Thinkify TF7 UHF RFID 915 MHz Module User Manual The TR 200 Desktop RFID Reader

Thinkify LLC UHF RFID 915 MHz Module The TR 200 Desktop RFID Reader

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Thinkify, LLC

TR-65 RFID Reader

User Guide and Protocol Reference

Version A

October 2014

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

TR-65 inside of a TR-200 Enclosure

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Notices

Thinkify, LLC has intellectual property rights relating to technology embodied in the products

described in this document, including without limitation certain patents or patent pending

applications in the U.S. or other countries.

This document and the products to which it pertains are distributed under licenses restricting

their use, copying, distribution and decompilation. No part of this product documentation may

be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thinkify, LLC

and its licensors, if any. Third party software is copyrighted and licensed from Licensors.

Thinkify, the Thinkify logo, TR-65 and other graphics, logos, and service names used in this

document are trademarks of Thinkify, LLC in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks

are the property of their respective owners. U.S. Government approval required when

exporting the product described in this documentation.

Federal Acquisitions: Commercial Software -- Government Users Subject to Standard License

Terms and Conditions. U.S. Government: If this Software is being acquired by or on behalf of

the U.S. Government or by a U.S. Government prime contractor or subcontractor (at any tier),

then the Government's rights in the Software and accompanying documentation shall be only

as set forth in this license; this is in accordance with 48 C.F.R. 227.7201 through 227.7202-4 (for

Department of Defense (DoD) acquisitions) and with 48 C.F.R. 2.101 and 12.212 (for non-DoD

acquisitions).

DOCUMENTATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ALL EXPRESS OR IMPLIED CONDITIONS,

REPRESENTATIONS AND WARANTEES, INCLUDING ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF

MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR APARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGMENT ARE

HEREBY DISCLAIMED, EXCEPT TO THE EXTENT THATSUCH DISCLAIMERS ARE HELD TO BE

LEGALLY INVALID.

Note Regarding RF Exposure

This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled

environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance of

20cm between the radiator (antenna) and your body. This transmitter must not be co-located

or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

FCC Notice and Cautions

Any changes or modifications to this device not expressly approved by Thinkify, LLC could void

the user's authority to operate the equipment.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

FCC Notice and Cautions

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.

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 or more of the following measures:

•Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

•Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

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

which the receiver is connected.

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

Revision History

1 October 2014 – TR-65 User Guide Created

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

About Thinkify, LLC

Thinkify, LLC is a wireless technology company specializing in RFID hardware and software

products. With 30 years of combined experience in RFID and over 35 patents in the field, our

founding team is one of the technically strongest in the industry.

Our focus is embedded RFID. -- Applications where we use RFID to enable common objects,

devices and whole environments to become aware of the world around them. This capability

can transform the way people and objects interact, blurring the line between the physical world

and the virtual.

Thinkify is a privately held company, located in Morgan Hill, California.

We feel that partnerships should be healthy and that Engineering should be beautiful.

Thinkify, LLC

18450 Technology Drive, Suite E1

Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Phone: 408.782.7111

FAX: 408.782.2111

Web: www.thinkifyit.com

Thinkify – Making things think. (tm)

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

About Thinkify, LLC

Table of Contents

TR-65 inside of a TR-200 Enclosure.......................................................................................................................... 2

Notices............................................................................................................................................................................. 3

Note Regarding RF Exposure................................................................................................................................. 3

FCC Notice and Cautions........................................................................................................................................ 3

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

About Thinkify, LLC........................................................................................................................................................ 5

Introduction..................................................................................................................................................................... 7

Getting Started............................................................................................................................................................... 8

What's in the box?.................................................................................................................................................... 8

Hooking up the hardware...................................................................................................................................... 8

Communicating with the Reader.......................................................................................................................... 9

Quick RFID Introduction............................................................................................................................................ 10

Class 1 Generation 2 (Gen2)................................................................................................................................ 10

Concepts (Performing an Inventory)................................................................................................................. 11

Concepts (Reading / Writing other data).........................................................................................................13

Thinkify Reader Protocol Overview......................................................................................................................... 14

Command Structure.............................................................................................................................................. 14

Command Groups................................................................................................................................................. 17

Command Reference.................................................................................................................................................. 18

Summary.................................................................................................................................................................. 18

"G" – GPIO Settings............................................................................................................................................... 19

“I” – Inventory Control.......................................................................................................................................... 20

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors..................................................................................................................... 22

“M" – MASK / SELECT control............................................................................................................................. 27

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY...................................................................................................................................... 30

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control.....................................................................................35

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor.............................................................................................................................. 40

GPIO PORT................................................................................................................................................................... 46

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Introduction

This document explains how to set up and communicate with a Thinkify, TR-65 desktop RFID

reader.

The Thinkify TR-65 is designed to work around people handling tagged items in a store or

office environment. Just like the Personal Computer changed computing, we think the Personal

Reader will change the nature of RFID.

The TR-65 is a highly capable and easy-to-use Gen2 reader designed for tag commissioning,

document tracking, point of sale and other use cases where people and tags come together.

Let's get started.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Getting Started

TR-65

The TR-65 is a standalone RFID reader module that does not come with a power supply, USB

cable, or antenna. If you would like to purchase antennas, USB cables, GPIO cables, or coax

cable for your TR-65 please navigate to the Thinkify store (link below) or call us at (408) 782-

7111. http://thinkify.highwire.com/

TR-200

The TR-200 is USB powered desktop reader kit that comes with a USB cable, sample tag, and a

small Linear Antenna. The kit was designed to contain everything the user will need to begin

using an RFID reader in the shortest amount of time.

Hooking up the hardware

Attach the antenna to your reader – it just screws on.

Plug the USB cable into the reader and then into your laptop or PC.

The TR-65 does not require a special driver to be installed on the computer.

You should see the blue LEDs on the front of the reader cycle through a start up pattern and

then the one on the right should slowly blink to indicate that the unit has power and is waiting

for commands.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Communicating with the Reader

Windows

The following will work on Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems.

The TR-65 reader comes with free demonstration software that can be downloaded from

Thinkify's website.

http://thinkifyit.com/downloads.html

Once you have downloaded the TR-65 Getting stated Package unzip the files into a known

location. Then click on Thinkify Gateway (the one with the computer ICON).

The Thinkify Gateway installation program will walk you through the steps your need to get the

program installed on your system. If you have a previous version of the Demonstration

Software installed we recommend you uninstall the old version before preceding with the new

installation.

Terminal Program

Users can also use a terminal program to communicate with the TR-65 such as TeraTerm or

HyperTerminal.

TeraTerm is available for download at: http://ttssh2.sourceforge.jp/

The following are necessary Terminal Settings to communicate with the reader:

•115200 (Bits Per Second)

•8 (Data Bits)

•NONE (Parity)

•1 (Stop Bits)

•NONE (Flow Control)

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Quick RFID Introduction

Class 1 Generation 2 (Gen2)

The RFID tags included in your reader kit conform to the UHF Class 1, Generation 2 (“Gen2”)

standard maintained by EPCglobal (http://www.epcglobalinc.org/). EPCglobal is a division of

UPC - the same standards organization that controls the barcode numbering system used on

retail packaging. This standard (with minor changes) is also maintained by ISO under ISO-

18000-6C.

Most Gen2 tags are passive RFID devices. That is, they do not require a battery and derive

their power for operation from the RF field sent out by the reader. This allows them to be small,

inexpensive, and operate virtually indefinitely.

