cautioned to only use accessories and peripherals approved, in advance, by IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. The use of accessories and peripherals, other than those approved by IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc., or unauthorized changes to approved products, may void the compliance of these products and may result in the loss of the user(s) authority to operate the equipment. Operation is subject to the following conditions: (1) these devices may not cause harmful interference, and (2) these devices must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device. FCC Compliance This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communication. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his/her own expense. Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. Industry Canada Compliance This Class A digital apparatus meets all requirements of the Canadian Interference-Causing Equipment Regulations. Cet appareil numérique de la classe A respecte toutes les exigences du Règlement sur le matériel brouilleur du 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 (EIRP) is not more than that required for successful communication. The installer of this radio equipment must ensure that the antenna is located or pointed such that it does not emit RF field in excess of Health Canada limits for the general population; consult Safety Code 6, obtainable from Health Canada.
_____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - iv – Table of Contents 1.0 Purpose________________________________________________ 5 2.0 Overview_______________________________________________ 5 2.1 Functionality_________________________________________________________________ 5 2.2 Components _________________________________________________________________ 5 3.0 Installation _____________________________________________ 6 3.1 Hardware ___________________________________________________________________ 6 3.2 Software ____________________________________________________________________ 6 3.2.1 Windows 2000 ____________________________________________________________ 7 3.2.2 Windows 98/ME __________________________________________________________ 8 3.2.3 Windows NT _____________________________________________________________ 9 3.2.4 Windows CE ____________________________________________________________ 10 4.0 Usage_________________________________________________ 11 Appendix A: Technical Specifications __________________________ 12 Appendix B: RF Output Power Calculation _____________________ 14
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 5 – 1.0 Purpose This guide explains how to install and operate the PC version of the i-CARD when using a laptop or desktop computer. 2.0 Overview 2.1 Functionality The i-CARD is IDENTEC SOLUTIONS’ Intelligent Long Range (ILR®) radio frequency mobile interrogator in a type II PC Card format. The PC i-CARD is easily integrated into portable or laptop computers and is used in conjunction with i-LINKS (or other ILR® software) to read and write data to tags. The flexibility of an interrogator on a PC Card allows for easy integration of ILR® into enterprise systems and permits combination with other technologies such as bar code and wireless LAN. Computers with a PC i-CARD can communicate to tags at a distance of up to 10 meters (33 feet). The i-CARD communicates with the entire i-Q active tag product line including i-Q8, i-Q8T, i-Q32, and i-Q32T tags. The current version of the PC i-CARD is not compatible with the i-D tag product line. The PC i-CARD is available in 916 MHz or 868 MHz to communicate in a global market. The signal propagation characteristics of the UHF radio band used by ILR® technology provide long-range communication and high-speed transmission rates for reliable data exchange. The installation and usage instructions for the PC i-CARD are identical for both the 916 MHz and 868 MHz frequencies. 2.2 Components The i-CARD resembles a standard PC card with one addition: an external antenna. On the exposed end of the i-CARD, there are an MMCX antenna connector, a 15-pin serial connector (not used in the PC version of the i-CARD) and 3 status LEDs indicating Transmit, Receive and RF Carrier Detect. These LEDs are operational after appropriate ILR® software is installed (i.e. i-LINKS). Figure 1: i-CARD Components
