Identec Solutions ILR-ICARDIII Type II PCMCIA Mobile RFID Reader User Manual Manual
Identec Solutions, Inc. Type II PCMCIA Mobile RFID Reader Manual
Manual
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - ii –
Proprietary Notice
This document contains confidential information proprietary to IDENTEC SOLUTIONS and
may not be used or disclosed to other parties in whole or in part without prior written
authorization from IDENTEC SOLUTIONS.
Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS 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 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”, “Smarten up your assets.” are
trademarks of IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. and/or IDENTEC SOLUTIONS AG. All other names,
products, and services mentioned are the trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective organizations. The mark IDENTEC SOLUTIONS is registered with the U.S. Patent
and Trademark Office.
Copyright Notice
Copyright © 2004 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.
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - iii –
Radio Frequency Compliance Statement
IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, Inc. is the responsible party for the compliance of the following
device:
MODEL: i-CARD III
FCC ID: O2E-ILR-ICARDIII
CANADA: 3538B-ICARDIII
EUROPE: CE 0678(!)
The user(s) of these products are cautioned to only use accessories and peripherals
approved, in advance, by IDENTEC SOLUTIONS. The use of accessories and peripherals,
other than those approved by IDENTEC SOLUTIONS, 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 (i-CARD III / NA)
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.
FCC External Label Requirements (i-CARD III/NA)
In accordance with FCC requirements, when this equipment is installed inside
another device, such that the product label is no longer visible, the device must bear
the following label referring to the enclosed module:
The installer of this device is responsible to ensure this label is applied in accordance with
these requirements.
Contains FCC ID:
O2E-ILR-ICARDIII
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - iv –
Industry Canada Compliance (i-CARD III / NA)
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.
European Notification according R&TTE Directive (i-CARD III / EU)
This equipment complies to Art. 6.4 of R&TTE Directive (1999/5/EC) and can be used in the
following European countries:
Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands , Austria,
Portugal, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland.
European Notification according R&TTE Directive (i-CARD III / EU / I)
This equipment complies to Art. 6.4 of R&TTE Directive (1999/5/EC) including national
restrictions in Italy according ERC/REC 70-03 Annex 1 Band I and can be used in above
noted European countries and Italy.
Antenna Installation Notes
To comply with FCC RF exposure limits, patch and YAGI antennas must be
professionally installed with a minimum distance of 20cm or more from the body of
all persons.
When installing the YAGI antenna, the output power of the device must not exceed
21dBm. The device will be factory configured so not to exceed this value. The
output power may only be decreased below this value.
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - v –
Table of Contents
1.0 Overview____________________________________ 6
1.1 Functionality_______________________________________ 6
1.2 Components _______________________________________ 6
2.0 Installation __________________________________ 7
2.1 Hardware _________________________________________ 7
2.2 Software__________________________________________ 7
2.2.1 Windows 98/ME/2000/XP __________________________ 7
2.2.2 Windows NT ____________________________________ 9
2.2.3 Windows CE ___________________________________ 10
3.0 Usage _____________________________________ 11
4.0 Application program rules______________________ 11
Appendix A: Technical Specifications_________________ 12
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 6 –
1.0 Overview
This guide explains how to install and operate the PC version of the i-CARD III when
using a laptop or desktop computer.
1.1 Functionality
The i-CARD III is IDENTEC SOLUTIONS’ Intelligent Long Range (ILR®) radio frequency
mobile interrogator in a type II PC Card format. The i-CARD III is 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 integration of ILR® into enterprise systems and permits combination with
other technologies such as bar code and wireless LAN.
The i-CARD III is available in a FCC compliant version (i-CARD III/NA) and two European
versions (i-CARD III / EU and i-CARD III / EU / I) 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.
Computers with an i-CARD III can communicate to tags at a distance of up to 10 meters
(33 feet). The i-CARD III communicates with the entire i-Q and i-D active tag product
line.
The installation and usage instructions for the i-CARD III are identical for all versions.
1.2 Components
The i-CARD III resembles a standard PC card. On the exposed end of the i-CARD III
are: a MMCX antenna connector, a 15-pin serial connector (not used in the PC version of
the i-CARD III) and 3 status LEDs indicating Transmit, Receive and RF Carrier Detect.
These LEDs are operational after appropriate ILR® software is installed.