Most Gen2 tags are also programmable devices. Users can put their own information into the

tags. The amount of data that can be stored depends on the type of tag but hundreds of bits

are typical. Data in the tag is organized into banks of memory that serve different functions

under the protocol:

Bank 0: Reserved Memory: Kill and Access pass-codes

Bank 1: EPC Memory: The unique tag identifier, typically 128 bits, and user-

programmable. The Gen2 protocol is designed to extract this information quickly.

Bank 2: TID Memory: A factory-programmed area that includes a serial number and

fields that describe the tag's capabilities.

Bank 3: User Memory: A programmable extended memory area for holding additional

information that is not the EPC. Not all tags support User Memory.

Gen2 tag memory can be locked, such that it cannot be changed without a pass-code. These

locks can be reversible or permanent (permalocked).

Bank 0 is a special case for locking. Locking the other banks prevents them from being

changed. If Bank 0 is reversibly locked it cannot be read without a pass-code. If it is

permalocked it can never be read again. This secures the Kill and Access pass-codes from

unauthorized users.

Finally, Gen2 tags can be rendered non-functional with a “Kill” command. Tags that are killed

become nonfunctional and cannot be recovered.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Concepts (Performing an Inventory)

Being an RFID reader trying to read multiple tags using the Gen2 protocol is sort of like being a

new teacher trying to take attendance in a kindergarten class... Sadly, the administration didn't

give you an attendance list on the first day of class so you have to work it out for yourself.

Kindergarten Teacher RFID Reader

You have to get a list of everyone's name. You have to get a list of all of the EPC codes from the tags.

Kids know their own names. Tags have unique IDs in EPC memory they can report.

You can only hear one child at a time. The reader can only process a signal from one tag at a time.

Kids want to all talk at once. Multiple tags can respond at the same time.

What both the teacher and the RFID reader need is an anti-collision protocol – a way to keep

their respective kids/tags from talking at the same time.

Most teachers adopt an adult-talks-first protocol with a persistent state flag for whether a child

has been inventoried. This flag is maintained in the child. Sometimes there's a bi-directional

exchange with an ACK/NAK option. Hey! that's sounds a lot like Gen2.

Teacher Child Gen2 Protocol

“Ok everyone! Quiet down.

It's time to take

attendance.”

Reader-talks-first.

“Ok everyone! Hands up!” Under Gen2 this is a Select command that establishes who's going

to participate in the inventory – in this case, everyone. By putting

their hands up, the child has set a flag that indicates he/she hasn't

been inventoried, yet.

“When I point to you, tell

me your first name.”

Granted this is a little contrived, but it's a little like the Query

command in Gen2 that kicks off an inventory sequence.

The teacher randomly picks

the first child, points to her

and says, “You!”

“Inga!” In Gen2, a tag responds to a Query with a random number that is

used in the next command by the reader

“Inga who?” “Svenson!” This is like a Gen2 ACK (acknowledgment). It tells the tag/child that

the reader/teacher heard their response and is now asking them for

their data.

”You!” “Mikey!” At this point, Inga assumes that the teacher got her name, since

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Concepts (Performing an Inventory)

(Pointing to the next child.) she's moved on to the next child. She puts her hand down and sets

her state to “Inventoried”.

“Mikey who?” “Jones!”

“Pardon me.” If the reader doesn't understand the reply it can issue a NAK and

try again.

“Mikey who?” “Jones!”

“You!”

(On to the next child.)

Mikey puts his hand down, too and sets his state to “Inventoried”.

And off they go...

When the teacher reaches the end of the round because she sees no more raised hands, she is

done.

This is clearly contrived and an oversimplification of both the teacher's real-life protocol and

Gen2, but it does captures some of the important features:

1. Inventories of the field need an anti-collision protocol to prevent multiple tags from

talking at the same time.

2. An inventory can begin with one or more Select commands that establish who will

participate in the inventory. (Teacher: “Ok, only the boys, put your hands up!”)

3. The state of whether or not a tag has been inventoried is maintained in the tag.

4. In the process of singulating a tag, the reader gets a handle (the child's first name in this

example) that it can use for additional operations with that tag (more on this below).

The analogy breaks down when you realize that unlike the teacher, the reader cannot see the

inventoried state of the tags (hands in the air). If the teacher tried to take attendance of the

class from behind a curtain, it would be a lot more difficult. Rather than pointing at a child and

saying, “You!” to keep them from talking at once, a different protocol would be needed.

In Gen2, this is accomplished with the Query command. When the reader issues a Query

command, it includes in the message a parameter called Q that the tags use to determine if

they will respond immediately, or after some number of subsequent QueryRep commands.

The number of Query or QueryRep commands the tag will wait to hear is determined

randomly and can vary from 1 to 2Q.

By adjusting the Q parameter used in its Query commands, the reader can prevent multiple

tags from responding simultaneously, most of the time. If there is a collision, the reader can

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Concepts (Performing an Inventory)

adjust Q or just try again and let the tags roll a different random number. From your

perspective as a user of the reader, these details don't usually matter (we adjust Q for you

automatically) but they can be useful to know sometimes if you are trying to optimize

performance.

Concepts (Reading / Writing other data)

The Gen2 protocol is strongly oriented around the use case of rapidly reading the data in Bank

1 of Memory, the EPC. In supply chain applications there can be hundreds of tags moving past

a read point and the reader needs to read them all as they go by.

Reading data in other banks of memory or programming tag memory builds off of the

protocol we use for isolating tags and it extends it, allowing a “conversation” to take place with

a tag that has been isolated, or “singulated”.

To read User memory for example, the reader first isolates a tag with an inventory, and then

uses the handle from the tag as part of a sequence of commands to get the User data.

Programming is done in a similar manner.

In the Thinkify reader, we allow you to specify a number of “descriptors” that tell the reader

what additional actions, if any, to take when it reads a tag. Descriptors can be used to Read

additional memory areas, Write to memory, Lock and Unlock tag memory, and Kill tags.

This is a very powerful approach. By using Select commands (called “masking”) as part of the

inventory we can quickly specify that we are interested in performing an operation on just one,

some, or all of the tags presented to the reader.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Thinkify Reader Protocol Overview

Here we give an overview of the Thinkify Reader Protocol message structure and provide a

high-level summary of the major command groups available to the user.

The Thinkify Reader Protocol (TRP) is a human-readable ASCII protocol that allows users and

applications to set parameters for RF control, tag list acquisition, tag programming, and digital

I/O behavior. TRP may also be used to acquire data from the reader and be notified of tag read

events, I/O events, and reader status.

TRP is used across all Thinkify reader products and supported hardware interfaces including;

RS232, USB, and Ethernet.

Command Structure

The Thinkify Reader Protocol uses a Command-Response model. Communication is initiated by

the Host, and the Reader responds with an acknowledgment or data.

Users may interact with the reader from a terminal program or their own software using the

Thinkify APIs. All that is required is that they send strings to the device over an active

connection, and terminate messages correctly. Replies are sent back, often on multiple lines,

terminated by a “READY>” prompt.

Host Commands

Host commands to the Reader are ASCII strings terminated with a Carriage Return. Line feed

characters are ignored by the reader and may be sent without effect. The Reader does not

echo commands back to the Host.

Valid command messages are composed of numeric characters in the range of 0-9 (0x30 -

0x39), ASCII characters in the range of a..Z (0x41 - 0x7A), and the carriage return character

(0x0D).

