JADAK a business unit of Novanta MERCURY6EN Part 15.247 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum User Manual
Trimble Navigation Limited Part 15.247 Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
User Manual Nano Design Guide v01RevA.pdf
A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 875-0077-01 RevA ThingMagic Nano Design Guide For ThingMagic Nano with Firmware Ver. 1.3.1 and later A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Government Limited Rights Notice: All documentation and manuals were developed at private expense and no part of it was developed using Government funds. The U.S. Governmentâs rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose the technical data contained herein are restricted by paragraph (b)(3) of the Rights in Technical Data â Noncommercial Items clause (DFARS 252.227-7013(b)(3)), as amended from time-to-time. Any reproduction of technical data or portions thereof marked with this legend must also reproduce the markings. Any person, other than the U.S. Government, who has been provided access to such data must promptly notify ThingMagic. ThingMagic, Mercury, Reads Any Tag, and the ThingMagic logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of ThingMagic, A Division of Trimble. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of Trimble or other companies. Š2015 ThingMagic â a division of Trimble Navigation Limited. ThingMagic and The Engine in RFID are registered trademarks of Trimble Navigation Limited. Other marks may be protected by their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.d ThingMagic, A Division of Trimble 1 Merrill Street Woburn, MA 01801 01 Revision A March, 2015 A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Revision Table Date Version Description 3/2015 01 Draft 1 First Draft for early-access release 4/2015 01 REV A First Release A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Communication Regulation Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Communication Regulation Information C A U T I O N ! Please contact ThingMagic support - support@thingmagic.com - before beginning the process of getting regulatory approval for a finished product using the ThingMagic Nano. ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement 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. 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 of the following measures: ÂReorient or relocate the receiving antenna. ÂIncrease the separation between the equipment and receiver. ÂConnect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected. ÂConsult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help. This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. FCC Caution: Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment. ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE W A R N I N G ! Operation of the ThingMagic Nano module requires professional installation to correctly set the TX power for the RF cable and antenna selected. This transmitter module is authorized to be used in other devices only by OEM integrators under the following conditions: 1. The antenna(s) must be installed such that a minimum separation distance of 21cm is maintained between the radiator (antenna) & userâs/nearby peopleâs body at all times. 2. The transmitter module must not be co-located with any other antenna or transmitter. As long as the two conditions above are met, further transmitter testing will not be required. However, the OEM integrator is still responsible for testing their end-product for any additional compliance requirements required with this module installed (for example, digital device emissions, PC peripheral requirements, etc.). Note In the event that these conditions can not be met (for certain configurations or co-location with another transmitter), then the FCC authorization is no longer considered valid and the FCC ID can not be used on the final product. In these circumstances, the OEM integrator will be responsible for reevaluating the end product (including the transmitter) and obtaining a separate FCC authorization. The OEM integrator has to be aware not to provide information to the end user regarding how to install or remove this RF module in the user manual of the end product. User Manual Requirement The user manual for the end product must include the following information in a prominent location; âTo comply with FCCâs RF radiation exposure requirements, the antenna(s) used for this transmitter must be installed such that a minimum separation distance of 21cm is maintained between the radiator (antenna) & userâs/nearby peopleâs body at all times and must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.â AND âThe transmitting portion of this device carries with it the following two warnings: âThis device complies with Part 15....â ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE AND âAny changes or modifications to the transmitting module not expressly approved by ThingMagic Inc. could void the userâs authority to operate this equipmentâ â End Product Labeling The final end product must be labeled in a visible area with the following: âContains Transmitter Module FCC ID: QV5MERCURY6ENâ or âContains FCC ID: QV5MERCURY6EN.â Industry Canada 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 isotropic radiated power (e.i.r.p.) is not more than that necessary for successful communication. This radio transmitter (identify the device by certification number, or model number if Category II) has been approved by Industry Canada to operate with the antenna types listed below with the maximum permissible gain and required antenna impedance for each antenna type indicated. Antenna types not included in this list, having a gain greater than the maximum gain indicated for that type, are strictly prohibited for use with this device 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. To reduce potential radio interference to other users, the antenna type and its gain should be so chosen that the equivalent isotropic ally radiated power (e.i.r.p.) is not more than that permitted for successful communication. This device has been designed to operate with the antennas listed in Shock and Vibration table. Antennas not included in these lists are strictly prohibited for use with this device. To comply with IC RF exposure limits for general population/uncontrolled exposure, the antenna(s) used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 21 cm from all persons and must not be collocated or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE End Product Labeling The final end product must be labeled in a visible area with the following: âContains ThingMagic Inc. ThingMagic Nano (or appropriate model number youâre filing with IC) transmitting module FCC ID: QV5MERCURY6EN (IC: 5407A-MERCURY6EN)â Industrie Canada ConformĂŠment Ă la rĂŠglementation d'Industrie Canada, le prĂŠsent ĂŠmetteur radio peut fonctionner avec une antenne d'un type et d'un gain maximal (ou infĂŠrieur) approuvĂŠ pour l'ĂŠmetteur par Industrie Canada. Dans le but de rĂŠduire les risques de brouillage radioĂŠlectrique Ă l'intention des autres utilisateurs, il faut choisir le type d'antenne et son gain de sorte que la puissance isotrope rayonnĂŠe ĂŠquivalente (p.i.r.e.) ne dĂŠpasse pas l'intensitĂŠ nĂŠcessaire Ă l'ĂŠtablissement d'une communication satisfaisante. Le prĂŠsent ĂŠmetteur radio (identifier le dispositif par son numĂŠro de certification ou son numĂŠro de modèle s'il fait partie du matĂŠriel de catĂŠgorie I) a ĂŠtĂŠ approuvĂŠ par Industrie Canada pour fonctionner avec les types d'antenne ĂŠnumĂŠrĂŠs ci-dessous et ayant un gain admissible maximal et l'impĂŠdance requise pour chaque type d'antenne. Les types d'antenne non inclus dans cette liste, ou dont le gain est supĂŠrieur au gain maximal indiquĂŠ, sont strictement interdits pour l'exploitation de l'ĂŠmetteur Le fonctionnement de lâ appareil est soumis aux deux conditions suivantes: 1. Cet appareil ne doit pas perturber les communications radio, et 2. cet appareil doit supporter toute perturbation, y compris les perturbations qui pourraient provoquer son dysfonctionnement. Pour rĂŠduire le risque d'interfĂŠrence aux autres utilisateurs, le type d'antenne et son gain doivent ĂŞtre choisis de façon que la puissance isotrope rayonnĂŠe ĂŠquivalente (PIRE) ne dĂŠpasse pas celle nĂŠcessaire pour une communication rĂŠussie. Lâ appareil a ĂŠtĂŠ conçu pour fonctionner avec les antennes ĂŠnumĂŠrĂŠs dans les tables Antennes AutorisĂŠes. Il est strictement interdit de lâ utiliser lâ appareil avec des antennes qui ne sont pas inclus dans ces listes. Au but de conformer aux limites d'exposition RF pour la population gĂŠnĂŠrale (exposition non-contrĂ´lĂŠe), les antennes utilisĂŠs doivent ĂŞtre installĂŠs Ă une distance d'au moins 21 cm de toute personne et ne doivent pas ĂŞtre installĂŠ en proximitĂŠ ou utilisĂŠ en conjonction avec un autre antenne ou transmetteur. Marquage sur lâ ĂŠtiquette du produit complet dans un endroit visible: "Contient ThingMagic transmetteur, FCC ID: QV5MERCURY6EN (IC:5407A-MERCURY6EN)" ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Authorized Antennas This device has been designed to operate with the antennas listed in Authorized Antennas. Antennas not included in this list are strictly prohibited for use with this device. ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 10 A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Contents Communication Regulation Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Federal Communication Commission Interference Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Industry Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Industrie Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Authorized Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Specifications Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Hardware Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Module Pin-out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Antenna Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Antenna Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Antenna Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Digital/Power Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Control Signal Specification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 ENABLE Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 DC Power Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 RF Power Output Impact on DC Input Current and Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Power Supply Ripple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Idle DC Power Consumption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 RF Characteristics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 RF Output Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Receive Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Contents 11 A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Receiver Adjacent Channel Rejection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Thermal Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Thermal Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) Specification. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Shock and Vibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Authorized Antennas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 FCC Modular Certification Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Physical Dimensions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Tape-and-Reel Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 SMT Reflow Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Hardware Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Host Board Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Landing Pads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Carrier Board Heat Sinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Firmware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Boot Loader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Application Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Programming the ThingMagic Nano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Upgrading the ThingMagic Nano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Verifying Application Firmware Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Custom On-Reader Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Serial Communication Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Host-to-Reader Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Reader-to-Host Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 CCITT CRC-16 Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 User Programming Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Regulatory Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Supported Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Frequency Setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Frequency Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 12 Contents A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Frequency Hop Table. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Protocol Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 ISO 18000-6C (Gen2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Gen2 Protocol Configuration Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Unsupported Gen2 Functionality. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Unsupported Custom Gen2 Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Unsupported Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Antenna Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Using a Multiplexer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Port Power and Settling Time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Tag Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Tag Buffer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Tag Streaming/Continuous Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Tag Read Meta Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Power Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Power Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Performance Characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Event Response Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Appendix A: Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Common Error Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 FAULT_MSG_WRONG_NUMBER_OF_DATA â (100h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 FAULT_INVALID_OPCODE â (101h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_OPCODE â 102h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_HIGH â 103h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 FAULT_MSG_INVALID_FREQ_RECEIVED (104h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 FAULT_MSG_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE - (105h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_LOW - (106h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_FEATURE - (109h) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 FAULT_INVALID_BAUD_RATE - (10Ah) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 Bootloader Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 FAULT_BL_INVALID_IMAGE_CRC â 200h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 FAULT_BL_INVALID_APP_END_ADDR â 201h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 Flash Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 FAULT_FLASH_BAD_ERASE_PASSWORD â 300h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 FAULT_FLASH_BAD_WRITE_PASSWORD â 301h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 FAULT_FLASH_UNDEFINED_ERROR â 302h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 FAULT_FLASH_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 303h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 Contents 13 A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_NON_ERASED_AREA â 304h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 305h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 FAULT_FLASH_VERIFY_FAILED â 306h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Protocol Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 FAULT_NO_TAGS_FOUND â (400h). