ALIEN TECHNOLOGY® HARDWARE SETUP GUIDE ALR-9890 - RR Aug 2006 ALR-9890 - RR
Legal Notices Copyright ©2006 Alien Technology Corporation. All rights reserved. Alien Technology Corporation 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.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Alien Technology® Hardware Setup Guide ALR-9890 - RR Aug 2006 Table of Contents CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................... 1 Audience ....................................................................................................................................................... 1 RFID Reader Overview ....................................................................................
TABLE OF CONTENTS (This page intentionally left blank) ii ALR-9890 – RR HARDWARE SETUP GUIDE DOC.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 Introduction This Hardware Setup Guide provides instructions for installing and operating the ALR-9890 RFID Readers. This document is designed for use by RFID system integrators and software developers - those who wish to develop software products and extended systems that take full advantage of the RFID Reader's capabilities.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 UHF RFID Tags The Alien ALR-9890 RFID reader is designed to read any tag conforming to AAR S-918 (commonly found on rail cars) or EPC Class 1 Generation 2 protocols. Rail tags are both “passive” and “semi-passive”. EPC tags are passive only. Passive tags derive their operating power from the incident RF field of the reader through rectification of the incident wave. Semi passive tags derive their operating power from a battery or other power source.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Specifications Specifications for key components of the RFID Reader system are provided in the tables below: RFID Reader Name Alien Railroad Reader Model Number ALR 9890 - RR Operating Frequency 910.75 MHz – 920.
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 Mechanical: Reader Physical Size Figure 1 - Outline Drawing of the ALR-9890 - RR 4 ALR-9890 – RR Hardware Setup Guide DOC.
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION RS-232 Port Pinouts RS-232 Connector (Female DB-9F) Pin 1 DCD Connected to Pin 6 Pin 2 TR1 Transmit Data (Output) Pin 3 RC1 Receive Data (Input) Pin 4 DTR Connected to Pin 6 Pin 5 Ground Pin 6 DSR Connected to Pin 4 Pin 7 RTS Connected to Pin 8 Pin 8 CTS Connected to Pin 7 Pin 9 Not Connected RS-232 CONNECTOR (FEMALE) – LOOKING AT READER 5 4 9 3 8 2 7 1 6 IO Port Terminal Interface I/O Port Screw Terminal Connector (Female DB-9M) Pin 1 V+ Pin 2 Not connect
INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 I/O PORT SCREW TERMINAL (FEMALE) – LOOKING AT READER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 System Architecture A0 A1 Host Communication Interface Digital Control Circuitry RF Receiver Antenna Switch A2 RF Source RF Modulator A3 Figure 2 - System Architecture for the ALR-9890 – RR Reader 6 ALR-9890 – RR Hardware Setup Guide DOC.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 Reader Hardware Installation and Operation This chapter describes the RFID Reader and provides installation and operation information. Receiving the RFID Reader Your RFID Reader is shipped as an individual reader kit with the items listed below. Please verify the contents of your received shipment before assembling.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 Diagnostic LEDs The ALR-9890 - RR includes diagnostic LEDs on the face of the reader to provide easy and convenient external indication for various operating conditions: POWER (green) - indicates power is applied to the reader LINK (green) – indicates that the reader is connected to the network ACTIVE (green) – indicates reader is transmitting on the network ANT 0 – ANT 3 (green) – indicates that the reader is transmitting power on the sp
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION Antenna Panel The antenna panel (opposite the reader’s I/O panel) contains four coax antenna connector ports as shown below. These are reverse-polarity TNC connectors. Also included on this panel is the Listen Before Talk (LBT) connector (unused in this model). Figure 5 - Antenna Connections ALR-9890 – RR HARDWARE SETUP GUIDE DOC.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 System Assembly and Bench Test Assembling the RFID Reader system is easy. We recommend you set up the system and verify its operation in a bench test configuration before installing it in a production setting. Bench Test Configuration 1. Place the Reader on a tabletop. Ensure the following conditions: A standard 120 or 220 VAC outlet is nearby.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION 4. Connect the Ethernet cable to the reader and PC or LAN. You must use TCP/IP to communicate with the reader, so connect a standard ethernet cable from the reader to a nearby LAN drop or network switch. You may alternatively use a cross-over ethernet cable and connect the reader directly to the PC. The reader comes pre-configured to look for a DHCP server to set its network parameters.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 Screw the fitting from the cable end onto the reader connector clockwise until finger-tight to secure the cable to the reader. Connect the remaining antenna cables (Ant 1, 2 and 3) to their respective ports and tighten fittings clockwise until finger-tight. Align the Ant A coax cable’s center pin and push into the corresponding port.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION Input Configuration The Reader includes four optically isolated inputs. These may be used to notify the reader of external events. The reader can react to and/or report the occurrence and timing of input events. The reader inputs are designed to accept a 5 volt signal. The absolute maximum is 8 volts. The user must supply an external fixed voltage power supply to drive the optically isolated circuits.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 Bench Test Procedure The ALR 9890 – RR is a source of RF energy. When connected to a system including an antenna the radiated RF emissions must be evaluated in accordance with FCC OET Bulletin 56 “Hazards of radio frequency and electromagnetic fields” and Bulletin 65 “Human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields” and appropriate precautions implemented.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION Installation This section provides guidance for configuring components in your RFID system. You should consider the overall design of your specific system before permanently mounting the equipment. The reader is designed and certified for indoor operation. Installation involves all the same connection steps required for bench test.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 Reader should be positioned close enough to the antenna to accommodate the cable length without putting strain on the connectors. Be sure power is available at the selected reader location. 2. Install reader. Secure the reader through the two mounting holes on either flange to its mounting location (wall, post, mounting bracket) using appropriate hardware. If desired, position the reader so that the LEDs are easily observed.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION • Attach Circulator A to panel. Figure 9- Circulator Assembly • • • • Take Circulator B and attach the 2 TNC connectors labeled ANT 2 and ANT 3 to the reader jacks labeled ANT 2 and ANT 3 respectively. Hand tighten only! Take the Circulator Assembly and rotate it counter-clockwise until the single cable is hanging straight down. Place Circulator B so that it is about 1.5” to the left of the Circulator A and the top of Circulator B is about 1.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION • CHAPTER 2 Attach Circulator B to panel as shown in picture. Figure 10- Circulator Assembly • • • • • • • Place a P-Clip around each hanging cable. Measure down a little past the middle of each cable (approx. 7”-8”) and attach the P-Clip to the panel. Make sure the cable is not binding or strained at the circulator connection. Tighten the screws so that the cable inside the P-Clip cannot slide through.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION Push the power supply connector into the reader port and tighten the retaining ring finger tight. Plug the female end of the power cord into the power supply. Plug the male end of the power cord into the 120 VAC outlet. 6. Connect reader to the LAN or host PC. Align the RJ-45 connector with the corresponding TCP/IP port on the reader and push the connector in. Connect to the other end to a LAN drop or network switch.
READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION CHAPTER 2 The frequency set by the F = n command will be entered into the reader nonvolatile memory and will come up at that frequency any time the reader is restarted. System Operation: Software Control The ALR-9890 – RR RFID Reader is controlled from software running on a host system that communicates with the reader using the ASCII-based Alien Reader Protocol. All applications use this protocol to communicate with the reader.
CHAPTER 2 READER HARDWARE INSTALLATION AND OPERATION to real-world challenges. You'll learn best industry practice tag placement techniques for packaging and pallets alike. Upon completion of the training, you will learn how to implement, avoid common costly mistakes, know how to make the correct decisions for your business, how to select the right RFID options for your requirements, and where to find RFID answers.