The general format of a Host-to-Reader message is:

(here [ ] denotes an element that may be optional)

<COMMAND> – Typically a single character.

<SUBCOMMAND> – Typically a single character.

<PARAMs> – Vary in length and depend on the command being sent. There are

no spaces between parameters, if multiple parameters are sent as

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Command Structure

part of a message.

<CR> – The Carriage Return character (0x0D).

Upon receipt of a carriage return, the Reader will attempt to parse the command message and,

if it is properly formatted, execute the command.

Reader Replies

The reply the Reader makes to Host commands are also ASCII strings. Replies may either be a

single line or a multi-line reply, depending on the Command. Each line of a reply is terminated

with a Carriage Return + Line Feed character pair, CRLF (0x0D,0x0A).

When the reader has finished sending all data back to the host in response to the command, it

will end the sequence with a “READY>” prompt, indicating that it is prepared to process

another message. Generally, after sending a Command, the Host should not send a new

command until it sees the "READY>" message.

The general format of a Reader-to-Host message is:

[STARTMSG<CRLF>]

…

[STOPMSG<CRLF>]

<CRLF>

READY>

(here [ ] denotes an element that may be optional)

[STARTMSG] – Indicates the beginning of command processing. Not sent on

every command, but is when inventories are performed.

<Lines> – Data sent back in response to the command.

[STOPMSG] – Indicates command processing is finished. Not sent on every

command, but is when where inventories are performed.

READY> – Indicates that the reader is ready to accept another command.

Special Case: Inventory Replies

When the Reader performs a T or Tn command that is setup for infinite repeat, it streams line

data until it sees a character from the host. It then terminates the message with the STOPMSG

and READY> prompt.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Command Structure

Examples

1. Set the General Purpose Output (GPO) Pin 1 to a High Level:

<COMMAND=”G”><SUBCOMMAND=”1”><PARAM1=”1”><TERM=0x0D>

The Host would send the string:

G11<CR>

The Reader would respond with:

GPOUTPUT1=1<CRLF>

READY>

2. Read Tags using the “T” command:

<COMMAND=”T”>

Host:

T<CR>

Reader:

STARTINVENTORY<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003560<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003568<CRLF>

TAG=300010011002100310041007BBBB<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003583<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003556<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003569<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557<CRLF>

TAG=3000BBAA99887766554433221100<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003582<CRLF>

STOPINVENTORY=0x0009 0x00EA<CRLF>

<CRLF>

READY>

3. Query the Inventory Parameter Settings:

<COMMAND=”I”>

Host:

I<CR>

Reader:

SELTYPE=1<CRLF>

SESSION=1<CRLF>

TARGET=0<CRLF>

Q=0x3<CRLF>

OUTERLOOP=0x01<CRLF>

INNERLOOP=0x03<CRLF>

SELECTLOOP=0x1<CRLF>

<CRLF>

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Command Structure

READY><CRLF>

4. Tn Command:

The Tn (T1, T2, ...T6) commands repeatedly perform inventories until interrupted by the Host.

During this time the Reader streams tag data until a character is received from the Host. The

reader then stops the Inventory sequence and terminates the reply.

Host:

T6<CR>

Reader:

STARTINVENTORY<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003582 911750 07 8 9 Q E468<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 04 8 9 I E471<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003583 911750 06 8 9 Q E47C<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 02 8 9 I E486<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 06 8 9 I E493<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003568 911750 02 8 9 Q E49D<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 07 9 A I E4A9<CRLF>

TAG=3000BBAA99887766554433221100 911750 02 9 A Q E4B4<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003556 911750 07 7 0 I E4C3<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 00 7 0 Q E4D3<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 05 7 0 Q E4DD<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003569 911750 06 7 0 I E4ED<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003583 911750 04 7 0 I E4F5<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003560 911750 02 7 0 Q E4FD<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 00 7 0 Q E506<CRLF>

(Character, such as <SPACE> received from the Host)

TAG=3000100000000000000000003569 911750 07 7 1 I E511<CRLF>

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557 911750 01 7 1 Q E51C<CRLF>

STOPINVENTORY=0x0011 0x00C6<CRLF>

<CRLF>

READY><CRLF>

Command Groups

Commands are grouped into four major areas, and described in the following sections.

1. Tag [I, K, M, T, X] (for working with RFID tags)

2. GPIO & Triggering [G] (for interacting with the reader's GPIO port)

3. System [S, V] ( version #, etc.)

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Command Reference

Summary

Main Command Description Command Group

GGPIO Control GPIO Control and Triggering

IInventory Control Tag Commands

KKill / Access Data Descriptors Tag Commands

MTag Masking Tag Commands

TPerform Tag Inventory Tag Commands

VGet Firmware Version (Read Only) System

XeXtra Read / Write Data Descriptors Tag Commands

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"G" – GPIO Settings

<G>[<SUBCMD>[<PARAMS>]]

The G command and sub-commands are used to control the GPIO port. These may be used to

set/retrieve GPIO pin settings or to set the reader up for triggered reading.

Using the GT command, the reader may be configured to read tags in any of the supported

inventory modes for either a fixed time after an edge transition or while a pin is held in a

particular state.

Sub-Commands

Sub

Command

Description Legal

Values for

SET

GReports current state of input and output lines. -

G0 Write Output Port 0 (no Get) 0..1

G1 Write Output Port 1 (no Get) 0..1

GT Triggering setup for Autonomous Reading

GT<port><active>[<type><action><time>]

<port> 0/1 trigger on INPUT0/1

<action> 0/1 = disable/enable trigger

if <action>=1, then include:

<type> 0=posEdge, 1=negEdge,

2=posLevel, 3=negLevel

<action> 0=T3, 1=T4, 2=T5, 3=T6, 4=T

<time> if pos/negEdge only; range is 0x01 to

0xFF in .1sec units (.1 to 25.5 sec)

See Description

“G” Command Examples

Get Current I/O States

READY>g

GPINPUT0=1

GPINPUT1=0

GPOUTPUT0=0

GPOUTPUT1=0

Turn Output Port 0 On

READY>g01

GPOUTPUT0=1

Get Trigger Settings

READY>gt

TRIGGERTYPE=DISABLED

Configure Edge Trigger w/Timer

// Enable Trigger on INPUT1 (11)

// On a positive edge (0)

// Perform a T inventory (4)

// Read for 1 seconds (0a x .1sec)

READY>gt11040a

TRIGGERTYPE=POSEDGE PORT1

TRIGGERACTION=T 0A

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"G" – GPIO Settings

Turn the Trigger Off

READY>gt00

TRIGGERTYPE=DISABLED

“I” – Inventory Control

I[<SUBCMD>[<PARAMS>]]

The I command and sub-commands are used to set and get the parameters that control the

flow of the Gen2 anti-collision algorithm. Modifications to the default parameters may be

helpful in cases where there are a large number of tags in the field or when it is desirable to

increase the number of redundant reads for a given tag.

Sub-Commands

Sub

Command Description

Legal Values

for SET

IDisplay all of the Inventory Control settings. -

IB When performing a write operation as part of an inventory sequence, a

read operation is usually performed before the write.

Issue:

IB0 to send the read before the write.

IB1 to block sending of the read before the write

In Blockwrite operations, you may choose to issue a ReqRN command

before the Blockwrite. (Needed for NXP G2iL+ block write)

Issue:

IB2 to turn OFF send REQRN before the BLOCKWRITE.