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 FAULT_NO_PROTOCOL_DEFINED â 401h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 FAULT_INVALID_PROTOCOL_SPECIFIED â 402h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 FAULT_WRITE_PASSED_LOCK_FAILED â 403h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 FAULT_PROTOCOL_NO_DATA_READ â 404h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 FAULT_AFE_NOT_ON â 405h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 FAULT_PROTOCOL_WRITE_FAILED â 406h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FAULT_NOT_IMPLEMENTED_FOR_THIS_PROTOCOL â 407h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_WRITE_DATA â 408h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_ADDRESS â 409h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 FAULT_GENERAL_TAG_ERROR â 40Ah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 FAULT_DATA_TOO_LARGE â 40Bh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_KILL_PASSWORD â 40Ch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 FAULT_PROTOCOL_KILL_FAILED - 40Eh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 FAULT_PROTOCOL_BIT_DECODING_FAILED - 40Fh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_EPC â 410h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_NUM_DATA â 411h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_OTHER_ERROR - 420h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 FAULT_GEN2_PROTOCOL_MEMORY_OVERRUN_BAD_PC - 423h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_MEMORY_LOCKED - 424h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_INSUFFICIENT_POWER - 42Bh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_NON_SPECIFIC_ERROR - 42Fh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_UNKNOWN_ERROR - 430h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Analog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 FAULT_AHAL_INVALID_FREQ â 500h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 FAULT_AHAL_CHANNEL_OCCUPIED â 501h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 FAULT_AHAL_TRANSMITTER_ON â 502h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 FAULT_ANTENNA_NOT_CONNECTED â 503h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 FAULT_TEMPERATURE_EXCEED_LIMITS â 504h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 FAULT_POOR_RETURN_LOSS â 505h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 FAULT_AHAL_INVALID_ANTENA_CONFIG â 507h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Tag ID Buffer Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NOT_ENOUGH_TAGS_AVAILABLE â 600h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_FULL â 601h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_REPEATED_TAG_ID â 602h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NUM_TAG_TOO_LARGE â 603h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 14 Contents A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE System Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 FAULT_SYSTEM_UNKNOWN_ERROR â 7F00h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 FAULT_TM_ASSERT_FAILED â 7F01h. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Dev Kit Hardware. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Included Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Setting up the Dev Kit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Connecting the Antenna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Powering up and Connecting to a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Dev Kit USB Interfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 USB/RS232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Dev kit Jumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 Dev Kit Schematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Demo Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Notice on Restricted Use of the Dev Kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Appendix C: Environmental Considerations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 ESD Damage Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Identifying ESD as the Cause of Damaged Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 Common Installation Best Practices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Raising the ESD Threshold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 Further ESD Protection for Reduced RF Power Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Variables Affecting Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Tag Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Multiple Readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 Contents 15 A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 16 Contents A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Introduction The ThingMagicÂŽ NanoÂŽ embedded module is an RFID engine that you can integrate with other systems to create RFID-enabled products. Applications to control the ThingMagic Nano modules and derivative products can be written using the high level MercuryAPI. The MercuryAPI supports Java, â.NETâ and C programming environments. The MercuryAPI Software Development Kit (SDK) contains sample applications and source code to help developers get started demoing and developing functionality. For more information on the MercuryAPI see the MercuryAPI Programmers Guide and the MercuryAPI SDK, available on the ThingMagic website. This document is for hardware designers and software developers. It describes the hardware specifications and firmware functionality and provides guidance on how to incorporate the ThingMagic Nano module within a third-party host system. The rest of the document is broken down into the following sections: ÂHardware Overview - This section provides detailed specifications of the ThingMagic Nano hardware. This section should be read in its entirety before designing hardware or attempting to operate the ThingMagic Nano module in hardware other than the ThingMagic Dev Kit. ÂHardware Integration - This section describes the ideal attributes of a main board which incorporates the ThingMagic Nano module. ÂFirmware Overview - This section provides a detailed description of the ThingMagic Nano firmware components including the bootloader and application firmware. ÂCommunication Protocol - This section provides an overview of the low level serial communications protocol used by the ThingMagic Nano. ÂFunctionality of the ThingMagic Nano - This section provides detailed descriptions of the ThingMagic Nano features and functionality that are supported through the use of the MercuryAPI. ÂAppendix A: Error Messages - This appendix lists and provides causes and suggested solutions for ThingMagic Nano Error Codes. ÂAppendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit - Quick Start guide to getting connected to the ThingMagic Nano Developerâs Kit and using the Demo Applications included with the MercuryAPI SDK. ÂAppendix C: Environmental Considerations - Details about environmental factors that should be considered relating to reader performance and survivability. Introduction 17 Specifications Summary A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Specifications Summary The table below summarizes the specifications of the ThingMagic Nano module. Many of these specifications are discussed in detail in the Hardware Overview chapter. Physical 22 mm L x 26 mm W x 3.0 mm H Dimensions (.866 in L x 1.024 in W x 0.118 in H) Tag / Transponder Protocols RFID Protocol Support EPCglobal Gen 2 (ISO 18000-6C) with nominal backscatter rate of 250 kbps RF Interface 18 Antennas Single 50 Ń connection (board-edge) RF Power Output Separate read and write levels, commandadjustable from 0 dBm to 27 dBm in 0.01 dB steps Introduction Specifications Summary A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Pre-configured for the following regions: ŕśľ FCC (NA, SA) 917.4-927.2 MHz ŕśľ ETSI (EU) 865.6-867.6 MHz ŕśľ TRAI (India) 865-867 MHz Regulatory ŕśľ KCC (Korea) 917-923.5 MHz ŕśľ MIC (Japan) 916.8 â 923.4 MHz ŕśľ ACMA (Australia) 920-926 MHz ŕśľ SRRC-MII (P.R.China) 920.1-924.9 MHz ŕśľ âOpenâ (Customizable channel plan; 859-873 MHz and 915-930 MHz) Data/Control Interface Physical 41 board-edge connections providing access to RF, DC power, communication, and GPIO signals ŕśľ UART; 3.3V logic levels Control/Data Interfaces ŕśľ 9.6 to 921.6 kbps data rate ŕśľ Enable control GPIO Sensors and Indicators Four 3.3V bidirectional ports; API support .NET, Java, and Embedded âCâ APIs Configurable as input (sensor) or output (indicator) Power Introduction 19 Specifications Summary A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE DC Voltage: 3.3 to 5.5 V for +25 dBm out 3.7 to 5.5 V for +27 dBm out DC Power Nominal DC power consumption when reading: Required 3.6 W@ 5 VDC for +27 dBm out 3.3 W@ 5 VDC for +25 dBm out 1.5 W@ 5 VDC for 0 dBm out ŕśľ 0.84 W in ready mode Idle Power ŕśľ 0.015 W in sleep mode Consumption ŕśľ 0.00025 W in shutdown mode Environment ŕśľ FCC 47 CFR Ch. 1 Part 15 Certification ŕśľ Industrie Canada RSS-21 0 ŕśľ ETSI EN 302 208 v1.4.1 Operating Temp. -20C to +60C (case temperature) Storage Temp. -40C to +85C Shock and Survives 1 meter drop during handling Vibration Performance Boot time ŕśľ Less than 150 msec for initial boot after firmware download ŕśľ Less than 30 msec for subsequent boots. Read/Write Performance 20 ŕśľ Up to 150 tags/sec to read 96-bit EPC ŕśľ 80 msec typical for standard write of 96-bit EPC Introduction A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Hardware Overview The following section provides detailed specifications of the ThingMagic Nano hardware including: ÂHardware Interfaces ÂDC Power Requirements ÂRF Characteristics ÂEnvironmental Specifications ÂAuthorized Antennas ÂPhysical Dimensions ÂTape-and-Reel Dimensions Hardware Overview 21 Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Hardware Interfaces Module Pin-out Connections are made to the module using 41 edge pads (âviasâ) that allow the module to be surface mounted to a main board. Here is a bottom view of the module, showing the numerical interfaces of the module: The sections that follow explain in detail how these connections are used. Antenna Connections The ThingMagic Nano supports one monostatic bidirectional RF antenna through edge vias. See Hardware Integration for antenna edge via locations and layout guidelines. The maximum RF power that can be delivered to a 50 ohm load from each port is 0.5 Watts, or +27 dBm (regulatory requirements permitting). 22 Hardware Overview Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Antenna Requirements The performance of the ThingMagic Nano is affected by antenna quality. Antennas that provide good 50 ohm match at the operating frequency band perform best. Specified performance is achieved with antennas providing 17 dB return loss (VSWR of 1.33) or better across the operating band. Damage to the module will not occur for any return loss of 1 dB or greater. Damage may occur if antennas are disconnected during operation or if the module sees an open or short circuit at its antenna port. Antenna Detection C A U T I O N ! Like the Micro module, but unlike the M6e and M5e modules, the ThingMagic Nano DOES NOT support automatic antenna detection. When writing applications to control the ThingMagic Nano you MUST explicitly specify the antenna to operate on. Using the MercuryAPI this requires creation of a âSimpleReadPlanâ object with the list of antennas set and that object set as the active /reader/read/plan. For more information see the MercuryAPI Programmers Guide | Level 2 API | Advanced Reading | âReadPlanâ section. Hardware Overview 23 Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Digital/Power Interfaces The edge via connections provides power, serial communications signals, an enable control, and access to the GPIO lines to the ThingMagic Nano module. See Hardware Integration for pinout details of both connections and layout guidelines 24 Hardware Overview Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ThingMagic Nano Digital Connector Signal Definition Edge Via Pin # Signal Signal Direction (In/Out of ThingMagic Nano) Notes 1-9, 18-19 GND Signal Return Must connect all GND pins to ground as they also serve to remove heat from the module 10 Vout DC Power Output 3.4V DC output. Maximum load 5 mA. Turns off when ENABLE is pulled low. Leave unconnected if not used. 11 ENABLE Enable/Shutdown TTL input that turns the module off and reduces its power consumption to nearly zero. Hi=Enable, Low=Shutdown module If left unconnected, module will stay in ENABLE state. 12 GPIO1 Bidirectional GPIO 13 GPIO2 Bidirectional GPIO 14 GPIO3 Bidirectional GPIO 15 GPIO4 Bidirectional GPIO Vin Power Supply Input 3.3 to 5.5VDC. Pins 16 and 17 are internally connected. Connect the DC power source to both pins to ensure sufficient current carrying capacity. 20 UART_TX In UART Serial input, 3V logic 21 UART_RX Out UART Serial output, 3V logic RFU Reserved Reserved for future use - leave unconnected RF RF Transmit and Receive Interface to antenna GND RF Ground Must connect all GND pins to ground as they also serve to remove heat from the module 16,17 22-28 39 38-39, 40-41 Hardware Overview Each line configurable as input or output interface (by default it is an input with internal pull-down). 