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 6 – 3.0 Installation The PC i-CARD is easy to install—simply attach the antenna, insert the i-CARD into the desired computer and install the necessary hardware driver for the specific operating system. The following sections describe each of these steps in detail. Note: The hardware driver only needs to be installed the first time an i-CARD is inserted into a computer or when performing an upgrade to the driver. 3.1 Hardware To install the external antenna, grasp its base and insert it into the antenna connector until it locks into place. Figure 2: Antenna Installation To remove the antenna, grasp the base firmly and remove carefully to avoid damage. 3.2 Software The computer being used for i-CARD operations must be running one of the following operating systems: Windows NT/98/ME/2000/CE. To install the i-CARD, perform the following steps: 1. Insert the ILR® Installation Disk (either floppy disk or CD) into the computer that will operate the i-CARD. 2. Insert the i-CARD into the PC card slot of the desktop or laptop computer. An installation wizard will start immediately after the i-CARD is inserted. 3. Complete the wizard instructions and refer to the following sections for additional instructions specific to each operating system: For O/S: Go to section:2000 3.2.1 98 3.2.2 ME 3.2.2 NT 3.2.3 CE 3.2.4 Note: A readme.txt file is available for each operating system on the ILR® Installation Disk and contains the same instructions that are described in the following sections.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 7 – 3.2.1 Windows 2000 The following section describes how to install the device driver on Windows 2000. When the i-CARD is inserted into the PC slot, an installation wizard begins automatically and the following screen appears: Select the Search for a suitable driver for my device option and click Next. Selecting a search location depends on the type of ILR® Installation Disk you received. If you received a floppy disk, the search location is the A: drive. If you received a CD, the search location is the D: drive. For a search location, select the Floppy Disk Drives option, and click Next. Click the Browse button to copy drivers from your ILR® Installation Disk: Using the Browse dialog box, select the \drivers\Windows 2000 folder. Select the i-CARD.inf file, then click OK. The hardware driver is loaded and a confirmation screen appears. This screen verifies that the installation has completed successfully. Click Next to complete the installation. The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 8 – 3.2.2 Windows 98/ME The following section describes how to install the device driver on Windows 98 and Windows ME. When the i-CARD is inserted into the PC slot, an installation wizard begins automatically and the following screen appears: Select the Search for a suitable driver for my device option and click Next. Selecting a search location depends on the type of ILR® Installation Disk you received. If you received a floppy disk, the search location is the A: drive. If you received a CD, the search location is the D: drive. For a search location, select the Floppy Disk Drives option, and click Next. Click the Browse button to copy drivers from your ILR® Installation Disk: Using the Browse dialog box, select the \drivers\Windows 98 folder. Select the i-CARD.inf file, then click OK. Note: The driver used for Windows ME is the same as Windows 98 and is stored in the subfolder Windows 98 on the ILR® Installation Disk. The hardware driver is loaded and a confirmation screen appears. This screen verifies that the installation has completed successfully. Click Next to complete the installation. The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 9 – 3.2.3 Windows NT To perform the following steps, administrator rights are required because you will need to modify your machine’s registry. On the ILR® Installation Disk, go to the \drivers\WindowsNT folder, and double-click on the icard.reg file. The following dialogue box appears: Click OK, then copy the icard.sys file from the \drivers\WindowsNT folder to the \Winnt\system32\Drivers folder on the computer operating the i-CARD. Remove the floppy disk and reboot the computer. The following screen appears during startup: Select the Startup Type of the i-CARD device. The Startup Type will vary from user to user depending on the type of PCMCIA software installed. By default, Windows NT does not support plug-and-play devices, therefore the Startup Type should be set to Automatic. If you have additional software that permits plug-and-play devices, then the Startup Type should be set to Manual. If the above screen does not appear, go to Control PanelàDevices and select the Icard device, click Startup, then click Close. The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 10 – 3.2.4 Windows CE Be sure that you have your handheld device in its cradle and that you have an Active Sync session established between your PC and the Handheld. As this step may vary depending on your Handheld, consult your Handheld user’s manual if you require assistance in establishing an Active Sync session. Determine whether your handheld device has a MIPS or StrongArm Processor and select the appropriate folder. • MIPS = Symbol 27xx series • StrongArm= Symbol 28xx series, Symbol 81xx series, and Compaq i-PAQs Select the setup.exe for your Processor type icard_mips_setup.exe = MIPS Processor icard_arm_setup.exe = StrongArm Processor Double-click on the setup.exe and an installation wizard begins with the following screen: Select Next and follow the installation instructions. When the Default Directory dialogue box appears, select Yes and continue the installation process. Finally, you will be prompted to check your handheld device for additional installation steps. These steps will vary depending on the handheld device used. Note: When the installation is finished you must power off your handheld device and power it back on to complete the driver initialization. The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 11 – 4.0 Usage After completing the i-CARD installation, please refer to the user’s guide of the applicable software to continue with the system implementation. The i-CARD can be used in conjunction with a variety of software applications, such as i-DEMO, i-LINKS and other ILR® custom applications.