User's Manual

Setting up the DataGuard rf Scan Station and Antenna Pad
Follow these steps to set up and properly position the Scan Station reader and antenna pad:
• Make sure the host computer is turned off and that no power is supplied to the Scan
Station.
o The host computer should be using the either Windows® 2000 or XP
operating systems.
o The host computer should have the RFID tracking software for the
DataGuard rf Tape Tracking System installed (see Section 3 of the manual
for the DataGuard rf Tape Tracking System).
• Set up the antenna pad away from large pieces of metal that may interfere with the
operation of the antenna.
o
No power should be applied to the Scan Station reader until after the antenna
pad is attached.
o The Scan Station reader must be at least 15 cm (6 inches) away from the
antenna pad.
 Leave sufficient space around the Scan Station reader and antenna
pad to allow proper air circulation to avoid overheating.
 Position the Scan Station reader so that the operator can observe the
activity LEDs (see below) during scanning or initialization of the tags.
o The antenna pad must be at least 50cm (20 inches) away from large pieces
of metal. Large pieces of metal include—
 Table legs, edges, and drawers
 Metal cabinets, cases, and equipment
 Metal studs in walls
 Small pieces of metal may also affect the antenna depending on their
size and orientation.
 Keep coiled cable or wire away from the antenna.
 If there is a second Scan Station near by, its antenna must be at least
XX cm (XX feet) from this Scan Station or any other 13.56 MHz HF
RFID antenna.
• Connect the antenna pad cable to the scanner body. See Figure 1 below.
o Arrange the antenna pad cable away from the antenna.
Figure 1
• Attach RS-232 cable from the Scan Station reader to the suitable RS-232/COM port
on the host computer.
o Arrange the RS-232 cable away from the antenna pad.
o Note—the operating system on the host computer will only allocate the COM
port once on start-up. Do not user other software on the COM port because it
might interfere with the operation of the Scan Station.
3
o Use only the supplied RS-232 cable to maintain minimum radio interference.