25 Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE The following table gives the Voltage and Current limits for all communication and control interfaces: Specification Limits Input Low-level Voltage 1.0 V max to indicate low state; no lower than 0.3 V below ground to prevent damage Input High-level Voltage 1.9 V min to indicate high state; 3.7 V max when module is powered up, no more than 0.3 V higher than Vout when module is turned off to prevent damage. Output Low-level Voltage 0.3 V typ, 0.7 V max Output High-level Voltage 3.0 V typ, 2.7 V min Output Low-level Current 10 mA max Output High-level Current 7 mA max Control Signal Specification The module communicates to a host processor via a TTL logic level UART serial port, accessed on the edge vias. The TTL logic level UART supports complete functionality. The USB port supports complete functionality except the lowest power operational mode. 26 Hardware Overview Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE TTL Level UART Interface A level converter is necessary to interface to other devices that use standard 12V RS232. Only three pins are required for serial communication (TX, RX, and GND). Hardware handshaking is not supported. The connected host processorâs receiver must have the capability to receive up to 256 bytes of data at a time without overflowing. Baud rates supported: â 9600 â 19200 â 38400 â 115200 â 230400 â 460800 â 921600 Note Upon initial power up, the default baud rate of 115200 will be used. If that baud rate is changed and saved in the application mode, the new saved baud rate will be used the next time the module is powered up. General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) The four GPIO connections, provided through the ThingMagic Nano Digital Connector Signal Definition, may be configured as inputs or outputs using the MercuryAPI. The GPIO pins should connect through 1 kOhm resistors to the module to ensure the input Voltage limits are maintained even if the module is shut off. Module power consumption can be adversely affected by incorrect GPIO configuration. Similarly, the power consumption of external equipment connected to the GPIOs can also be adversely affected. The following instructions will yield specification compliant operation. On power up, the ThingMagic Nano module configures its GPIOs as inputs to avoid contention from user equipment that may be driving those lines. The input configuration is a 3.3 volt logic CMOS input and is internally pulled down with a resistance value of between 20 and 60 kOhms (40 kOhms nominal). GPIOs may be reconfigured individually after power up to become outputs. Lines configured as outputs consume no excess power if the output is left open. Hardware Overview 27 Hardware Interfaces A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Configuring GPIO Settings The GPIO lines are configured as inputs or outputs through the MercuryAPI by setting the reader configuration parameters /reader/gpio/inputList and /reader/gpio/outputList. Once configured as inputs or outputs the state of the lines can be Get or Set using the gpiGet() and gpoSet() methods, respectively. See the language specific reference guide for more details. ENABLE Line C A U T I O N ! The polarity of the ENABLE line is opposite from the 4-port M6e module. The ENABLE line (referred to as the SHUTDOWN line in the M6e) must be set HIGH (Vin level) or Open Circuit to ENABLE module. In order to shut down the module, the line can be set LOW or pulled to Ground. Switching from high to low to high is equivalent to performing a power cycle of the module. All internal components are powered down when set low. 28 Hardware Overview DC Power Requirements A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE DC Power Requirements The module is specified to operate with DC input levels of between 3.3 and 5.5 V. All specifications are maintained as long as the total input current is below 1 A. At 1 A, the internal Voltage regulatorâs protection circuit allows no more current to be taken in. This 1A current limit will be reached slightly sooner if current is drawn out the Vout line, and the GPIO lines are supplying current to external circuits. The most obvious impact of this 1A limit is that the module cannot be operated below 3.7 Volts when the RF power output level is set to 27 dBm. This limit is fully explained in the next section. The module will still operate if the DC input Voltage level falls below 3.3 V, but its specifications are not guaranteed. If the DC input Voltage falls below 3 VDC, a âbrownoutâ self-protection function in the processor will gracefully turn the module off so that the module will not be in an undeterminate state once the voltage is restored. RF Power Output Impact on DC Input Current and Power The ThingMagic Nano supports separate read and write power level which are command adjustable via the MercuryAPI. Power levels must be between: â Minimum RF Power = 0 dBm â Maximum RF Power = +27 dBm Hardware Overview 29 DC Power Requirements A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Note Maximum power may have to be reduced to meet regulatory limits, which specify the combined effect of the module, antenna, cable and enclosure shielding of the integrated product. As shown in the chart, the current draw when the RF output level is set to +27 dBm reaches the limit of 1A when the DC input voltage is below 3.7 V. Below the 3.7 VDC input level, the RF level will no longer reach 27 dBm, although no error message will be returned. The input Voltage should be maintained above 3.7 Volts if the RF output power setting is above +25 dBm. 3.5 V is adequate for an RF output power level of +26 dBm, and 3.3 V is adequate for an RF output power level of +25 dBm and below. The chart 30 Hardware Overview DC Power Requirements A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE below shows the impact of the input DC Voltage on the RF output level for +25 dBm and +27 dBm RF power levels. The power drawn by the module is fairly constant, rising slightly as the DC Input Voltage is lowered. Once the 1A input current limit is reached, the input power appears to Hardware Overview 31 DC Power Requirements A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE decrease, but this is because the RF output level is no longer reflecting the desired setting. This chart shows these dependencies: Note: Power consumption is defined for operation into a 17 dB return loss load (VSWR of 1.33) or better. Power consumption may increase, up to 4 W, during operation into return losses worse than 17 dB and high ambient temperatures. Power consumption will also vary based on Supported Regions in use. Power Supply Ripple The following are the minimum requirements to avoid module damage and to insure performance and regulatory specifications are met. Certain local regulatory specifications may require tighter specifications. 32 Hardware Overview DC Power Requirements A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Â3.5 to 5.5 VDC ÂLess than 25 mV pk-pk ripple all frequencies, ÂLess than 11 mV pk-pk ripple for frequencies less than 100 kHz, ÂNo spectral spike greater than 5 mV pk-pk in any 1 kHz band. Idle DC Power Consumption When not actively transmitting, the ThingMagic Nano module falls back into one of 3 idle states, called âpower modesâ. There are 5 enumerated idle power modes defined in the API, but the Nano module only supports 3 options, so three of the settings behave identically. Each successive power mode turns off more of the moduleâs circuits, which have to be restored when a command is executed, imposing a slight delay. The following table gives the power consumption levels and the delay to respond to a command for each. See Idle DC Power Consumption for details. ThingMagic Nano Power Consumption Operation DC Power Consumed at 5 VDC Time to Respond to a Read Command Power Mode = âFULLâ 0.85 W Less than 5 msec Power Mode = âMINSAVEâ, âMEDSAVEâ, or âMAXSAVEâ 0.04 W Less than 20 msec Power Mode = âSLEEPâ 0.02 W Less than 20 msec ENABLE Line disabled .00015 W Module reboots when Enable line brought high These nominal values should be used to calculate metrics such as battery life. To determine the absolute maximum DC power that would be required under any condition, one must consider temperature, channel of operation, and antenna return loss. Hardware Overview 33 RF Characteristics A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE RF Characteristics RF Output Power The output power is may be configured to a separate value for read and write operations (for many tags, more power is required to write to read). The range of values is from 0 dBm to +27 dBm, in 0.01 dB increments. (For example, 27 dBm will be configured as â2700â in units of centi-dBm.) The modules are calibrated when they are manufactured in 0.5 dB increments and linear interpolation is used to set values with greater granularity than this. The granularity of the RF output power setting should not be confused with its accuracy. The accuracy of the output level is specified to be +/- 1 dBm for each regional setting. Additional variation may be experienced if the DC input Voltage and temperature changes while the module is operational. This chart shows the typical transmit output variation over frequency. The typical variation is less than +/-0.5 dBm for all transmit levels, across the entire frequency band. DC Input Voltage also affects the transmit output level accuracy. The typical variation is less than +/- 0.20 dBm except at high output levels for low DC input voltages, as has been 34 Hardware Overview RF Characteristics A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE discussed in the RF Power Output Impact on DC Input Current and Power section. The output accuracy over temperature is typically +/1 0.75 dBm, with most variation occurring at lower transmit output power levels. Hardware Overview 35 RF Characteristics A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Receive Sensitivity The receiver sensitivity is influenced by both user-defined settings and by external environmental factors. These factors are: ÂTransmit Level ÂGen2 âMâ setting ÂRegion of Operation Receive sensitivity is strongly influenced by the amount of interference caused by the readerâs own transmit signal. This interference can be reduced by reducing the transmit level. ThingMagic always quotes the receive sensitivity at the highest transmit level (+27 dBm for the Nano), but 1 dB of sensitivity is typically gained for every dB that the transmitter output level is reduced. The Gen2 âMâ setting influences how data is encoded when sent from the tag to the reader. Higher âMâ values send data at lower rates and are more noise immune, increasing the moduleâs sensitivity. Lower âMâ values send data at higher rates, decreasing the sensitivity somewhat. The region of operation is also a factor. The Nano has slightly better receive sensitivity in the EU and India regions (865 to 868 MHz) than in the North American region and 36 Hardware Overview RF Characteristics A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE subsets of that region adopted by countries around the world (917 to 928 MHz). The following table gives the sensitivity for these factors for a transmit output level of +27 dBm. The following table shows the impact of âMâ value and frequency range on the sensitivity. Region North America and subsets of 917 to 928 MHz band EU and India (865 to 868 MHz âMâ Value Sensitivity -57 dBm -57 dBm -49 dBm -61 dBm -61 dBm -53 dBm Receiver Adjacent Channel Rejection The ThingMagic Nano receives signals that are centered at +250 kHz from its own carrier. The width of the receive filter is adjusted to match the âMâ value of the signal being sent by the tag. An M value of 2 require the widest filter and an M value of 8 requires the narrowest filter. If operating in an environment where many readers are present, observe the performance of one reader as the other readers are turned on and off. If the performance improves when the other readers are turned off, then the system may be experiencing reader-to-reader interference. This reader-to-reader interference will be minimized by using the highest âMâ value that is consistent with the tag read rates required by the application. Hardware Overview 37 Environmental Specifications A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Environmental Specifications Thermal Considerations The module will operate within its stated specifications over a temperature range o f-20 to +60 degrees C, measured at the ground plan that the ThingMagic Nano module is soldered to. It may be safely stored in temperatures ranging from -40 degrees C to +85 degrees C. Thermal Management Heat-sinking For high duty cycles, it is essential to use a surface mount configuration where all edge vias are soldered to a carrier or mother board, with a large area of ground plane, that will either radiate heat or conduct the heat to a larger heat-sink. A high density of PCB vias from the top to bottom of the board will efficiently conduct heat to a bottom mount heatsink. Often the weak link in thermal management design is not the thermal interface from the ThingMagic Nano to the heat-sink, but rather the thermal interface from the heat-sink to the outside world. Duty Cycle If overheating occurs it is recommended to first try reducing the duty cycle of operation. This involves modifying the RF On/Off (API parameter settings /reader/read/ asyncOnTime and asyncOffTime) values. A good place to start is 50% duty cycle using 250ms/250ms On/Off. If your performance requirements can be met, a low enough duty cycle can result in no heat sinking required. Or with adequate heat sinking you can run continuously at 100% duty cycle. 38 Hardware Overview Environmental Specifications A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Electro-Static Discharge (ESD) Specification IEC-61000-4-2 and MIL-883 3015.7 discharges direct to operational antenna port tolerates max 1 KV pulse. It will tolerate a 4 kV air discharge on the I/O and power lines. It is recommended that protective diodes be placed on the I/O lines as shown in the carrier board schematic diagram (see Hardware Integration). Note Survival level varies with antenna return loss and antenna characteristics. See ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations for methods to increase ESD tolerances. W A R N I N G ! The ThingMagic Nano antenna port may be susceptible to damage from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). Equipment failure can result if the antenna or communication ports are subjected to ESD. Standard ESD precautions should be taken during installation and operation to avoid static discharge when handling or making connections to the ThingMagic Nano reader antenna or communication ports. Environmental analysis should also be performed to ensure static is not building up on and around the antennas, possibly causing discharges during operation. Shock and Vibration The ThingMagic Nano module is specified to survive a 1 meter drop onto a hard surface. It will also survive the following vibration limits: Â4.02 Grms random, mounted on a non-resonant hard carrier ÂFive shipments by air, MIL-STD-810G METHOD 514.6 ANNEX C, Figure 514.6C-5 General Exposure pg 514.6C-16, and Table 514.6C-VII, General Exposure. 5 minutes each of three axes. Hardware Overview 39 Authorized Antennas A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Authorized Antennas This device has been designed to operate with the antennas listed below, and having a maximum gain of 8.15ÂŹdBiL. Antennas not included in this list or having a gain greater than 8.15 dBiLÂŹare strictly prohibited for use with this device without regulatory approval. The required antenna impedance is 50 ohms. ThingMagic Nano Authorized Antennas Vendor Model Type Polarizatio Frequency Range MTI Wireless Laird MT-263020 Patch Circular S9025P Patch Circular Laird S8658WPL Patch Circular MTI Wireless MTI Wireless MTI-262013 Patch Circular MTI-242043 Patch Circular 902-928 MHz 902-928 MHz 865-960 MHz 902-928 MHz 865-956 MHz Laird FG9026 Dipole Linear 902-928 MHz Circular Gain (dBiC) 11 min Max Linear Gain (dBi) 5.5 4.3 8.5 6.0 7 min, 7.5 max 7.5 in EU band, 8.5 in NA band [Not Applicable] 6.0 6.0 8.15 Note: Most of these are circularly polarized antennas, but since most tag antennas are linearly polarized, the equivalent linear gain, as provided, of the antenna should be used for all calculations. FCC Modular Certification Considerations Trimble has obtained FCC modular certification for the ThingMagic Nano module. This means that the module can be installed in different end-use products by another equipment manufacturer with limited or no additional testing or equipment authorization for the transmitter function provided by that specific module. Specifically: ÂNo additional transmitter-compliance testing is required if the module is operated with one of the antennas listed in the FCC filing ÂNo additional transmitter-compliance testing is required if the module is operated with the same type of antenna as listed in the FCC filing as long as it has equal or lower gain than the antenna listed. Equivalent antennas must be of the same general type (e.g. dipole, circularly polarized patch, etc.), must be of equal or less gain than an antenna previously authorized under the same FCC ID, and must have similar in 40 Hardware Overview Authorized Antennas A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE band and out of band characteristics (consult specification sheet for cutoff frequencies). If the antenna is of a different type or higher gain than those listed in the moduleâs FCC filing, see ThingMagic Nano Authorized Antennas, a class II permissive change must be requested from the FCC. Contact us at support@thingmagic.com and we can help you though this process. A host using a module component that has a modular grant can: 1. Be marketed and sold with the module built inside that does not have to be end-user accessible/replaceable, or 2. Be end-user plug-and- play replaceable. In addition, a host product is required to comply with all applicable FCC equipment authorizations, regulations, requirements and equipment functions not associated with the RFID module portion. For example, compliance must be demonstrated to