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 12 – Appendix A: Technical Specifications Type II PC i-CARD Compatibility ILR® i-Q tags Performance Read range (adjustable) 10 m (33 ft) Write range (adjustable) 10 m (33 ft) Max. response time < 150 ms Read rate (ID only) 100 tags/s Read rate 35 tags/s @ 128 bit data reading Multiple tag handling Up to 2,000 tags in the read zone Communication Frequency 868 MHz (EC) or 915 MHz (NA) ISM Band Certification EN 330 220 (EC); FCC part 15 (US); Industry Canada Number of antennas 1 Output power Up to 0 dBm, digitally controlled (255 steps) Sensitivity Up to –80 dBm, digitally controlled (255 steps) CPU Hardware drivers for different O/S Windows NT/98/ME/2000/CE, PALM Program memory 2 MB Flash User Interfaces Parallel interface PCMCIA Option serial interface RS-232 Number of status indications 3 LEDs Electrical Input power 5 V DC Power consumption 100 mW maximum Standards / Safety CE Environmental Operating temperature 0°C to +70°C (32ºF to +158ºF) Option ext. temperature range –40°C to +80°C (–40ºF to +176ºF) Storage temperature –40°C to +80°C (–40ºF to +176ºF) Humidity 90% non-condensing Physical Dimensions Standard Type II PC Card Enclosure Metal Mass 32 grams (1.13 oz)
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 13 – Appendix A - Technical Specifications (con’t) i-Q Series Tags Performance Read rate (ID only) Up to 100 tags/s Read rate Up to 35 tags/s @ 128 bit data reading Response time < 150 ms (single tag) Multiple tag handling Up to 2,000 tags in the read zone Communication Read range to i-PORT II Up to 100 m (300 ft) @ free air Operating frequency 868 MHz (EC) or 915 MHz (NA) ISM Band Data rate (download to tag) 115.2 kbits/s Data rate (upload to reader) 115.2 kbits/s Maximum transmission power 0.75 mW ERP Standards / Certification EN 330 220 (EC), FCC Part 15 (US), Industry Canada Electrical Power source Lithium battery (not replaceable) Expected battery life 5 Years @ 600 times 128 bit readings/day Battery monitoring Yes Temperature logging (Optional) Number of samples 1,024 (i-Q8T) / 13,312 (i-Q32T) Interval User-definable in intervals from 1 to 1000 minutes Accuracy +/- 0.5°C over a range of –20°C to +50°C +/- 1°F over a range of –4°F to +122°F Resolution 0.25°C (0.5°F) Data Data retention >10 years without power Write cycles 100,000 writes to a tag Memory size 7,855 byte user-definable (i-Q8) 32,431 byte user-definable (i-Q32) Identification code 48 bit fixed ID Environmental Operating temperature –40°C to +70°C (–40ºF to +158ºF) Shock 50 G, 3 times DIN IEC 68-2-27 Multiple drops to concrete from 1 m (3 ft) Vibration 3 G, 20 sine wave cycles, 5 Hz to 150 Hz, DIN IEC 6 5 G, noise 5 Hz to 1000 Hz, 30 minutes DIN IEC 68-2-64 Physical Dimensions 131 mm x 28 mm x 21 mm (5.2 in. x 1.1 in. x 0.85 in.) Enclosure Plastic (ASA / Luran® 5) Mass 50 g (1.75 ounces) Enclosure rating IP 65 — Totally protected against dust and low-pressure jets of water from all directions.
i-CARD User’s Guide _____________________________________________________________________________________ Document # 7007-0001, Rev B - 14 – Appendix B: RF Output Power Calculation The following is the licensed limit allowable by the appropriate regulatory bodies for operation of IDENTEC SOLUTIONS’ RFID devices: In North America, the approved frequency is 916.5 MHz. Our equipment is certified to transmit an Effective Radiated Power (ERP) of 50mV/m @ 3m. This equates to transmitting 0.75mW from the antenna, or –1.25 dBm. In Europe, the approved frequency is 868.35 MHz. Our equipment is certified to transmit an ERP of 5mW (6.99dBm) @ 3m. To calculate the power being transmitted from the antenna, the following formula may be applied: Effective Radiated Power (ERP) = [i-CARD Output Setting] - [Cable/Connector Loss] + [Antenna Gain] The variables are defined as follows: [i-CARD Output Setting] = User defined [Cable/Connector Loss] = Variable, depending on the type of cable and connectors being used. A typical installation may use RG-58 cable with a loss of 0.2 dBm/ft. Typical connector loss is around 0.5dB per junction [Antenna Gain] = –2.15 dBm for our standard PC i-CARD antenna: P/N 210265-001 NOTE: It is the responsibility of the installer to ensure that operation is within the limits of the appropriate regulatory body where the equipment is being used.

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