IB3 to turn ON send REQRN before the BLOCKWRITE

IR Reset inventory parameters to values. -

II Inner Loop Count

Each INNERLOOP runs a tag acquisition STATEMACHINE.

0..FF

IL Gen2 SEL Flag

Value used in QUERY for the SEL field. See G2 spec. Usually set to 0.

0..3

IO Outer Loop Count

Number of FULL INVENTORY ITERATIONS (one iteration is a SELECT group

and a INNER LOOP group)

0..FF

IP Outer Loop Pause Time

Time in msec to delay after each outer loop before starting another

inventory cycle. (Allows duty cycling for low power applications.) This is a

DECIMAL quantity ranging from 0 to 99999 msec.

0..99999 (Decimal)

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“I” – Inventory Control

Sub

Command Description

Legal Values

for SET

IQ Gen2 Q Parameter

The Q used in the QUERY that starts the round

0..8

IS Gen2 Session

The session (0 to 3) that will be used for the entire inventory run.

0..3

IT Inventory Target

Defines whether the QUERY that initiate round is looking for tags in the A

or B state

0..1

IW Select Count

Number of times SELECT function is executed - each execution sends

every MASK that is enabled

0..F

IX Append XEPCDATA to T output 0..1

“I” Command Examples

Get All Inventory Control Parameters

READY>i

SELTYPE=1

SESSION=1

TARGET=0

Q=0x3

OUTERLOOP=0x01

INNERLOOP=0x03

SELECTLOOP=0x1

Get Just the Q Value

READY>iq

Q=0x3

Set Q to 5

READY>iq5

Q=0x5

Set InnerLoops to 4

READY>ii4

INNERLOOP=0x04

Set OuterLoop = FF (Continuous)

READY>ioFF

OUTERLOOP=0xFF

Enable XPC data in “T” Output

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000111100000000000000000000

STOPINVENTORY=0x0006 0x00FF

READY>ix1

APPENDXEPC=ON

// T now reports freq, outerLoop,

// innerLoop, rount, slot, and Q.

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000111100000000000000000000 922250

00 02 01 07 3 9DE0

STOPINVENTORY=0x0007 0x00FF

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors

K[<SUBCMD>[<PARAMS>]]

The K family of commands are used to control lock kill and access command behavior. The K

commands allow the user to get/set passwords used in kill, lock and access operation and

specify lock type for the lock commands.

The Kill, Lock and Access commands are described in detail in the EPC Global C1G2

specification: uhf c1g2_standard- version 1.2.0.pdf

Locking

Locking is one of the more complex activities performed under the Gen2 protocol. As

mentioned above, tag memory is divided into different regions or “Banks”. Tag memory may be

“locked” where it can only be changed using an access password, or “perma-locked” where it

cannot ever be changed again. (Other options, like “perma-unlock” are also available).

EPC, TID and User memory are always readable under standard Gen2 – even when those

regions are locked. In contrast, Reserved memory, where the Kill and Access passwords are

stored, can only be read with the correct access password after that section has been locked.

To lock or unlock a tag, first one must have a tag programmed with a non-zero access

password written into the correct region of Reserved memory. Then, a Lock command may be

issued with a data field representing which region(s) of memory to lock and what type of lock

to use (regular or “perma” lock). The data field is a mask, where bits represent memory

locations and lock types. (more below).

The following options are available for locking:

•Read Unlocked – there is unrestricted access to read from this memory

•Read Locked – the memory cannot be accessed for reading without using a

password

•Write Locked – the memory cannot be accessed for writing without using a

password

•Read Permanently Unlocked – there is unrestricted access to read from this

memory and this memory can never be locked

•Write Permanently Unlocked – this memory cannot be accessed for writing

without a password and this memory can never be locked

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors

There are five sections of memory that can be each individually locked:

1. Kill password

2. Access password

3. EPC memory

4. TID memory

5. User memory

The Gen2 protocol specification referenced above describes the data fields associated with the

Lock command. The data is a 20 bit number consisting of a 10 bit Mask field and an associated

10 bit action field. In the TR-65 reader, we use this number with the KL command lock

descriptor to control the Locking behavior. The meaning of each bit is described in the table

below.

Lock Data Fields, Mask Fields (Bits 10-19)

Kill Password Access Password EPC Memory TID Memory User Memory

19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Skip (0)

Write(1)

Lock Data Fields, Action Fields (Bits 0-9)

Kill Password Access Password EPC Memory TID Memory User Memory

9876543210

Password

Read and

Write

Perma

Locked

Password

Read and

Write

Perma

Locked

Password

Write

Perma

Locked

Password

Write

Perma

Locked

Password

Write

Perma

Locked

We will use this table in an extended example for locking below.

Sub-Commands

Sub

Command

Description Legal Values

for SET

KA Get or set the Access password.

KA reports the Access password,

KA<ACCESSPASSWORD> sets the Access password.

32 Bits from 8

Nibbles

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors

KAR Resets Access password to the default. -

KL Get or set the Lock Descriptor.

Options:

KL – Report Lock Descriptor

KL<active 1:0> - (De)Activate Lock descriptor

KL<active 1:0><LOCKBITS (20 bits in 5 ASCII HEX

nibbles)> (De)Activate Lock descriptor and Set

LOCK value

See Description

KK Controls KILL descriptor

KK report KILL descriptor

KK<active 1:0> activate or de-activate the KILL

descriptor

KK<active 1:0><KILLPASSWORD (16 bit 4 ASCII HEX

nibbles)> = activate or de-activate the KILL

descriptor and setup KILL password value

See Description

“K” Command Examples

Get Access Password

READY>ka

ACCESSPASSWORD=00000000

Get Lock Descriptor

READY>kl

ACTIVE=0

LOCKBITS=00000

Get Kill Descriptor

READY>kk

ACTIVE=0

KILLPASSWORD=00000000

Set the Lock Active

READY>kl1

ACTIVE=1

LOCKBITS=00000

Extended Example

In this example we lock the kill and access passwords and note we can't see them without going into secure state.

Let's start with an unlocked tag with a kill / access password already programmed into reserved memory (see the XW

commands).

Set up read descriptors to read reserved, epc, tid and user.

Xr010400 (reserved)

xr111800 (epc)

xr212400 (tid)

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors

xr313200 (user)

Perform an inventory and look at the results

t61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95 902250 00 0 E Q 0AD5

XRD0=1111111122222222

XRD1=5F7D3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95

XRD2=E2003414011F0100

XRD3=00000000

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x004D

you can see the access password is 22222222

setup the lock descriptor to lock (not perma) the kill and access passwords. This is the 20 bit number described in the

table above.

10 Mask bits and 10 Action bits...

1010 0000 0010 1000 0000

A 0 2 8 0

Issue lock descriptor with this data

kl1a0280

ACTIVE=1

LOCKBITS=A0280

set the access password

ka22222222

ACCESSPASSWORD=22222222

Now do an inventory w/access to lock.

t61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95 902250 01 0 E Q E573

ACCESS=SUCCESS

XRD0=1111111122222222

XRD1=5F7D3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95

XRD2=E2003414011F0100

XRD3=00000000

LOCK=SUCCESS

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x006E

Turn off access password

kar

ACCESSPASSWORD=00000000

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"K" – Kill, Lock, Access Descriptors

Turn off locking

kl0

ACTIVE=0

LOCKBITS=A0280

Try to read without access:

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95 902250 02 0 E Q 4A35

XRD0=TAG ERRORCODE 04

XRD1=5F7D3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95

XRD2=E2003414011F0100

XRD3=00000000

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x004A

You can't see the access password or kill password!