regulations for other transmitter components within the host product; to requirements for unintentional radiators (Part 15B), and to additional authorization requirements for the non-transmitter functions on the transmitter module (for example, incidental transmissions while in receive mode or radiation due to digital logic functions). To ensure compliance with all non-transmitter functions the host manufacturer is responsible for ensuring compliance with the module(s) installed and fully operational. For example, if a host was previously authorized as an unintentional radiator under the Declaration of Conformity procedure without a transmitter certified module and a module is added, the host manufacturer is responsible for ensuring that the after the module is installed and operational the host continues to be compliant with Part 15B unintentional radiator requirements. Since this may depend on the details of how the module is integrated with the host, we shall provide guidance to the host manufacturer for compliance with Part 15B requirements. Hardware Overview 41 Physical Dimensions A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Physical Dimensions The dimensions of the ThingMagic Nano module are provided in the following diagram and table: Attribute Width Length Height (includes PCB, shield, mask and labels) Mass 42 Value 22 +/-0.2 mm 26 +/-0.2 mm 3.0 maximum 3.2 gms Hardware Overview Physical Dimensions A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Tape-and-Reel Dimensions Hardware Overview 43 70 :$1*-6 32/<67<5(1( ,9 176 1DQR $R UG$QJOH VW$QJOH 6(&7,21;; 352326('(0%266('&$55,(57$3(',0(16,216 6&$/( *(1(5$/72/(5$1&( 3  , 7+,6'5$:,1*&217$,16,1)250$7,217+$7,635235,(7$5<72&3$.37(/7' 7,7/( 7RROLQJ&RGH)/$7%(' (VWLPDWHGPD[OHQJWKPHWHU% 5 57<3 '5$:,1*12 (0 '5$:1 0$7(5,$/ 6(&7,21<< &3$.37(/7' 3 6R $R %R .R %R .R ' 0,1  2WKHUPDWHULDODYDLODEOH KROHWRFHQWUHOLQHRISRFNHW 0HDVXUHGIURPFHQWUHOLQHRIVSURFNHW KROHVLV &XPXODWLYHWROHUDQFHRIVSURFNHW WRFHQWUHOLQHRISRFNHW 0HDVXUHGIURPFHQWUHOLQHRIVSURFNHWKROH 3 (  1(:'5$:,1* '$7( :0/(( $33529(' $//',0(16,216,10,//,0(75(681/(6627+(5:,6(67$7(' ,9 ,,, ,, 5(9 '(6&5,37,21 3R  ,, ) ,,, 'R : 44 6R  Physical Dimensions A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Hardware Overview Physical Dimensions A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE The Nano is delivered in a tape-and-reel package. The reel measures 13 inches by 4 inches. Hardware Overview 45 SMT Reflow Profile A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE SMT Reflow Profile Short profiles are recommended for reflow soldering processes. Peak zone temperature should be adjusted high enough to ensure proper wetting and optimized forming of solder joints. Generally speaking, unnecessary long exposure and exposure to more than 245C should be avoided. To not overstress the assembly, the complete reflow profile should be as short as possible. Here an optimization considering all components on the application must be performed. The optimization of a reflow profile is a gradual process. It needs to be performed for every paste, equipment and product combination. The presented profiles are only samples and valid for the used pastes, reflow machines and test application boards. Therefore a "ready to use" reflow profile can not be given. There must be only be one reflow cycle, maximum. 46 Hardware Overview A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Hardware Integration The ThingMagicÂŽ NanoÂŽ embedded module is an RFID engine that you can integrate with other systems to create RFID-enabled products. This chapter discusses topics relating to this, including requirements for a host board design and characteristics of the Nano Carrier Board that ThingMagic offers for use in Development Kits and for applications where a module with standard connectors is required. ÂHost Board Design ÂThingMagic Nano Carrier Board Hardware Integration 47 Host Board Design A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Host Board Design Landing Pads The position of each of the pads is given in the following table. The dimensioning origin is at the center of the module edge that includes the RF pad. The tolerances of these positions should be maintained to within +/-0.2mm. All pads are 2.0 mm long by 0.75 mm wide. 48 Hardware Integration Host Board Design A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Pin Number 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 Hardware Integration Position (mm) -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 -10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 10.5 2.5 1.25 -1.25 7.5 6.25 Position (mm) -2 -3.25 -4.5 -5.75 -7 -8.25 -9.5 -10.75 -12 -13.25 -14.5 -15.75 -17 -18.25 -19.5 -20.75 -22 -23.25 -23.25 -22 -20.75 -19.5 -18.25 -17 -15.75 -14.5 -13.25 -12 -10.75 -9.5 -8.25 -7 -5.75 -4.5 -3.25 -2 -0.5 -0.5 -0.5 49 Host Board Design A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 40 41 3.75 2.5 -0.5 -0.5 Peripheral pads as shown on the footprint are what the ThingMagic Nano module will mount to. These peripheral pads are at a pitch of 1.25 mm. The intention for the ThingMagic Nano module is to use routed-through via connections with 0.7 mm diameter edge vias. The pads of the ThingMagic Nano module underside should align with the copper pads of the footprint, with a pad exposure extending outside the M6e-Nano edge be a nominal 0.5 mm. A 0.5 mm keep-out shall surround any non-ground pad. The 50 Hardware Integration Host Board Design A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE module pad positional tolerance shall be not more than +/-0.2 mm to support contact alignment during fixturing. The circuitry feeding the RF pad of the M6e-Nano shall be optimized for connecting to a coplanar wave guide with ground plane beneath. The CPW-G will have dimensions as shown in the following diagram. The area beneath the module should be kept clear of traces and copper. In addition to the design and process recommendations, the following should be considered: There is the potential for 24MHz harmonics radiating from pins 22 through 28 of the ThingMagic Nano. If emissions testing shows such harmonics the easiest fix is to put bypass capacitors (typically 39 to 100pf) directly at the ÂŹoffending pins on the carrier board. Note that higher values are not necessarily better. The ideal capacitor value will have series resonance near the most offending frequency. 39pF has been good for around 900 MHz in sample board layouts. Hardware Integration 51 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board ThingMagic has created a Carrier Board for the ThingMagic Nano module, as an example of a host board for this module and to make it compatible with the standard Development Kit main board. It has the size and dimensions of the M6e module (69 mm x 43 mm), and uses the same connector for power and control (Molex 53261-1571 - 1.25mm pin centers, 52 Hardware Integration ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 1 amp per pin rating. which mates with Molex housing p/n 51021-1500 with crimps p/n 63811-0300). The pin definitions are the same as for the M6e, for the functions that are supported by both, with one exception: The âSHUTDOWNâ line of the M6e has reversed polarity and is the âENABLEâ line in the ThingMagic Nano. Pin Number Signal Signal Direction with respect to Carrier Board Notes 1,2 GND Power and Signal Return Must connect both pins to ground. 3.4 DC Power in Input 3.3 to 5.5 VDC; must connect both pins to the supply. GPIO1 Bidirectional Same Specifications as Nano itself. GPIO2 Bidirectional Same Specifications as Nano itself. GPIO3 Bidirectional Same Specifications as Nano itself. GPIO4 Bidirectional Same Specifications as Nano itself. UART RX Input 10 UART TX Output 11-13 RFU Not Internally Connected 14 ENABLE Input 15 Unused Internally Pulled high, in ENABLE state, if not connected The UART RX and UART TX lines are buffered on the carrier board. This makes the inputs 5V tolerant and increases the output current driving capability from around 10 mA to around 15 mA. Diodes are also added on all I/O lines to increase the ESD protection. Hardware Integration 53 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE W A R N I N G ! The buffer on the Nano Carrier Board is driven by the Vout pin on the ThingMagic Nano. Current supplied to this buffer will count toward the 1A total current that the ThingMagic Nano draws from its power source. 54 Hardware Integration ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE The following page provides a schematic diagram for the Nano Carrier Board.Contact support@thingmagic.com to obtain this in a PDF file. Hardware Integration 55 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 56 Hardware Integration A M6e Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Pin Interface Pinout 1 GND 2 GND 3 +5V 4 +5V 5 GPIO1 6 GPIO2 7 GPIO3 8 GPIO4 9 RS-232_RX_TTL 10 RS-232_TX_TTL 11 USB_DM 12 USB_DP 13 USB_5VSENSE 14 SHUTDOWN 15 RESET 53261-1571 M1 M2 J6 VIN 10 11 12 13 14 15 R1 DNP MH7 MH4 MH3 MH8 MH2 D2 TVS-4 Optional ESD Protection TVS-4 D3 DNP J5 DNP J3 SPI_MOSI__USBDM SPI_CLK__USBDP MH1 TVS-4 D1 GPIO4__VSENSE R2 DNP Jump Pin 1-2 for USB powered Leave open for normal operation MH9 GND GND VIN VIN GPIO1 GPIO2 GPIO3 GPIO4__VSENSE RS232_RX_EXT RS232_TX_EXT DNP RFU11 R11 RFU12 R10 DNP USB+5 SHUTDOWN_N GND GND T1 T2 TP SMT TP SMT DNP GND7 VBUS DN DP ID GND GND 1 USB+5 2 SPI_MOSI__USBDM 3 SPI_CLK__USBDP 5 GND J4 GND6 Jump Pin 1-2 for Shutdown Leave open for normal operation RESETN CON10A SWDIO SWCLK 10 J2 V3R3 V3R3 J9 10 12 14 16 18 20 11 13 15 17 19 18 17 16 U1 TM-NANO 450-0070-01_RevX3 RF_OUT PIN19 PIN20 PIN21 PIN22 PIN23 PIN24 PIN25 PIN26 PIN27 PIN28 PIN29 PIN30 PIN31 PIN32 PIN33 PIN34 PIN35 PIN36 V3R3 SPI_MISO__SDA SPI_CSN__SCL Date: Size Title R8 1.00K RS232_TX_EXT R5 1.00K 1Y VCC 2Y C6 0.1U 74LVC2G17 1A GND 2A U2 FB 100 OHM FB 100 OHM R4 100K L2 L3 R9 150NH 3.9N L1 C3 100P C4 100P Monday, March 16, 2015 Document Number 435-0070-01 RS232_RX Sheet R7 1.00K R6 1.00K RS232_TX NANO CARRIER WITH M6E FOOTPRINT R3 100K SPI_CLK__USBDP SPI_MOSI__USBDM SWCLK SWDIO RESETN DNP C2 20P C5 This tuning gives 0.21 dB IL -29 dB RL RS232_RX_EXT 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 CHANGE LOG X3: 1) Change C5, L1 from 22P, 4.7N to 20P, 3.9N. 1) Add PCB1 VIN SHUTDOWN_N USB+5 SPI_MOSI__USBDM SPI_CLK__USBDP SPI_CSN__SCL SPI_MISO__SDA SWDIO SWCLK PIN18 PIN17 PIN16 PIN15 PIN14 PIN13 PIN12 PIN11 PIN10 PIN9 PIN8 PIN7 PIN6 PIN5 PIN4 PIN3 PIN2 PIN1 20021521-00020 MATES_WITH = 20021444-00020T4LF PCB1 VIN V3R3 GPIO1 GPIO2 GPIO3 GPIO4__VSENSE RS232_RX_EXT RS232_TX_EXT VIN GPIO4__VSENSE 15 14 GPIO3 GPIO or USB-5V Sense 13 GPIO2 12 GPIO1 11 10 ADC_CAPABLE SHUTDOWN_N DAC_CAPABLE HI=RUN, LOW=SHUTDOWN VIN USB+5 GND SHUTDOWN_N GND 39 41 40 GND41 GND40 38 37 RF Hardware Integration GND38 GND37 JTAG Header of J1 MMCX Rev X3 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 57 ThingMagic Nano Carrier Board A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Carrier Board Heat Sinking The ThingMagic Nano can run at full RF power at room temperature on stand-offs in the Dev Kit. If you wish to test the ThingMagic Nano under extreme temperature conditions, you may want to mount it on the heat spreader that is supplied with the Micro modules for the xPRESS Sensor Hub. Make sure it is assembled as shown in these pictures so no live signals are shorted to ground. Note The Sensor Hub firmware does not support the Nano module at this time. 58 Hardware Integration A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Firmware Overview The following section provides detailed description of the ThingMagic Nano firmware components, including: ÂBoot Loader ÂApplication Firmware ÂCustom On-Reader Applications Firmware Overview 59 Boot Loader A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Boot Loader The boot loader provides low-level functionality. This program provides the low level hardware support for configuring communication settings, loading Application Firmware and storing and retrieving data to/from flash. When a module is powered up or reset, the boot loader code is automatically loaded and executed. Note Unlike previous ThingMagic modules (M4e and M5e) the ThingMagic Nano bootloader should effectively be invisible to the user. The ThingMagic Nano is by default configured to auto-boot into application firmware and for any operations that require the module be in bootloader mode the MercuryAPI will handle the switching automatically. 60 Firmware Overview Application Firmware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Application Firmware The application firmware contains the tag protocol code along with all the command interfaces to set and get system parameters and perform tag operations. The application firmware is, by default, started automatically upon power up. Programming the ThingMagic Nano Applications to control the ThingMagic Nano module and derivative products are written using the high level MercuryAPI. The MercuryAPI supports Java, â.NETâ and C programming environments. The MercuryAPI Software Development Kit (SDK) contains sample applications and source code to help developers get started demoing and developing functionality. For more information on the MercuryAPI see the MercuryAPI Programmers Guide and the MercuryAPI SDK, available on the ThingMagic website. Upgrading the ThingMagic Nano New features developed for the ThingMagic Nano are made available to existing modules through an Application Firmware upgrade, along with corresponding updates to the MercuryAPI to make use of the new features. Firmware upgrades can be applied using the MercuryAPI to build the functionality into custom applications or using the MercuryAPI SDK demo utilities. Verifying Application Firmware Image The application firmware has an image level Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) embedded in it to protect against corrupted firmware during an upgrade process. (If the upgrade is unsuccessful, the CRC will not match the contents in flash.) When the boot loader starts the application FW, it first verifies that the image CRC is correct. If this check fails, then the boot loader does not start the application firmware and an error is returned. Firmware Overview 61 Custom On-Reader Applications A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Custom On-Reader Applications The ThingMagic Nano does not support installing customer applications on the module. All reader configuration and control is performed using the documented MercuryAPI methods in applications running on a host processor. 62 Firmware Overview A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Communication Protocol The following section provides an overview of the low level serial communications protocol used by the ThingMagic Nano. Topics include: ÂSerial Communication Protocol ÂUser Programming Interface Communication Protocol 63 Serial Communication Protocol A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Serial Communication Protocol The serial communication between a computer (host) and the ThingMagic Nano is based on a synchronized command-response/master-slave mechanism. Whenever the host sends a message to the reader, it cannot send another message until after it receives a response. The reader never initiates a communication session; only the host initiates a communication session. This protocol allows for each command to have its own time-out because some commands require more time to execute than others. The host must manage retries, if necessary. The host must keep track of the state of the intended reader if it reissues a command. Host-to-Reader Communication Host-to-reader communication is packetized according to the following diagram. The reader can only accept one command at a time, and commands are executed serially, so the host waits for a reader-to-host response before issuing another host-to-reader command packet. 