User's Manual

screen, and Configurator® will automatically poll the serial port, identify the Panel
Reader, and display the current configuration settings. Configurator® comprises a
single window display within which all options are listed and all possible settings are
viewable in drop-down menu boxes.
Clicking on any down-arrow on any option item causes the drop-down menu to appear,
from which the user can select any of the listed alternate option settings. Once all
selections have been made, clicking on the “Write Settings” toolbar icon will place the
user’s settings into the reader, where they will remain permanently, until altered by
Configurator®. When a tag is read, the resulting ID code information is displayed at
the bottom of the screen in the format that has been determined by the configuration
settings which have been selected. For more information and detailed instructions,
please refer to the Configurator® instruction guide.
Note 3 - The Configurator® program will automatically determine the communications
parameters that are effective in the Panel Reader. The factory default settings are 9600
bits/second, no parity, 8 bits/word, 1 stop bit, and no flow control. If these parameters are
changed by the user, these settings will be automatically detected by Configurator® so that
communications remain possible in the future.
Once all configuration settings have been established by the user, tags may be read and
the corresponding output formats displayed in the Configurator® window. Checking
this with several sample tags will ensure that the configuration, and especially the data
format, has been set compatibly with the user’s intended application. After this
verification has been completed, the Panel Reader may be disconnected from its power
source and from the user’s PC, and installed in the intended physical location.
Mechanical Installation
Choosing an Installation Site
Several factors should be considered when selecting and/or constructing an installation
site in order to ensure optimum performance of the Panel Reader. Prior to making
structural changes to the target installation site, the user should temporarily install the
reader in a manner that as closely as possible simulates the permanent installation, and
verify that sufficient read range performance is possible (see Performance Verication
on page 11). The user should consider the following influences on overall system
performance.
(a)
Metal surfaces and structures - The Panel Reader uses radio frequency techniques
to communicate with the eartags. Metal objects, especially magnetic metals and
objects comprising surfaces and closed loop structures, can seriously degrade the
read range performance through absorption and deflection of the Panel Reader’s
electromagnetic fields. Ideally, the Panel Reader should be mounted on or
suspended from non-metallic structural members, and be free of metal surfaces
parallel to the Panel Reader’s plane. Structurally sound wood, fiberglass, plastic,
or concrete (not containing steel re-bar) are suitable materials against which the
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