Use the right access password and go into secure state:

ka22222222

ACCESSPASSWORD=22222222

t61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95 902250 03 0 E Q 6812

ACCESS=SUCCESS

XRD0=1111111122222222

XRD1=5F7D3000E2001AC1909F6580000EED95

XRD2=E2003414011F0100

XRD3=00000000

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0060

With the right access password, we can now read the Locked Reserved memory.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“M" – MASK / SELECT control

M[<SUBCMD>[<PARAMS>]]

As mentioned in the introductory sections, an inventory may begin with the issuance of one or

more Gen2 SELECT commands to determine which tags participate in the inventory round.

When the Select loop runs (see the IW command) each pass through the loop can issue up to

four (4) independent Select commands. The parameters associated with these Select

commands are stored in the reader's list of Masks.

When the Select is sent, the ACTIVE flag of each of the four masks is examined in order from 0

to 3. If ACTIVE == 1, the MASK is used as part of the Select command.

By default, MASK0 is active (ACTIVE FLAG 1) with an ACTION of 0 (all tags to A state) and a

LEN of 0×00 (this means “select all tags”). See the G2 specification, table 6.19, for the eight

different possible ACTIONS.

http://www.epcglobalinc.org/standards/uhfc1g2/uhfc1g2_1_2_0-standard-20080511.pdf

By default, MASK1, MASK2, MASK3 are set to INACTIVE (ACTIVE FLAG == 0).

Sub-Commands

Sub

Command

Description

MReport the mask descriptors for all four masks.

M<#> Report the mask descriptor for just mask <#>, where <#>=0..3.

M<#><...> Set the descriptor for mask <#>, where <#>=0..3. When setting the Mask, the format is:

M<#><PARAMS>

Where <PARAMS> includes the following :

0=inactive, 1=active

<TTYPE>

0=use the current Session (see the IS command)

1=use SL 100 flag

0-7, usually use 0. See the table, below, for a summary of the eight actions, or the

EPCglobal G2 Spec, table 6.20, for more details.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“M" – MASK / SELECT control

Sub

Command

Description

Action Matching Non-Matching

0assert SL or inventoried →Adeassert SL or inventoried →B

1assert SL or inventoried →Ado nothing

2do nothing deassert SL or inventoried →B

3negate SL or (A →B, B →A) do nothing

4deassert SL or inventoried →Bassert SL or inventoried →A

5deassert SL or inventoried →Bdo nothing

6do nothing assert SL or inventoried →A

7do nothing negate SL or (A →B, B →A)

0=Access & Kill Passwords, 1=EPC, 2=TID, 3=USER

<LEN>

A byte indicating the number of bits in the mask.

1-4 bytes, this is a bit pointer - see annexA G2 spec about EBV pointers.

0 to 32 bytes, representing the mask data. There must be enough bytes to meet the

indicated <LEN>. All bits are left justified (i.e. MSB of BYTE0 is the first bit of mask,

MSB of BYTE1 is 8th bit of mask etc.)

MR Set Mask parameters to default values.

“M” Command Examples

This can be tricky so let's work it out with an example:

Tag=3000BBAA99887766554433221100

With this ID we have an EPC bank with data in the following hex bit positions:

EPC Data xxxx

(CRC)

3000

(PC)

BBAA 9988 7766 5544 3322 1100

Bit Position (Hex) 0x00 0x10 0x20 0x30 0x40 0x50 0x60 0x70

Notice how there are CRC and PC words (“3000”) before the actual EPC starts (“BBAA”)?

Say we want to mask on the first part of the EPC code of this tag, "BBAA", we would have

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“M" – MASK / SELECT control

to use a pointer of 0x20 into the EPC bank.

Now recall the structure or the Mask command and its parameters:

M +

MASKNUM +

ACTIVE +

TTYPE +

ACTION +

MEMBANK +

LEN(1 byte)+

EBV(1 byte MIN) +

DATA

To set mask #0 to look for “BAAA” in the right position we'd say:

M + 0(mask) + 1(enable) + 0(ttype) + 0(action)+ 1(EPC bank) + 10(16 bits) +

20(pointer) + BBAA(data)

Our mask command would be:

M010011020BBAA

We try this out below...

Get Mask #0

READY>m0

MASK=0

ACTIVE=1

TARGET=1

ACTION=0

BANK=1

PNTR=00

LEN=00

BITS=

Get All Masks

READY>m

MASK=0

ACTIVE=1

TARGET=1

ACTION=0

BANK=1

PNTR=00

LEN=00

BITS=

MASK=1

ACTIVE=0

TARGET=1

…

MASK=3

ACTIVE=0

TARGET=1

ACTION=0

BANK=1

PNTR=00

LEN=00

BITS=

Set Mask #0

// Look for some tags...

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000100000000000000000003557

TAG=3000100000000000000000003582

TAG=3000BBAA99887766554433221100

TAG=3000100000000000000000003560

STOPINVENTORY=0x0014 0x01C8

// Report only our favorite tag

READY>m010011020bbaa

MASK=0

ACTIVE=1

TARGET=1

ACTION=0

BANK=1

PNTR=20

LEN=10

BITS=BBAA

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000BBAA99887766554433221100

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY

T<MODE>[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Attempt to read tags using the current settings.

The “T” command

The T command performs a full dual-nested

loop sequence of: SELECT / QUERY / ACK /

REQRN / ACK / XREAD / XWRITE, reporting

tags as they are found, performing XDATA

operations, and attempting to force found

tags into the opposite A/B state. All aspects

of this command are controlled by the

reader's global inventory control parameters

(see the “I” command), and the X data

descriptor parameters (see the “X”

command).

The parameters of the SELECT sequence sent

in each OUTERLOOP are fully controllable

through the mask commands (see the “M”

command). Inclusion, exclusion, choice of

A→B, B→A, etc. are all under user control.

The global parameters OUTERLOOP,

INNERLOOP, SELECTLOOP, and Q can be

over-ridden at the command line entry of the

command, all other parameters are set

globally through the I and X series

commands. The T command will start at the

requested Q value, but it will adjust Q

depending on whether there are not enough tag responses (Q will be adjusted down) or too

many response collisions (Q will be adjusted up).

If an OUTERLOOP value is set to 0xFF, then the T command will loop constantly until a

character is received on the interface port. The same thing will occur on a T(n) with a loop

value of 0xFF (equivalent to no loop value given).

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

The ISO-18000-6-C (Gen2) protocol specifies a set

of low-level commands that can be used to read and

write RFID tags. In practice, much of the detail

surrounding how this is done is not important to the end

user of an RFID system – you just care if the reader

reports all the tags and that the data you want to write

to them gets written correctly.

That said, some knowledge of what's going on can

be used to optimize a system to improve read

performance, programming reliability and efficiency.

What you want to optimize depends on what you are

trying to do with the RFID tags.

In some cases, you want to read a small number of

tags very quickly and get lots of repeated reads of the

same tag. An example of this might be an application

where you are using an RFID tag on a runner to

determine when he/she crosses the finish line of a race.

The extra reads here are useful for determining the best

“crossing time” for the runner.

In another case, you care less about the number of

redundant reads and more about the number of unique

reads you get. An example might be a tool tracking

application where you are trying to read all the tagged

items within a cabinet and don't want to miss any tags.