64 Header Data Length Command Data CRC-16 Checksum Hdr Len Cmd ---------------- CRC Hi / CRC LO 1 byte 1 byte 1 byte 0 to 250 bytes 2 bytes Communication Protocol Serial Communication Protocol A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Reader-to-Host Communication The following diagram defines the format of the generic Response Packet sent from the reader to the host. The Response Packet is different in format from the Request Packet. Header Data Length Command Status Word Data CRC-16 Checksum Hdr Len Cmd Status Word ---------------- CRC Hi / CRC LO 1 byte 1 byte 1 byte 2 bytes 0 to 248 bytes 2 bytes CCITT CRC-16 Calculation The same CRC calculation is performed on all serial communications between the host and the reader. The CRC is calculated on the Data Length, Command, Status Word, and Data bytes. The header is not included in the CRC. Communication Protocol 65 User Programming Interface A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE User Programming Interface The ThingMagic Nano does not support programming to the serial protocol directly. All user interaction with the ThingMagic Nano must be performed using the MercuryAPI. The MercuryAPI supports Java, â.NETâ and C programming environments. The MercuryAPI Software Development Kit (SDK) contains sample applications and source code to help developers get started demoing and developing functionality. For more information on the MercuryAPI see the MercuryAPI Programmers Guide and the MercuryAPI SDK, available on the ThingMagic website. 66 Communication Protocol A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano The following section provides detailed descriptions of the ThingMagic Nano features and functionality that are supported through the use of the MercuryAPI. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 67 Regulatory Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Regulatory Support C A U T I O N ! Please contact ThingMagic support - support@thingmagic.com - before beginning the process of getting regulatory approval for a finished product using the ThingMagic Nano. Supported Regions The ThingMagic Nano has differing levels of support for operation and use under the laws and guidelines of several regions. The regional support is shown in the following table. Region Regulatory Support Notes Narrow Band North America (NA_REDUCED_FCC) FCC 47 CFG Ch. 1 Part 15 Industrie Canada RSS-210 Complies with all FCC regulations but uses a narrow frequency range: 917,400 kHz to 927,200 kHz European Union (EU3) Revised ETSI EN 302 208 By default EU3 will use four channels. EU3 region can also be used in a single channel mode. These two modes of operation are defined as: Single Channel Mode ⢠Set by manually setting the frequency hop table to a single frequency. In this mode the module will occupy the set channel for up to four seconds, after which it will be quiet for 100ms before transmitting on the same channel again. Note: The EU and EU2 regions are for legacy applications using old ETSI regulations. These should not be used. Multi Channel Mode ⢠Set by leaving the default or manually setting more than one frequency in the hop table. In this mode the module will occupy one of the configured channels for up to four seconds, after which it may switch to another channel and immediately occupy that channel for up to four seconds. This mode allows for continuous operation. 68 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Korea (KR2) KCC (2009) The first frequency channel (917,300kHz) of the KR2 region is derated to +22dBm to meet the regulatory requirements. All other channels operate up to +27dBm. In the worst case scenario, each time the derated channel is used it will stay on that channel for 400ms. The fastest it will move to the next channel, in the case where no tags are found using that frequency, it will move to the next channel after 10 empty query rounds, approximately 120ms. India (IN) Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), 2005 regulations Peopleâs Republic of China (PRC) SRRC, MII Australia (AU) ACMA LIPD Class Licence Variation 2011 (No. 1) New Zealand (NZ) Radiocommunications Regulations (General User Radio Licence for Short Range Devices) Notice 2011 This region is included for testing purposes. Compliance to New Zealand regulatory requirements has not been confirmed. Japan (JP) Japan MIC â36dBm EIRP blanket license radio station with LBTâ Full power operation restricts the channel range from 916.8Mhz to 920.8MHz and all default channels are within this range. The PRC specifications limits channels 920 to 920.5MHz and 924.5 to 925.0MHz to transmitting at 100mW or below. The default hop table uses only the center channels which allow 2W ERP, 1W conducted, power output. If the hop table is modified to use the outer, lower power channels the RF level will be limited to the outer channels limit, 100mW or +20dBm Per the regulations, this region supports Listenbefore-talk at the required level of -74 dBm. Open Region No regulatory compliance enforced This region allows the module to be manually configured within the full capabilities supported by the hardware, see Regional Frequency Specifications table. The Open region should be used for laboratory testing only as it does not meet any regulatory requirements for any one region. The regional functionality is set using the MercuryAPI. Setting the region of operation configures the regional default settings including: ÂLoads the Frequency Hop Table with the appropriate table for the selected region. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 69 Regulatory Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ÂSets the PLL Frequency Setting to the first entry in the hop table, even if the RF is off. ÂSelects the transmit filter, if applicable. Frequency Setting The modules have a PLL synthesizer that sets the modulation frequency to the desired value. Whenever the frequency is changed, the module must first power off the modulation, change the frequency, and then turn on the modulation again. Since this can take several milliseconds, it is possible that tags are powered off during a frequency hop. In addition to setting the default regional settings, the ThingMagic Nano has commands that allow the transmit frequency to be set manually. C A U T I O N ! Use these commands with extreme caution. It is possible to change the moduleâs compliance with the regional regulations. Frequency Units All frequencies in the ThingMagic Nano are expressed in kHz using unsigned 32-bit integers. For instance, a carrier frequency of 918 MHz is expressed as 918000 kHz. The PLL is set automatically to the closest frequency - based on the minimum frequency quantization for the current region - that matches the specified value. The ThingMagic Nano has an absolute minimum quantization of 100 kHz. Each region also has a minimum quantization based on regulatory specifications, which may be greater. The following table details the frequency quantization in kHz for each region setting. 70 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Regulatory Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Regional Frequency Specifications Region Frequency Quantization (kHz) Minimum Frequency (kHz) Maximum Frequency (kHz) Number of Channels in Default Hop Table NA2 (Reduced FCC) 200 917,400 kHz 927,200 kHz 50 EU3 (ETSI) 100 865,600 kHz 867,600 kHz IN (India) 100 865,000 kHz 867,000 kHz KR2 (Korea) 100 917,000 kHz 923,500 kHz PRC 125 920,125 kHz 924,875 kHz 16 AU (Australia) 250 920,000 kHz 926,000 kHz 10 NZ (New Zealand) 250 922,000 kHz 927,000 kHz 11 JP (Japan) 100 916,900 kHz 923,400 kHz Open 100 859,000 kHz 915,000 kHz 873,000 kHz 930,000 kHz 15 16 When manually setting frequencies the module will round down for any value that is not an even multiple of the supported frequency quantization. For example: In the NA region, setting a frequency of 917,599 kHz results in a setting of 917,400 kHz. When setting the frequency of the module, any frequencies outside of the valid range for the specified region are rejected. Frequency Hop Table The frequency hop table determines the frequencies used by the ThingMagic Nano when transmitting. The hop table characteristics are: ÂContains up to 62 entries. ÂMust be within the frequency range for the region currently selected. ÂChanges are not stored in flash, thus changes made are not retained after a power cycle, including when the ENABLE line is activated after having been in the shutdown state. ÂIndividual entries cannot be changed without reloading the entire table. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 71 Regulatory Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ÂFrequencies are used in the order of entries in the table, so if a random order is required, the frequencies must be pre-randomized before entering. If necessary for a region, the hop table are randomized to create a pseudo-random sequence of frequencies to use. This is done automatically using the default hop tables provided for each region. 72 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Protocol Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Protocol Support Unlike the M6e and Micro modules, the ThingMagic Nano does not have the ability to support tag protocols other then ISO 18000-6B (gen2). Future support for ISO 18000-63 (Gen2V2) is likely, however. ISO 18000-6C (Gen2) Gen2 Protocol Configuration Options The ThingMagic Nano supports limited ISO-18000-6C profiles, with only the Backscatter Link Frequency (BLF) and âMâ value as configurable options. The protocol options are set in the MercuryAPI Reader Configuration Parameters (/reader/gen2/*). The following table shows the supported combinations: Backscatter Link Frequency (kHz) Encoding Tari (usec) Modulation Scheme 250 Miller (M=8) 25 PR-ASK Up to 85 tags per second read rate 250 Miller (M=4) 25 PR-ASK Default; Up to 170 tags per second read rate. 250 Miller (M=2) 25 PR-ASK Up to 240 tags per second read rate. Notes Note It is important that the /reader/baudRate is greater than the BLF divided by the âMâ value when reading continuously. If itâs not then the reader could be reading data faster than the transport can process it, and the readerâs buffer might fill up. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 73 Protocol Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Unsupported Gen2 Functionality The ThingMagic Nano module firmware can perform some Gen2 functions as a standalone command, but cannot do so as part of an embedded TagOps command: Here is the list of supported standard Gen2 functions: As Embedded TagOPs As Stand-alone TagOPs Gen2 Read Data Yes Yes Gen2 Write Tag No Yes Gen2 Write Data No Yes Gen2 Lock Tag No Yes Gen2 Kill Tag No Yes Gen2 Block Write No Yes Gen2 Block Erase No Yes Gen2 Block Permalock No Yes Secure Read Data No No Function Additionally, some functions are not supported simply because the Nano hardware only supports one antenna, such as:  Unsupported Custom Gen2 Functions The ThingMagic Nano module does not support many of the custom commands which are supported in the other module families. Functionality NOT supported includes: ÂHiggs 2 FullLoadImage ÂHiggs 2 PartialLoadImage ÂHiggs 3 FastLoadImage ÂHiggs 3 LoadImage ÂHiggs 3 BlockReadLock ÂNXP G2X and G2i Set/Reset ReadProtect 74 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Protocol Support A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ÂNXP G2X and G2i Change EAS and Alarm ÂNXP G2X and G2i Calibrate ÂNXP G2i ChangeConfig ÂMonza 4QT ReadWrite ÂAMS/IDS SL900A Sensor Tag Commands Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 75 Unsupported Features A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Unsupported Features ÂUnlike other ThingMagic modules, the ThingMagic Nano module currently does not support gathering reader statistics independent of the meta data that can be gathered with tag reads. The statistics not supported include: ÂRF On-time ÂNoise Floor, ÂNoise Floor with Transmit On ÂFrequency ÂTemperature ÂAntenna Ports ÂCurrent Protocol ÂThe ThingMagic Nano module currently does not support Save and Restore of settings. ÂâUser Modeâ, which is a little-used feature of older modules, is not supported. ÂAny commands that involve multiple antennas are not supported. ÂAntenna detection is not supported (The M6e module supports this, the nano and Micro modules do not). 76 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Antenna Port A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Antenna Port The ThingMagic Nano has one monostatic antenna port. This port is capable of both transmitting and receiving. The module also supports Using a Multiplexer, allowing up to 8 total logical antenna ports, controlled using two GPIO lines. Note The ThingMagic Nano does not support bistatic (separate transmit and receive port) operation. Using a Multiplexer Multiplexer switching is controlled through the use of one or two of the General Purpose Input/Output (GPIO) lines. In order to enable automatic multiplexer port switching the module must be configured to use Use GPIO as Antenna Switch in /reader/antenna/ portSwitchGpos. Once the GPIO line(s) usage has been enabled the following control line states are applied when the different Logical Antenna settings are used. The tables below show the mapping that results using GPIO 1 and 2 for multiplexer control (as is used by the ThingMagic 1 to 4 multiplexer) allowing for 4 logical antenna ports. Note The Logical Antenna values are static labels indicating the available control line states. The specific physical antenna port they map to depends on the control line to antenna port map of the multiplexer in use. The translation from Logical Antenna label to physical port must be maintained by the control software. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 77 Antenna Port A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE GPIO 1 & 2 Used for Antenna Switching GPIO Output 1 State GPIO Output 2 State Logical Antenna Setting Low Low Low High High Low High High If only one GPIO Output line is used for antenna control, the combinations of the available output control line states (the GPIO line in use and the module port) result in a subset of logical antenna settings which can be used. ONLY GPIO 1 Used for Antenna Switching GPIO Output 1 State Logical Antenna Setting Low 1 or 2 High 3 or 4 Note The âmissingâ logical antenna settings are still usable when only one GPIO line is used for antenna control and simply results in redundant logical antenna settings. For example, using only GPIO 1, logical setting 1 and 3 both result from GPIO1=Low. ONLY GPIO 2 Used for Antenna Switching 78 GPIO Output 2 State Logical Antenna Setting Low 1 or 3 High 2 or 4 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Antenna Port A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Port Power and Settling Time The ThingMagic Nano allows the power and settling time for each logical antenna to be set using the reader configuration parameters /reader/radio/portReadPowerList and /reader/antenna/settlingTimeList, respectively. The order the antennas settings are defined does not affect search order. Note Settling time is the time between the control lines switching to the next antenna setting and RF turning on for operations on that port. This allows time for external multiplexerâs to fully switch to the new port before a signal is sent, if necessary. Default value is 0. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 79 Tag Handling A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Tag Handling When the ThingMagic Nano performs inventory operations (MercuryAPI Read commands) data is stored in a Tag Buffer until retrieved by the client application, or streamed directly to the client if operating in Tag Streaming/Continuous Reading mode. Tag Buffer The ThingMagic Nano uses a dynamic buffer that depends on EPC length and quantity of data read. As a rule of thumb it can store a maximum of 48 96-bit EPC tags in the Tag Buffer at a time. Since the ThingMagic Nano supports streaming of read results the buffer limit is, typically, not an issue. Each tag entry consists of a variable number of bytes and consists of the following fields: Total Entry Size 68 bytes (Max EPC Length = 496bits) Field Size Description EPC Length 2 bytes Indicates the actual EPC length of the tag read. PC Word 2 bytes Contains the Protocol Control bits for the tag. EPC 62 bytes Contains the tagâs EPC value. Tag CRC 2 bytes The tagâs CRC. Tag Read Meta Data The Tag buffer acts as a First In First Out (FIFO) â the first Tag found by the reader is the first one to be read out. Tag Streaming/Continuous Reading When reading tags during asynchronous inventory operations (MercuryAPI Reader.StartReading()) using an /reader/read/asyncOffTime=0 the ThingMagic Nano âstreamsâ the tag results back to the host processor. This means that tags are pushed out of the buffer as soon as they are processed by the ThingMagic Nano and put into the buffer. The buffer is put into a circular mode that keeps the buffer from filling. This allows for the ThingMagic Nano to perform continuous search operations without the need to periodically stop reading and fetch the contents of the buffer. Aside from not seeing âdown timeâ when performing a read operation this behavior is essentially invisible to the user as all tag handling is done by the MercuryAPI. 80 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Tag Handling A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Note When the TTL Level UART Interface is used it is not possible for the module to detect a broken communications interface connection and stop streaming the tag results. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 81 Tag Read Meta Data A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Tag Read Meta Data In addition to the tag EPC ID resulting from ThingMagic Nano inventory operation each TagReadData (see MercuryAPI for code details) contains meta data about how, where and when the tag was read. The specific meta data available for each tag read is as follows: Meta Data Field Description Antenna ID The antenna on with the tag was read. When Using a Multiplexer, if appropriately configured, the Antenna ID entry will contain the logical antenna port of the tag read. If the same tag is read on more than one antenna there will be a tag buffer entry for each antenna on which the tag was read. Read Count The number of times the tag was read on [Antenna ID]. Timestamp The time the tag was read, relative to the time the command to read was issued, in milliseconds. If the Tag Read Meta Data is not retrieved from the Tag Buffer between read commands there will be no way to distinguish order of tags read with different read command invocations. Tag Data When reading an embedded TagOp is specified for a ReadPlan the TagReadData will contain the first 128 words of data returned for each tag. Note: Tags with the same TagID but different Tag Data can be considered unique and each get a Tag Buffer entry if set in the reader configuration parameter /reader/tagReadData/ uniqueByData. By default it is not. 82 Frequency The frequency on which the tag was read Tag Phase Not supported in ThingMagic Nano LQI/RSSI The receive signal strength of the tag response in dBm. GPIO Status The signal status (High or Low) of all GPIO pins when tag was read. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Power Management A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Power Management The ThingMagic Nano is designed for power efficiency and offers several different power management modes. The following power management modes affect the power consumption during different periods of ThingMagic Nano usage and impact performance in different ways. The available power management modes are: ÂPower Modes - set in /reader/powerMode - Controls the power savings when the ThingMagic Nano is idle. Power Modes The Power Mode setting (set in /reader/powerMode) allows the user to trade off increased RF operation startup time for additional power savings. Our terminology can be a little confusing. âMINSAVEâ refers to the minimum amount of power saving applied, which results in a higher idle power level than âMAXSAVEâ. The details of the amount of power consumed in each mode is shown in the table under Idle DC Power Consumption. The behavior of each mode and impact on RF command latency is as follows: ÂPowerMode.FULL â In this mode, the unit operates at full power to attain the best performance possible. This mode is only intended for use in cases where power consumption is not an issue. This is the default Power Mode at startup. ÂPowerMode.MINSAVE â This mode may add up to 20 ms of delay from idle to RF on when initiating an RF operation. It performs more aggressive power savings, such as automatically shutting down the analog section between commands, and then restarting it whenever a tag command is issued. MEDSAVE and MAXSAVE are the same as MINSAVE ÂPowerMode.SLEEP â This mode essentially shuts down the digital and analog boards, except to power the bare minimum logic required to wake the processor.This mode may add up to 20 ms of delay from idle to RF on when initiating an RF operation. (There is no known disadvantage to using SLEEP mode rather than any of the M**SAVE modes, since their wake-up times are nearly identical.) Note See additional latency specifications under Event Response Times. Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano 83 Performance Characteristics A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Performance Characteristics Event Response Times The following table provides some metrics on how long common ThingMagic Nano operations take. An event response time is defined as the maximum time from the end of a command (end of the last bit in the serial stream) or event (e.g. power up) to the response event the command or event causes. Event Response Times Start Command/ Event Typical Time (msec) End Event Notes Power Up Application Active (with CRC check) 140 This longer power up period should only occur for the first boot with new firmware. Power Up Application Active 28 Once the firmware CRC has been verified subsequent power ups do not require the CRC check be performed, saving time. Tag Read RF On When in Power Mode = FULL Tag Read RF On 20 When in Power Mode = MINSAVE Tag Read RF On 20 When in Power Mode = SLEEP 84 Functionality of the ThingMagic Nano Common Error Messages A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Appendix A: Error Messages This appendix discusses error messages that you might see in API transport logs or passed up by the API to the host program. Categories of messages include: ÂCommon Error Messages ÂBootloader Faults ÂFlash Faults ÂProtocol Faults ÂAnalog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults ÂTag ID Buffer Faults ÂSystem Errors Common Error Messages The following table lists the common faults discussed in this section. Fault Message Code FAULT_MSG_WRONG_NUMBER_OF_DATA â (100h) 100h FAULT_INVALID_OPCODE â (101h) 101h FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_OPCODE â 102h 102h FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_HIGH â 103h 103h FAULT_MSG_INVALID_FREQ_RECEIVED (104h) 104h FAULT_MSG_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE - (105h) 105h FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_LOW - (106h) 106h FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_FEATURE - (109h) 109h FAULT_INVALID_BAUD_RATE - (10Ah) 10Ah FAULT_MSG_WRONG_NUMBER_OF_DATA â (100h) Cause If the data length in any of the Host-to-M5e/M5e-Compact messages is less than or more than the number of arguments in the message, the reader returns this message. Appendix A: Error Messages 85 Common Error Messages A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Make sure the number of arguments matches the data length. FAULT_INVALID_OPCODE â (101h) Cause The opCode received is invalid or not supported in the currently running program (bootloader or main application) or is not supported in the current version of code. Solution Check the following: ÂMake sure the command is supported in the currently running program. ÂCheck the documentation for the opCode the host sent and make sure it is correct and supported. ÂCheck the previous module responses for an assert (0x7F0X) which will reset the module into the bootloader. FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_OPCODE â 102h Cause Some of the reserved commands might return this error code. This does not mean that they always will do this since ThingMagic reserves the right to modify those commands at anytime. Solution Check the documentation for the opCode the host sent to the reader and make sure it is supported. FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_HIGH â 103h Cause A message was sent to set the read or write power to a level that is higher than the current HW supports. 86 Appendix A: Error Messages Common Error Messages A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Check the HW specifications for the supported powers and insure that the level is not exceeded. The M5e 1 Watt units support power from 5 dBm to 30 dBm. The M5e-Compact units support power from 10 dBm to 23 dBm. FAULT_MSG_INVALID_FREQ_RECEIVED (104h) Cause A message was received by the reader to set the frequency outside the supported range Solution Make sure the host does not set the frequency outside this range or any other locally supported ranges. FAULT_MSG_INVALID_PARAMETER_VALUE - (105h) Cause The reader received a valid command with an unsupported or invalid value within this command. For example, currently the module supports four antennas. If the module receives a message with an antenna value other than 1 to 4, it returns this error. Solution Make sure the host sets all the values in a command according to the values published in this document. FAULT_MSG_POWER_TOO_LOW - (106h) Cause A message was received to set the read or write power to a level that is lower than the current HW supports. Appendix A: Error Messages 87 Common Error Messages A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Check the HW specifications for the supported powers and insure that level is not exceeded. The ThingMagic Nano supports powers between 5 and 30 dBm. FAULT_UNIMPLEMENTED_FEATURE - (109h) Cause Attempting to invoke a command not supported on this firmware or hardware. Solution Check the command being invoked against the documentation. FAULT_INVALID_BAUD_RATE - (10Ah) Cause When the baud rate is set to a rate that is not specified in the Baud Rate table, this error message is returned. Solution Check the table of specific baud rates and select a baud rate. 88 Appendix A: Error Messages Bootloader Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Bootloader Faults The following table lists the common faults discussed in this section. Fault Message Code FAULT_BL_INVALID_IMAGE_CRC 200h FAULT_BL_INVALID_APP_END_ADDR 201h FAULT_BL_INVALID_IMAGE_CRC â 200h Cause When the application firmware is loaded the reader checks the image stored in flash and returns this error if the calculated CRC is different than the one stored in flash. Solution The exact reason for the corruption could be that the image loaded in flash was corrupted during the transfer or corrupted for some other reason. To fix this problem, reload the application code in flash. FAULT_BL_INVALID_APP_END_ADDR â 201h Cause When the application firmware is loaded the reader checks the image stored in flash and returns this error if the last word stored in flash does not have the correct address value. Solution The exact reason for the corruption could be that the image loaded in flash got corrupted during the transfer or, corrupted for some other reason. To fix this problem, reload the application code in flash. Appendix A: Error Messages 89 Flash Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Flash Faults The following table lists the common faults discussed in this section. Fault Message Code FAULT_FLASH_BAD_ERASE_PASSWORD â 300h 300h FAULT_FLASH_BAD_WRITE_PASSWORD â 301h 301h FAULT_FLASH_UNDEFINED_ERROR â 302h 302h FAULT_FLASH_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 303h 303h FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_NON_ERASED_AREA â 304h 304h FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 305h 305h FAULT_FLASH_VERIFY_FAILED â 306h 306h FAULT_FLASH_BAD_ERASE_PASSWORD â 300h Cause A command was received to erase some part of the flash but the password supplied with the command was incorrect. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_FLASH_BAD_WRITE_PASSWORD â 301h Cause A command was received to write some part of the flash but the password supplied with the command was not correct. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. 90 Appendix A: Error Messages Flash Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_FLASH_UNDEFINED_ERROR â 302h Cause This is an internal error and it is caused by a software problem in module. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_FLASH_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 303h Cause An erase or write flash command was received with the sector value and password not matching. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_NON_ERASED_AREA â 304h Cause The module received a write flash command to an area of flash that was not previously erased. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_FLASH_WRITE_TO_ILLEGAL_SECTOR â 305h Cause The module received a write flash command to write across a sector boundary that is prohibited. Appendix A: Error Messages 91 Flash Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_FLASH_VERIFY_FAILED â 306h Cause The module received a write flash command that was unsuccessful because data being written to flash contained an uneven number of bytes. Solution When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. 