Figure 1: i-CARD III Components
Antenna connector
Serial connector
Status LEDs
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 7 –
2.0 Installation
To install the i-CARD III, attach the antenna, insert the i-CARD III 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 III is
inserted into a computer or when performing an upgrade to the driver.
2.1 Hardware
To install the antenna, grasp its base and insert it into the antenna connector until it
locks into place.
To remove the antenna, grasp the base firmly and pull carefully to avoid damage.
2.2 Software
The computer being used for i-CARD III operations must be running one of the following
operating systems: Windows XP/NT/98/ME/2000/CE.
To install the i-CARD III, perform the following steps:
1. Insert the
ILR® Installation Disk (either floppy disk or CD) into the computer
that will operate the i-CARD III.
2. Insert the i-CARD III into the PC card slot of the desktop or laptop computer.
An installation wizard will start immediately after the i-CARD III 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/XP 2.2.1
98/ME 2.2.1
NT 2.2.2
CE 2.2.3
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.
2.2.1 Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
The following section describes how to install the device driver on Windows
98/ME/2000 and XP. When the i-CARD III is inserted into the PC slot, an
installation wizard begins automatically and the following screen appears:
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 8 –
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.
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 III.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.
Note: The driver used for Windows XP is the same as Windows 2000 and is stored in
the subfolder Windows 2000 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 III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 9 –
2.2.2 Windows NT
To perform the following steps, administrator rights are required because you
will need to modify your machine’s registry.
Step 1. On the ILR installation disk, go to the \drivers\WindowsNT folder, and
double click on the icard III.reg. The following dialogue box appears:
Click OK
Step 2. Copy the icard.sys file from \drivers\WindowsNT folder to the
\Winnt\system32\Drivers folder on the computer operating the i-CARD.
Step 3. 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 PanelÆDevices and select
the Icard device, click Startup, then click Close.
The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 10 –
2.2.3 Windows CE
Step1: Be sure you have your Handheld device in its Cradle and that you
have an Active Sync session established between your PC and the Handheld.
Consult your Handheld user’s manual if you require assistance in establishing
an Active Sync session.
Step2: Confirm your handheld device has the StrongArm Processor.
Step3: Execute the setup.exe
icard_arm_setup.exe
Step4: 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.
When the install is finished you must power off your handheld and power it
back on to complete the driver initialization.
The hardware driver installation is now complete.
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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3.0 Usage
After completing the i-CARD III installation, please refer to the user’s guide of
the applicable software to continue with the system implementation.
The i-CARD III can be used in conjunction with software applications, such as
i-LINKS or other ILR® custom applications.
4.0 Application program rules
Due to national restrictions not all parameter values are valid in every version
of the i-CARD III.
Note: When trying to set an operation mode or output power which is not allowed in
the national version the i-CARD III returns with an error code. Please refer to the
library manual.
For further information on these requirements, please contact IDENTEC
SOLUTIONS.
i-CARD III User’s Guide
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Document #: 9000-041, Rev C - 12 –
Appendix A: Technical Specifications
Type II PC i-CARD III
Compatibility
ILR® tags
i-Q xx /EU (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/EU/I)
i-Q xx /NA (i-CARD III/NA)
i-D (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/EU/I, i-CARD III/NA)
Performance
Read range (adjustable) 10 m (33 ft)
Write range (adjustable) 10 m (33 ft)
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 Downlink 868.350 MHz (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/EU/I)
869.525 MHz (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/EU/I)
905-918 MHz (i-CARD III/NA)
Frequency Uplink 868.350 MHz (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/EU/I)
916.500 MHz (i-CARD III/NA)
Certification EN 330 220 (EU); FCC part 15 (US); Industry Canada
Number of antennas 1
Output power Up to 24 dBm (i-CARD III/EU, i-CARD III/NA)
Up to 14 dBm (i-CARD III/EU/I)
Sensitivity –85 dBm (high sens.), -45 dBm (low sens.)
CPU
Hardware drivers for different O/S Windows NT/98/ME/2000/XP/CE, PALM OS
Program memory
2 MB Flash
User Interfaces
Parallel interface PCMCIA
Serial interface RS-232
Number of status indications
3 LEDs
Electrical
Input power 5 V DC ± 5%
Power consumption 100 mA
Standards / Safety CE
Environmental
Operating temperature -20°C to +60°C (-4ºF to +140ºF)
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)