To handle these and other cases, you can issue a T

command in conjunction with the M, I and X

commands to fine-tune what is being reported from the

tag field and how the reader interacts with the tag

population it sees.

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY

The output of the T command is formatted like this:

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=<epc1>

TAG=<epc2>

…

TAG=<epcN>

STOPINVENTORY=0x<N> 0x<Duration>

Each tag's EPC (including the PC word that precedes it) is listed on its own line, with “Tag=” in

front of it. The entire list of tags is surrounded by “STARTINVENTORY” and

“STOPINVENTORY=0x<N> 0x<Duration>”, where N is the number of tag acquisitions made

(not unique tags), and Duration is how long the inventory took in milliseconds (e.g. 0x0200 =

512 msec = 0.512 sec).

You can also have the reader append XEPCDATA to each tag entry in the output of the T

command. This XEPCDATA includes the following inventory- and protocol-related values at the

instant when tag was acquired:

XEPCDATA in the T output is enabled with the command:

IX1

If no tags are found in a T or T(n) command, a NOTAG message will be sent. In a T command,

this means at every exit from the outer loop. In a T(n) command, this means when all slots for

the current Q have been tried.

The “T<n>” commands:

In addition to the basic T command, tags may also be acquired using the T<n> series of sub-

commands. In these commands a minimal series of air protocol commands are issued to

acquire the tag data, and the tags are not removed from the round with an A/B transition, so in

general these commands are only useful when the tag population is small.

In each of the T<n> commands the number of slots tried will be determined by the global Q

value (see the “IQ” command). The Masks sent in the commands that include a SELECT will be

determined by the values in the global Mask structure array (see the “M” command). Any

XDATA processing events will be determined by the values in the XDATADESCRIPTOR array (see

the “X” command).

The odd-numbered T<n> sub-commands all report just the tag's EPC. The even-numbered

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY

T<n> sub-commands perform the same inventory action as the odd-numbered sub-

commands that precede them, except more information is provided in the tag report besides

just “Tag=<epc>”:

TAG=<epc> <freq> <slot> <Imag> <Qmag> <I/Qdecoded> <timestamp>

In all of the T<n> commands, sending the command alone causes the command to execute

repeatedly, until a character is received over the interface port. If the T<n> command is

followed by an optional one-byte <LOOPCOUNT> parameter, the command executes in a

loop the number of times specified by <LOOPCOUNT>. Note that providing a

<LOOPCOUNT> value of 0xFF is the same as providing no value - a continuous loop occurs

until a character is received on the interface port.

Sub

Command

Description Special

Features

T1 T1[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Sends a QUERY/QUERYREP/ACK sequence.

Number of QUERYREPs is determined by the global Q value.

No SELECT is sent, so no masking occurs, even with masks active.

No SELECT

No XDATA

T2 T2[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Same as T1, but each tag reports the RF frequency it was acquired on.

No SELECT is sent, so no masking occurs, even with masks active.

No XDATA processing occurs, even with XDATA DESCRIPTORs active.

No SELECT

No XDATA

T3 T3[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Sends a SELECT/QUERY/QUERYREP/ACK sequence.

Number of QUERYREPs is determined by the global Q value.

No XDATA processing occurs, even with XDATA DESCRIPTORs active.

No XDATA

T4 T4[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Same as T3, but each tag reports the RF frequency it was acquired on.

No XDATA processing occurs, even with XDATA DESCRIPTORs active.

No XDATA

T5 T5[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Same as T3, but XDATA processing occurs for each tag found.

This adds REQRN/READ and/or WRITE commands.

T6 T6[<LOOPCOUNT>]

Same as T5, but each tag reports the RF frequency it was acquired on.

“T” and “T<n>” Command Examples

Basic “Get Tags”

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000

TAG=3000E2003412DC03011827047484

STOPINVENTORY=0x0003 0x0221

Get Tags, Including XEPCDATA

READY>ix1

APPENDXEPC=ON

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 923250 00 02 01 06 3 FB66

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000 923250 00 02 02 02 2 FB82

TAG=3000BEEF00000000000000000006 923250 00 02 09 00 1 FBAE

STOPINVENTORY=0x0003 0x00FA

Perform a Continuous T1

READY>t1

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058

STOPINVENTORY=0x000D 0x0125

Perform a Single T2

READY>t21

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 906750 07 9 6 I D3C8

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000 906750 01 5 0 I D3D9

STOPINVENTORY=0x0002 0x001F

Perform Four T6s

READY>t64

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 908250 05 A 6 I D3B8

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000 908250 02 5 0 I D3C5

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 908250 01 A 6 I D3DF

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000 908250 00 5 0 I D3EB

TAG=3000BAD100000000000000000000 908250 03 5 0 I D3FC

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 908250 02 A 7 Q D409

STOPINVENTORY=0x0006 0x0062

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"T" – Initiate INVENTORY

Calculating Signal Strength (RSSI) from the I/Q Magnitude Fields

Tag data returned from a Tn inventory (where n= 2,4,6) include fields for I and Q signal

magnitude. You can use these fields to calculate an overall signal strength for the read that can

give you some indication of the range of the tag to the antenna.

In desktop applications like programming, this is especially useful to discriminate between a tag

that is right next to the antenna vs. one some distance away. You may choose to filter the data

reported to an end user of your application by signal strength to only show nearby tags. –

One of the example programs provided by Thinkify in the TR-65 developer's kit does just this.

Recall the magnitudes are delivered as part of a tag read message:

TAG=3000E2003411B801010861355058 908250 02 A 7 Q D409

(Here the I channel magnitude is A (decimal 10) and the Q channel magnitude is 7.)

To calculate the signal strength, use the following relationship:

rssi = 2 * high_rssi + 10 * Log(1 + 10 ^ (-delta_rssi / 10))

Where:

high_rssi = 10

(the larger RSSI is the I channel with a value of A.(10 decimal)) and

delta_rssi = Abs(imag – qmag)

delta_rssi = 3

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control

X[<R|W>[<PARAMS>]]

Anytime an EPC code is acquired from a tag, an opportunity exists to either read additional

data from the tag, or write data to it. These options are controlled by XDATA descriptors

managed by the X commands.

The TR-65 reader maintains four (4) XDATA read descriptors and four (4) XDATA write

descriptors that may be individually configured to perform read/write operations.

By default all XDATA descriptors are disabled. When a tag's EPC is decoded, each of the XDATA

descriptors are checked for an ACTIVE status, which causes a read/write at the specified

location to be performed. Inside an inventory mode which supports XDATA (currently T, T5,

and T6) the operations will be performed right after the read of the EPC data, and the data

appears on the line of output immediately following the EPC data in the tag stream.

Flags

<PARAMS> may contain some or all of the following:

<#> – Descriptor number

<ACTIVE> – Descriptor enabled

<MEMBANK> – Tag memory bank for the operation

<LEN> – Length (in words) of data to be read/written

<EBV> – EBV pointer into memory for the start of the operation

<DATA> – The bytes of data to be written.

Sub-Commands

Sub Command Description Legal Values

for SET

XR Report all XDATA read descriptors. -

XRR Reset all XDATA read descriptors. -

XR<#> Report a given XDATA read descriptor. 0..3

XR<#><ACTIVE> Set the <ACTIVE> flag for XDATA read descriptor <#>. 0..1

XR<#><ACTIVE><...> Configures XDATA read descriptor <#> to perform a read at

the specified location and length.