92 Appendix A: Error Messages Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Protocol Faults The following table lists the common faults discussed in this section. Fault Message Code FAULT_NO_TAGS_FOUND â (400h) 400h FAULT_NO_PROTOCOL_DEFINED â 401h 401h FAULT_INVALID_PROTOCOL_SPECIFIED â 402h 402h FAULT_WRITE_PASSED_LOCK_FAILED â 403h 403h FAULT_PROTOCOL_NO_DATA_READ â 404h 404h FAULT_AFE_NOT_ON â 405h 405h FAULT_PROTOCOL_WRITE_FAILED â 406h 406h FAULT_NOT_IMPLEMENTED_FOR_THIS_PROTOCOL â 407h 407h FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_WRITE_DATA â 408h 408h FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_ADDRESS â 409h 409h FAULT_GENERAL_TAG_ERROR â 40Ah 40Ah FAULT_DATA_TOO_LARGE â 40Bh 40Bh FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_KILL_PASSWORD â 40Ch 40Ch FAULT_PROTOCOL_KILL_FAILED - 40Eh 40Eh FAULT_PROTOCOL_BIT_DECODING_FAILED - 40Fh 40Fh FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_EPC â 410h 410h FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_NUM_DATA â 411h 411h FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_OTHER_ERROR - 420h 420h FAULT_GEN2_PROTOCOL_MEMORY_OVERRUN_BAD_PC 423h 423h FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_MEMORY_LOCKED - 424h 424h FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_INSUFFICIENT_POWER - 42Bh 42Bh FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_NON_SPECIFIC_ERROR - 42Fh 42Fh FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_UNKNOWN_ERROR - 430h 430h Appendix A: Error Messages 93 Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_NO_TAGS_FOUND â (400h) Cause A command was received (such as like read, write, or lock) but the operation failed. There are many reasons that can cause this error to occur. Here is a list of possible reasons that could be causing this error: ÂNo tag in the RF field ÂRead/write power too low ÂAntenna not connected ÂTag is weak or dead Solution Make sure there is a good tag in the field and all parameters are set up correctly. The best way to check this is to try few tags of the same type to rule out a weak tag. If none passed, then it could be SW configuration such as protocol value, antenna, and so forth, or a placement configuration like a tag location. FAULT_NO_PROTOCOL_DEFINED â 401h Cause A command was received to perform a protocol command but no protocol was initially set. The reader powers up with no protocols set. Solution A protocol must be set before the reader can begin RF operations. FAULT_INVALID_PROTOCOL_SPECIFIED â 402h Cause The protocol value was set to a protocol that is not supported with the current version of SW. 94 Appendix A: Error Messages Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution This value is invalid or this version of SW does not support the protocol value. Check the documentation for the correct values for the protocols in use and that you are licensed for it. FAULT_WRITE_PASSED_LOCK_FAILED â 403h Cause During a Write Tag Data for ISO18000-6B or UCODE, if the lock fails, this error is returned. The write command passed but the lock did not. This could be a bad tag. Solution Try to write a few other tags and make sure that they are placed in the RF field. FAULT_PROTOCOL_NO_DATA_READ â 404h Cause A command was sent but did not succeed. Solution The tag used has failed or does not have the correct CRC. Try to read a few other tags to check the HW/SW configuration. FAULT_AFE_NOT_ON â 405h Cause A command was received for an operation, like read or write, but the AFE was in the off state. Solution Make sure the region and tag protocol have been set to supported values. Appendix A: Error Messages 95 Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_PROTOCOL_WRITE_FAILED â 406h Cause An attempt to modify the contents of a tag failed. There are many reasons for failure. Solution Check that the tag is good and try another operation on a few more tags. FAULT_NOT_IMPLEMENTED_FOR_THIS_PROTOCOL â 407h Cause A command was received which is not supported by a protocol. Solution Check the documentation for the supported commands and protocols. FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_WRITE_DATA â 408h Cause An ID write was attempted with an unsupported/incorrect ID length. Solution Verify the Tag ID length being written. FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_ADDRESS â 409h Cause A command was received attempting to access an invalid address in the tag data address space. Solution Make sure that the address specified is within the scope of the tag data address space and available for the specific operation. The protocol specifications contain information about the supported addresses. 96 Appendix A: Error Messages Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_GENERAL_TAG_ERROR â 40Ah Cause This error is used by the GEN2 module. This fault can occur if the read, write, lock, or kill command fails. This error can be internal or functional. Solution Make a note of the operations you were performing and contact ThingMagic at http:// support.thingmagic.com FAULT_DATA_TOO_LARGE â 40Bh Cause A command was received to Read Tag Data with a data value larger than expected or it is not the correct size. Solution Check the size of the data value in the message sent to the reader. FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_KILL_PASSWORD â 40Ch Cause An incorrect kill password was received as part of the Kill command. Solution Check the password. FAULT_PROTOCOL_KILL_FAILED - 40Eh Cause Attempt to kill a tag failed for an unknown reason Solution Check tag is in RF field and the kill password. Appendix A: Error Messages 97 Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_PROTOCOL_BIT_DECODING_FAILED - 40Fh Cause Attempt to operate on a tag with an EPC length greater than the Maximum EPC length setting. Solution Check the EPC length being written. FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_EPC â 410h Cause This error is used by the GEN2 module indicating an invalid EPC value has been specified for an operation. This fault can occur if the read, write, lock, or kill command fails. Solution Check the EPC value that is being passed in the command resulting in this error. FAULT_PROTOCOL_INVALID_NUM_DATA â 411h Cause This error is used by the GEN2 module indicating invalid data has been specified for an operation. This fault can occur if the read, write, lock, or kill command fails. Solution Check the data that is being passed in the command resulting in this error. FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_OTHER_ERROR - 420h Cause This is an error returned by Gen2 tags. Its a catch-all for error not covered by other codes. 98 Appendix A: Error Messages Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Check the data that is being passed in the command resulting in this error. Try with a different tag. FAULT_GEN2_PROTOCOL_MEMORY_OVERRUN_BAD_PC 423h Cause This is an error returned by Gen2 tags. The specified memory location does not exist or the PC value is not supported by the Tag. Solution Check the data that is being written and where its being written to in the command resulting in this error. FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_MEMORY_LOCKED - 424h Cause This is an error returned by Gen2 tags.The specified memory location is locked and/or permalocked and is either not writable or not readable. Solution Check the data that is being written and where its being written to in the command resulting in this error. Check the access password being sent. FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_INSUFFICIENT_POWER - 42Bh Cause This is an error returned by Gen2 tags. The tag has insufficient power to perform the memory-write operation. Solution Try moving the tag closer to the antenna. Try with a different tag. Appendix A: Error Messages 99 Protocol Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_NON_SPECIFIC_ERROR - 42Fh Cause This is an error returned by Gen2 tags. The tag does not support error specific codes. Solution Check the data that is being written and where its being written to in the command resulting in this error. Try with a different tag. FAULT_GEN2 PROTOCOL_UNKNOWN_ERROR - 430h Cause This is an error returned by ThingMagic Nano when no more error information is available about why the operation failed. Solution Check the data that is being written and where its being written to in the command resulting in this error. Try with a different tag. 100 Appendix A: Error Messages Analog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Analog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults FAULT_AHAL_INVALID_FREQ â 500h Cause A command was received to set a frequency outside the specified range. Solution Check the values you are trying to set and be sure that they fall within the range of the set region of operation. FAULT_AHAL_CHANNEL_OCCUPIED â 501h Cause With LBT enabled an attempt was made to set the frequency to an occupied channel. Solution Try a different channel. If supported by the region of operation turn LBT off. FAULT_AHAL_TRANSMITTER_ON â 502h Cause Checking antenna status while CW is on is not allowed. Solution Do not perform antenna checking when CW is turned on. FAULT_ANTENNA_NOT_CONNECTED â 503h Cause An attempt was made to transmit on an antenna which did not pass the antenna detection when antenna detection was turned on. Appendix A: Error Messages 101 Analog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Connect a detectable antenna. (Antenna must have some DC resistance.) (Does not apply to Micro or ThingMagic Nano as they do not detect antennas.) FAULT_TEMPERATURE_EXCEED_LIMITS â 504h Cause The module has exceeded the maximum or minimum operating temperature and will not allow an RF operation until it is back in range. Solution Take steps to resolve thermal issues with module: ÂReduce duty cycle ÂAdd heat sink FAULT_POOR_RETURN_LOSS â 505h Cause The module has detected a poor return loss and has ended RF operation to avoid module damage. Solution Take steps to resolve high return loss on receiver: ÂMake sure antenna VSWR is within module specifications ÂMake sure antennas are correctly attached before transmitting ÂCheck environment to ensure no occurrences of high signal reflection back at antennas. FAULT_AHAL_INVALID_ANTENA_CONFIG â 507h Cause An attempt to set an antenna configuration that is not valid. 102 Appendix A: Error Messages Analog Hardware Abstraction Layer Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Solution Use the correct antenna setting or change the reader configuration. Appendix A: Error Messages 103 Tag ID Buffer Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Tag ID Buffer Faults The following table lists the common faults discussed in this section. Fault Message Code FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NOT_ENOUGH_TAGS_AVAILABLE â 600h 600h FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_FULL â 601h 601h FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_REPEATED_TAG_ID â 602h 602h FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NUM_TAG_TOO_LARGE â 603h 603h FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NOT_ENOUGH_TAGS_AVAILABLE â 600h Cause A command was received to get a certain number of tag ids from the tag id buffer. The reader contains less tag ids stored in its tag id buffer than the number the host is sending. Solution Send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_FULL â 601h Cause The tag id buffer is full. Solution Make sure the baud rate is set to a higher frequency that the /reader/gen2/BLF frequency. Send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. 104 Appendix A: Error Messages Tag ID Buffer Faults A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_REPEATED_TAG_ID â 602h Cause The module has an internal error. One of the protocols is trying to add an existing TagID to the buffer. Solution Send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_TAG_ID_BUFFER_NUM_TAG_TOO_LARGE â 603h Cause The module received a request to retrieve more tags than is supported by the current version of the software. Solution Send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. Appendix A: Error Messages 105 System Errors A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE System Errors FAULT_SYSTEM_UNKNOWN_ERROR â 7F00h Cause The error is internal. Solution Send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. FAULT_TM_ASSERT_FAILED â 7F01h Cause An unexpected Internal Error has occurred. Solution The error will cause the module to switch back to Bootloader mode. When this occurs make note of the operations you were executing, save FULL error response and send a test case reproducing the behavior to support@thingmagic.com. 106 Appendix A: Error Messages A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit This appendix provides instructions on the use of the ThingMagic Nano Development Kit: ÂDev Kit Hardware ÂDemo Application ÂNotice on Restricted Use of the Dev Kit Dev Kit Hardware Included Components With the dev kit, you will receive the following components: ÂThe ThingMagic Nano module soldered onto carrier board ÂPower/interface developers board ÂOne USB cable ÂOne antenna ÂOne coax cable ÂOne 9V power supply ÂInternational power adapter kit Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit 107 Dev Kit Hardware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ÂSample tags ÂOne paper insert: â QuickStart Guide - Details on which documents and software to download to get up and running quickly, along with details on how to register for and contact support. Setting up the Dev Kit When setting up the Dev Kit, use the following procedures: ÂConnecting the Antenna ÂPowering up and Connecting to a PC W A R N I N G ! Never mount the carrier board so that it is resting flat against the metal plate of the Dev Kit main board unless a heat sink has been attached to the bottom of the Carrier Board as shown in this picture: Connecting the Antenna ThingMagic supplies one antenna that can read tags from 20â away with most of the provided tags. The antenna is monstatic. Use the following procedure to connect the antenna to the Dev Kit. 1. Connect one end of the coax cable to the antenna. 2. Connect the other end of the cable to the antenna port 1 connector on the Dev Kit. Powering up and Connecting to a PC After connecting the antenna you can power up the Dev Kit and establish a host connection. 108 Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit Dev Kit Hardware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 1. Connect the USB cable (use only the black connector) from a PC to the developerâs kit. There are two Dev Kit USB Interfaces options. 2. Plug the power supply into the Dev Kitâs DC power input connector. 3. The LED next to the DC input jack, labeled DS1, should light up. If it doesnât light up check jumper J17 to make sure the jumper is connecting pins 2 and 3 4. Follow the steps based on the Dev Kit USB Interfaces used and make note of the COM port or /dev device file, as appropriate for your operating system the USB interface is assigned. 5. To start reading tags start the Demo Application (Universal Reader Assistant). W A R N I N G ! While the module is powered up, do not touch components. Doing so may be damage the dev kit and ThingMagic Nano module. Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit 109 Dev Kit Hardware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Dev Kit USB Interfaces USB/RS232 The USB interface (connector labeled USB/RS232) closest to the power plug is to the RS232 interface of the ThingMagic Nano through an FTDI USB to serial converter. The drivers for it are available at http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm Please follow the instructions in the installation guide appropriate for your operating system. The ThingMagic Nano does not support a native USB port, so this port on the Dev Kit is inoperable. A COM port should now be assigned to the ThingMagic Nano. If you arenât sure what COM port is assigned you can find it using the Windows Device Manager: 110 a. Open the Device Manager (located in Control Panel | System). b. Select the Hardware tab and click Device Manager. c. Select View | Devices by Type | Ports (COM & LPT) The device appears as USB Serial Port (COM#). Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit Dev Kit Hardware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Dev kit Jumpers J8 Jumpers to connect ThingMagic Nano I/O lines to dev kit. (4)For added safety, you should remove all 3 jumpers for USB connections and the AUTO_BT connection to the module. These lines are not supported, but are connected to the ThingMagic Nano module for test purposes, so should be left unconnected for all applications. J19 The jumper at J19 that connects Shutdown to ground must be REMOVED. With this jumper removed, the module is always operational. ÂŹThe shutdown switch has no affect on the ThingMagic Nano.ÂŹ To put the ThingMagic Nano into shutdown mode is to reinstall the jumper at J19. See ThingMagic Nano Digital Connector Signal Definition for details on the ENABLE Line. AUTO_BOOT controls ENABLE Line. J9 Header for alternate power supply. Make sure DC plug (J1) is not connected if using J9. Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit 111 Dev Kit Hardware A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE J10, J11 Jump pins OUT to GPIO# to connect ThingMagic Nano GPIO lines to output LEDs. Jump pins IN to GPIO# to connect ThingMagic Nano GPIO to corresponding input switches SW[3,4]GPIO#. Make sure GPIO lines are correspondingly configured as input or outputs (see Configuring GPIO Settings). J13, J15 Not used. J14 Can be used to connect GPIO lines to external circuits. If used jumpers should be removed from J10, J11. J16 Jump pins 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 to reset dev kit power supply. Same as using switch SW1 except allows for control by external circuit. J17 Jump pins 1 and 2 to use the 5V INPUT and GND inputs to provide power. Jump pins 2 and 3 to use the Dev Kitâs DC power jack and power brick power. Dev Kit Schematics Available upon request from support@thingmagic.com. 112 Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit Demo Application A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Demo Application A demo application which supports multi-protocol reading and writing is provided in the MercuryAPI SDK package. The executable for this example is included in the MercuryAPI SDK package under /cs/samples/exe/Universal-Reader-Assistant.exe and is also available for direct download from rfid.thingmagic.com/dev kit. Note: The Universal Reader Assistant included in the MercuryAPI SDK maybe an older revision than the one available for standalone download. See the Readme.txt in /cs/samples/Universal-Reader-Assistant/Universal-ReaderAssistant for usage details. See the MercuryAPI Programming Guide for details on using the MercuryAPI. Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit 113 Notice on Restricted Use of the Dev Kit A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Notice on Restricted Use of the Dev Kit The Mercury6e Developers Kit (Dev Kit) is intended for use solely by professional engineers for the purpose of evaluating the feasibility of applications. The userâs evaluation must be limited to use within a laboratory setting. This Dev Kit has not been certified for use by the FCC in accordance with Part 15 of the FCC regulations, ETSI, KCC or any other regulatory bodies and may not be sold or given for public use. Distribution and sale of the Dev Kit is intended solely for use in future development of devices which may be subject to regional regulatory authorities governing radio emission. This Dev Kit may not be resold by users for any purpose. Accordingly, operation of the Dev Kit in the development of future devices is deemed within the discretion of the user and the user shall have all responsibility for any compliance with any regional regulatory authority governing radio emission of such development or use, including without limitation reducing electrical interference to legally acceptable levels. All products developed by user must be approved by the appropriate regional regulatory authority governing radio emission prior to marketing or sale of such products and user bears all responsibility for obtaining the prior appropriate regulatory approval, or approval as needed from any other authority governing radio emission. 114 Appendix B: Getting Started - Dev Kit A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Appendix C: Environmental Considerations This Appendix details environmental factors that should be considered relating to reader performance and survivability. Topics include: ÂElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations ÂVariables Affecting Performance Appendix C: Environmental Considerations 115 ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations W A R N I N G ! The ThingMagic Nano antenna port may be susceptible to damage from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). Equipment failure can result if the antenna or communication ports are subjected to ESD. Standard ESD precautions should be taken during installation to avoid static discharge when handling or making connections to the ThingMagic Nano reader antenna or communication ports. Environmental analysis should also be performed to ensure static is not building up on and around the antennas, possibly causing discharges during operation. ESD Damage Overview In ThingMagic Nano-based reader installations where readers have failed without known cause, based on anecdotal information ESD has been found to be the most common cause. Failures due to ESD tend to be in the ThingMagic Nano power amplifier section (PA). PA failures typically manifest themselves at the software interface in the following ways: ÂRF operations (read, write, etc.) respond with Assert - 7F01 - indicating a a fatal error. This is typically due to the module not being able to reach the target power level due to PA damage. ÂRF operations (read, write, etc.) respond with No Antenna Connected/Detected even when a known good antenna is attached. ÂUnexpected Invalid Command errors, indicating command not supported, when that command had worked just fine shortly before. The reason a command becomes suddenly not supported is that the reader, in the course of its self protection routines, has returned to the bootloader to prevent any further damage. This jump to boot loader caused by power amp damage occurs at the start of any read tag commands. Ultimately determining that ESD is the root cause of failures is difficult because it relies on negative result experiments, i.e. it is the lack of failure after a configuration change, rather than a positive flag wave that says âIâm ESDâ. Such flag waves are sometimes, but only sometimes, available at the un-packaged transistor level under high power microscopy. The remoteness of microscopic examination from the installed field failures is indicative of the high cost of using such analysis methods for chasing down ESD issues. Therefore 116 Appendix C: Environmental Considerations ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE most ESD issue resolutions will be using the negative result experiments to determine success. ESD discharges come with a range of values, and like many things in life there is the âmatter of degreeâ. For many installations, the ThingMagic Nano has been successfully deployed and operates happily. For these, there is no failure issue, ESD or otherwise. For a different installation that with bare ThingMagic Nano, has a failure problem from ESD, there will be some distribution of ESD intensities occurring. Without knowledge of a limit in the statistics of those intensities, there may always be the bigger zap waiting in the wings. For the bare ThingMagic Nano equipped with the mitigation methods described below, there will always be the rouge ESD discharge that exceeds any given mitigation, and results in failure. Fortunately, many installations will have some upper bound on the value of ESD events given the geometry of that installation. Several sequential steps are recommended for a) determining the ESD is the likely cause of a given group of failures, and b) enhancing the ThingMagic Nanoâs environment to eliminate ESD failures. The steps vary depending on the required ThingMagic Nano output power in any given application. Identifying ESD as the Cause of Damaged Readers The following are some suggested methods to determine if ESD is a cause of reader failures, i.e. ESD diagnostics. Please remember- some of these suggestions have the negative result experiment problem. ÂReturn failed units for analysis. Analysis should be able to say if it is the power amplifier that has in fact failed, but wonât be able to definitively identify that the cause is ESD. However, ESD is one of the more common causes of PA failure. ÂMeasure ambient static levels with static meter. AlphaLabs SVM2 is such a meter, but there are others. You may be surprised at the static potentials floating detected. However, high static doesnât necessarily mean discharges, but should be considered cause for further investigation. High levels that keep changing are highly indicative of discharges. ÂTouch some things around the antenna, and operating area. If you feel static discharges, that qualitatively says quite a bit about what is in front of the antenna. What actually gets to the ThingMagic Nano is also strongly influenced by the antenna installation, cabling, and grounding discussed above. ÂUse the mean operating time statistic before and after one or more of the changes listed below to quantitatively determine if the change has resulted in an improvement. Be sure to restart your statistics after the change. Appendix C: Environmental Considerations 117 ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Common Installation Best Practices The following are common installation best practices which will ensure the readers isnât being unnecessarily exposed to ESD in even low risk environments. These should be applied to all installations, full power or partial power, ESD or not: ÂInsure that ThingMagic Nano, ThingMagic Nano reader housing, and antenna ground connection are all grounded to a common low impedance ground. ÂVerify R-TNC knurled threaded nuts are tight and stay tight. Donât use a thread locking compound that would compromise the grounding connection of the thread to thread mate. If there is any indication that field vibration might cause the R-TNC to loosen, apply RTV or other adhesive externally. ÂUse antenna cables with double shield outer conductors, or even full metallic shield semirigid cables. ThingMagic specified cables are double shielded and adequate for most applications. ESD discharge currents flowing ostensibly on the outer surface of a single shield coaxial cable have been seen to couple to the inside of coaxial cables, causing ESD failure. Avoid RG-58. Prefer RG-223. ÂMinimize ground loops in coaxial cable runs to antennas. Having the ThingMagic Nano and antenna both tied to ground (per item 1) leads to the possibility of ground currents flowing along antenna cables. The tendency of these currents to flow is related to the area of the conceptual surface marked out by the antenna cable and the nearest continuous ground surface. When this conceptual surface has minimum area, these ground loop current are minimized. Routing antenna cables against grounded metallic chassis parts helps minimize ground loop currents. ÂKeep the antenna radome in place. It provides significant ESD protection for the metallic parts of the antenna, and protects the antenna from performance changes due to environmental accumulation. ÂKeep careful track of serial numbers, operating life times, numbers of units operating. You need this information to know that your mean operating life time is. Only with this number will you be able to know if you have a failure problem in the first place, ESD or otherwise. And then after any given change, whether things have improvement or not. Or if the failures are confined to one instantiation, or distributed across your population. Raising the ESD Threshold For applications where full ThingMagic Nano power is needed for maximum tag read range and ESD is suspected the following components are recommended additions to the installation to raise the level of ESD the reader can tolerate: ÂSelect or change to an antenna with all radiating elements grounded for DC. The MTI MT-262031-T(L,R)H-A is such an antenna. The Laird IF900-SF00 and CAF95956 are not such antennas. The grounding of the antenna elements dissipates static 118 Appendix C: Environmental Considerations ElectroStatic Discharge (ESD) Considerations A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE charge leakage, and provides a high pass characteristic that attenuates discharge events. (This also makes the antenna compatible with the ThingMagic Nano antenna detect methods.) ÂInstall a Minicircuits SHP600+ high pass filter in the cable run at the ThingMagic Nano (or Vega or other finished reader) end. This additional component will reduce transmit power by 0.4 dB which may affect read range in some critical applications. However the filter will significantly attenuate discharges and improve the ThingMagic Nano ESD survival level. Note The SHP600+ is not rated for the full +31.5 dBm output of the ThingMagic Nano reader at +85 degree C. Operation at reduced temperature has been anecdotally observed to be OK, but has not been fully qualified by ThingMagic. Â90 V Lightning Arrestors, such as the Terrawave Solutions Model TW-LP-RPTNC-PBHJ have been shown to be effective in suppressing ESD. This model contains a gas discharge tube which must be replaced periodically. ÂInstall a Diode Clamp* circuit immediately outboard from the SHP600 filter. This will reduce transmit power by an additional 0.4 dB, but in combination with the SHP600 will further improve the ThingMagic Nano ESD survival level. (Needs DC power, contact support@thingmagic.com for availability.) Further ESD Protection for Reduced RF Power Applications In addition to the protective measures recommended above, for applications where reduced ThingMagic Nano RF power is acceptable and ESD is suspected the following protective measures can also be applied: ÂInstall a one watt attenuator with a decibel value of +30 dBm minus the dBm value needed for tag power up. Then run the reader at +30 dBm instead of reduced transmit power. This will attenuate inbound ESD pulses by the installed decibel value, while keeping the tag operation generally unchanged. Attenuators of 6 dB have been shown to not adversely effect read sensitivity. Position the attenuator as close to the ThingMagic Nano as feasible. ÂAs described above add the SHP600 filter immediately adjacent to the attenuator, on the antenna side. ÂAdd Diode Clamp, if required, adjacent to the SHP600, on the antenna side. Appendix C: Environmental Considerations 119 Variables Affecting Performance A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE Variables Affecting Performance Reader performance may be affected by the following variables, depending on the site where your Reader is being deployed:  Environmental  Tag Considerations  Multiple Readers Environmental Reader performance may be affected by the following environmental conditions:  Metal surfaces such as desks, filing cabinets, bookshelves, and wastebaskets may enhance or degrade Reader performance.  Antennas should be mounted far away from metal surfaces that may adversely affect the system performance.  Devices that operate at 900 MHz, such as cordless phones and wireless LANs, can degrade Reader performance. The Reader may also adversely affect the performance of these 900 MHz devices.  Moving machinery can interfere the Reader performance. Test Reader performance with moving machinery turned off.  Fluorescent lighting fixtures are a source of strong electromagnetic interference and if possible should be replaced. If fluorescent lights cannot be replaced, then keep the Reader cables and antennas away from them.  Coaxial cables leading from the Reader to antennas can be a strong source of electromagnetic radiation. These cables should be laid flat and not coiled up. Tag Considerations There are several variables associated with tags that can affect Reader performance:  Application Surface: Some materials, including metal and moisture, interfere with tag performance. Tags applied to items made from or containing these materials may not perform as expected. 120 Appendix C: Environmental Considerations Variables Affecting Performance A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE  Tag Orientation: Reader performance is affected by the orientation of the tag in the antenna field. The ThingMagic antenna is circularly polarized, so it reads face-to but not edge-to.  Tag Model: Many tag models are available. Each model has its own performance characteristics. Multiple Readers The Reader adversely affect performance of 900 MHz devices. These devices also may degrade performance of the Reader.  Antennas on other Readers operating in close proximity may interfere with one another, thus degrading performance of the Readers.  Interference from other antennas may be eliminated or reduced by using either one or both of the following strategies: w Affected antennas may be synchronized by a separate user application using a time-multiplexing strategy. w Antenna power can be reduced by reconfiguring the RF Transmit Power setting for the Reader. Note Performance tests conducted under typical operating conditions at your site are recommended to help you optimize system performance. Appendix C: Environmental Considerations 121 Variables Affecting Performance A DIVISION OF TRIMBLE 122 Appendix C: Environmental Considerations
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