XR<#><ACTIVE><MEMBANK><LEN><EBV>

<ACTIVE> 0=inactive, 1=active

<MEMBANK> 0..3

See Description

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control

Sub Command Description Legal Values

for SET

<LEN> 1..8 (# of words to read)

<EBV> Word pointer into memory

(1-4 bytes)

XW Report all XDATA write descriptors. -

XWR Reset all XDATA write descriptors. -

XW<#> Report a given XDATA read descriptor. 0..3

XW<#><ACTIVE> Set the <ACTIVE> flag for XDATA write descriptor <#>. 0..1

XW<#><ACTIVE><...> Configures XDATA write descriptor <#> to perform a write at

the specified location, length, and with data provided.

XW<#><ACTIVE><MEMBANK><LEN><EBV><DATA>

BIT0 - USE DESCRIPTOR

BIT1 - Change PC if length

different from tags current

length

BIT2 - USE BLOCKWRITE

BIT3 - INCREMENT DESCRIPTOR DATA

after successful write.

<MEMBANK> 0..3

<LEN> 1..8 (# of words to write)

<EBV> Word pointer into memory

(1-4 bytes)

<DATA> Data to write to location

See Description

“X” Command Examples

Read Extra Data in T Command

// Do inventory with default parameters.

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x004A

// Set read descriptor #0 to read

// Bank:1, Len:4, WordPntr:2

READY>xr011402

RDDESCRIPTOR=0

ACTIVE=1

BANK=1

LEN=4

PNTR=02

// Look for the extra data

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0039

Read Extra Data in T<n> Command

// Do 10 (0xA) iterations of T6

READY>t6A

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 924250 05 E B I 1FBF

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 00 E C Q 1FF0

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 02 E C Q 2007

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 06 E C I 201E

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 02 E C I 2038

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 06 E C Q 204F

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 05 E C Q 2068

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733 926750 03 E C I 2081

XRD0 E2003411B8020110

STOPINVENTORY=0x0008 0x00DB

Set a Write Descriptor, Then Get It

READY>xw0114021111222233334444

WRDESCRIPTOR=0

ACTIVE=1

BANK=1

LEN=4

PNTR=02

WRITE DATA=1111222233334444

READY>xw0

WRDESCRIPTOR=0

ACTIVE=1

BANK=1

LEN=4

PNTR=02

WRITE DATA=1111222233334444

Set and Use a Write Descriptor

// 1st read a tag

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0034

// Set up to rewrite part of the EPC

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control

// Bank:1, WordPntr:02, Len:03,

// Data:AABBCCDDEEFF

READY>xw011302AABBCCDDEEFF

WRDESCRIPTOR=0

ACTIVE=1

BANK=1

LEN=3

PNTR=02

WRITE DATA=AABBCCDDEEFF

// Read the tag again

// (automatically performs the write).

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000E2003411B802011029356733

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x005E

// Read again and we see the new EPC

READY>t

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3000AABBCCDDEEFF011029356733

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x003C

Using LOOPCOUNT to Retry Writes

You can use a T6 inventory command with LOOPCOUNT of 0xA (10 loops) to perform a write. The WRITE success operation is

given when all data matches the requested write field. Once the data matches all XWR messages will indicate success with no

further actual write attempts.

Any XREAD or XWRITE that does not complete successfully returns an error code. Some portion of a WRITE operation may

complete and still return an error code, if multiple word writes are requested. Also note that in the case of a WRITE, an error code

is generated if the ASYNC response from the tag is improperly decoded, although the WRITE may have actually worked.

READY>xw0114021111222233334444

WRDESCRIPTOR=0

ACTIVE=1

BANK=1

LEN=4

PNTR=02

WRITE DATA=1111222233334444

READY>t610

STARTINVENTORY

// First inventory loop

TAG=3000AAAABBBBCCCC011029356742 919750 07 C E Q CB2D

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

// Next loop shows new id.

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 05 C E I CB83

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 00 C E I CBC5

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 07 C E I CBE4

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

"X" – eXtra Data Read and Write Descriptor Control

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 03 C E Q CC07

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 01 C E I CC29

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

TAG=3000111122223333444429356742 919750 00 C E I CC4E

XWR0 WRITE SUCCESS

STOPINVENTORY=0x0007 0x014F

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

XS<PARAMS>

As larger memory tags become more prevalent, the 8 word limit on an extended read

descriptor (XR) can make it difficult to quickly read out memory. For applications where only a

few tags are in the field and large memory reads are needed, we have developed the XS

command, the “Super Read Descriptor”.

It allows you to specify a starting address, and a number representing the number of 8 word

blocks to acquire.

When you acquire a tag EPC, contiguous memory will be read from the start address in 8 word

blocks, for as many blocks specified (up to 255).

So in one operation you can read up to 255*8 words of contiguous data from a tag.

Each block read will report as follows

READ 00=FFFF000000F50000CDC65F7400008800 9452

The address being read is specified to the left of the equal sign in EBV FORMAT (up to 4 bytes).

Then 8 words of DATA with the lowest address read being the MSWord. The 1ms timer tick is

appended to the end of the message

So the above message means that at tick 9452 address 00 of this membank was FFFF, address1

was 0000 etc through address 7 = 8800

The message will indicate failure if the tag is not successfully read

READ 8728=FAILURE

If a tag responds with an error code it will be reported

READ 8770=TAG ERRORCODE 03 23DA

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

Flags

<PARAMS> may contain some or all of the following:

<ACTIVE> – Descriptor enabled

<MEMBANK> – Tag memory bank for the operation

<NUMBLOCKS> – Length (in words) of data to be read/written

<EBV> – EBV pointer into memory for the start of the operation

Sub Commands

Sub Command Description Legal Values

for SET

XS GET the current settings -

XS<ACTIVE> Set the <ACTIVE> flag for Super Read Descriptor 0..1

XS<ACTIVE><...> Configures Super Read Descriptor to perform a read at the

specified location and length.

XS<ACTIVE><MEMBANK><NUMBLOCKS><EBV>

<ACTIVE> 0=inactive, 1=active

<MEMBANK> 0..3

<NUMBLOCKS> 00..FF (# of blocks of 8

words to read)

<EBV> Word pointer into memory

(1-4 bytes, minimum 2

nibbles)

See Description

XSR Reset the super read descriptor. -

EXAMPLE - to read 8 8word blocks from user space at address 0

READY>xs130800

ACTIVE=1

BANK=3

LEN=08

PNTR=00

READY>t61

STARTINVENTORY

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

TAG=3400111122223333444455556666 905250 02 A 9 Q 9445

READ 00=FFFF000000F50000CDC65F7400008800 9452

READ 08=58405804000E00000000000000000000 945E

READ 10=0100000000007E000000008200ACAFAE 946A

READ 18=000CEA00010BB40004380BEA000138BB 9476

READ 20=00040000000000000000000000000000 9482

READ 28=00000000000000000000000000000000 948E

READ 30=00000000000000000000000000000000 949A

READ 38=000000000000000000000000694E0000 94A6

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0089

READY>xs

ACTIVE=1

BANK=3

LEN=08

PNTR=00

READY>xsr

ACTIVE=0

BANK=0

LEN=00

PNTR=00

READY>xs

ACTIVE=0

BANK=0

LEN=00

PNTR=00

READY>

EXAMPLE - to read 32 8word blocks from user space at address 0

READY>xs132000

ACTIVE=1

BANK=3

LEN=20

PNTR=00

READY>=T61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3400111122223333444455556666 910250 05 B 5 I DF6B

READ 00=FFFF000000F50000CDC65F7400008800 DF77

READ 08=58405804000E00000000000000000000 DF83

READ 10=0100000000007E000000008200ACAFAE DF8F

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

READ 18=000CEA00010BB40004380BEA000138BB DF9B

READ 20=00040000000000000000000000000000 DFA7

READ 28=00000000000000000000000000000000 DFB3

READ 30=00000000000000000000000000000000 DFBF

READ 38=000000000000000000000000694E0000 DFCB

READ 40=00003800001000000000000000000000 DFD8

READ 48=00000000000000000000000000000000 DFE4

READ 50=00000000000000000000000000000000 DFF0

READ 58=000000000000000000000000008F0000 DFFC

READ 60=000000000000000000161E1A00000000 E008

READ 68=0000000000000000003B1606047F0040 E014

READ 70=08000000000000030000BF00CF000027 E020

READ 78=42FFBB0F0035DFEF004800481301FAFF E02D

READ 8100=0401F0020100FFFF01FA16009735FF00 E039

READ 8108=008084C0FF1440FF0290CF50001028EF E045

READ 8110=C71000000026670026900000006700FF E052

READ 8118=00009E000000000000FF0000FF404EFD E05E

READ 8120=000300008100BB1F0087BBCF1FAC6C1F E06B

READ 8128=FF0000047E03000E000000008000000E E077

READ 8130=00000000E9FF000F00000000FFC00080 E084

READ 8138=000E5FE328000014B204001E00400000 E090

READ 8140=40880000000000000000000000000000 E09C

READ 8148=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0A9

READ 8150=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0B5

READ 8158=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0C2

READ 8160=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0CE

READ 8168=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0DB

READ 8170=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0E7

READ 8178=00000000000000000000000000000000 E0F4

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x01AC

This is EPC + 256 words read in 428 ms using default TARI = 25, MILLER8, 160LF

If we set TARI to 6.25

READY>p031

TARI=6.25

M=M8

LF=160

READY>=T61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3400111122223333444455556666 912750 05 B 6 I 2FA7

READ 00=FFFF000000F50000CDC65F7400008800 2FB2

READ 08=58405804000E00000000000000000000 2FBD

READ 10=0100000000007E000000008200ACAFAE 2FC7

READ 18=000CEA00010BB40004380BEA000138BB 2FD2

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

READ 20=00040000000000000000000000000000 2FDC

READ 28=00000000000000000000000000000000 2FE7

READ 30=00000000000000000000000000000000 2FF1

READ 38=000000000000000000000000694E0000 2FFC

READ 40=00003800001000000000000000000000 3007

READ 48=00000000000000000000000000000000 3011

READ 50=00000000000000000000000000000000 301C

READ 58=000000000000000000000000008F0000 3026

READ 60=000000000000000000161E1A00000000 3031

READ 68=0000000000000000003B1606047F0040 303C

READ 70=08000000000000030000BF00CF000027 3046

READ 78=42FFBB0F0035DFEF004800481301FAFF 3051

READ 8100=0401F0020100FFFF01FA16009735FF00 305B

READ 8108=008084C0FF1440FF0290CF50001028EF 3066

READ 8110=C71000000026670026900000006700FF 3071

READ 8118=00009E000000000000FF0000FF404EFD 307C

READ 8120=000300008100BB1F0087BBCF1FAC6C1F 3087

READ 8128=FF0000047E03000E000000008000000E 3092

READ 8130=00000000E9FF000F00000000FFC00080 309C

READ 8138=000E5FE328000014B204001E00400000 30A7

READ 8140=40880000000000000000000000000000 30B2

READ 8148=00000000000000000000000000000000 30BD

READ 8150=00000000000000000000000000000000 30C7

READ 8158=00000000000000000000000000000000 30D2

READ 8160=00000000000000000000000000000000 30DD

READ 8168=00000000000000000000000000000000 30E7

READ 8170=00000000000000000000000000000000 30F2

READ 8178=00000000000000000000000000000000 30FD

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0174

This cuts down to 374 ms

If we also turn Miller mode to M2

READY>p011

TARI=6.25

M=M2

LF=160

READY>=T61

STARTINVENTORY

TAG=3400111122223333444455556666 910250 05 B 6 I 6095

READ 00=FFFF000000F50000CDC65F7400008800 6099

READ 08=58405804000E00000000000000000000 609D

READ 10=0100000000007E000000008200ACAFAE 60A1

READ 18=000CEA00010BB40004380BEA000138BB 60A5

READ 20=00040000000000000000000000000000 60A9

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

“XS” – Super Read Descriptor

READ 28=00000000000000000000000000000000 60AD

READ 30=00000000000000000000000000000000 60B1

READ 38=000000000000000000000000694E0000 60B5

READ 40=00003800001000000000000000000000 60B9

READ 48=00000000000000000000000000000000 60BD

READ 50=00000000000000000000000000000000 60C1

READ 58=000000000000000000000000008F0000 60C5

READ 60=000000000000000000161E1A00000000 60C9

READ 68=0000000000000000003B1606047F0040 60CD

READ 70=08000000000000030000BF00CF000027 60D1

READ 78=42FFBB0F0035DFEF004800481301FAFF 60D5

READ 8100=0401F0020100FFFF01FA16009735FF00 60D9

READ 8108=008084C0FF1440FF0290CF50001028EF 60DD

READ 8110=C71000000026670026900000006700FF 60E1

READ 8118=00009E000000000000FF0000FF404EFD 60E5

READ 8120=000300008100BB1F0087BBCF1FAC6C1F 60E9

READ 8128=FF0000047E03000E000000008000000E 60ED

READ 8130=00000000E9FF000F00000000FFC00080 60F1

READ 8138=000E5FE328000014B204001E00400000 60F5

READ 8140=40880000000000000000000000000000 60F9

READ 8148=00000000000000000000000000000000 60FD

READ 8150=00000000000000000000000000000000 6101

READ 8158=00000000000000000000000000000000 6105

READ 8160=00000000000000000000000000000000 6109

READ 8168=00000000000000000000000000000000 610D

READ 8170=00000000000000000000000000000000 6114

READ 8178=00000000000000000000000000000000 611C

STOPINVENTORY=0x0001 0x0097

Total time goes to 151ms for full EPC + 256 word read. However tag acquisition sensitivity will

go down at MILLER2. If tags are very strongly in field it will work fine though.

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

GPIO PORT

The TR-65 supports two TTL-level input ports and two output ports. The seven pin GPIO

connector is on the back of the unit between the USB connector and the antenna port.

If you wish to use the I/O ports, it is convenient to mate the connector with the corresponding

housing for crimp connections (shown in the figure below). The housing is a Molex product,

Model: 51021-0700 that you can purchase on line.

A simple wiring harness can be purchased from Thinkify that has the housing pre-wired with

labeled 'pigtails'.

Pin Assignments

Pin Assignment

1 GPO 0

2 GND

3 GPO 1

4 +5V

5 GPI 0

6 GND

7 GPI 1

The TR-65 RFID READER DCN-TF-010045-A

Thinkify TF7 UHF RFID 915 MHz Module User Manual The TR 200 Desktop RFID Reader

Thinkify LLC UHF RFID 915 MHz Module The TR 200 Desktop RFID Reader

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