Access OCR310 User manual

Access Limited
18 Suttons Business Park
Reading, Berkshire
RG6 1AZ, United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
OCR310
Miniature OCR Reader Module
Product Manual
Revision 4
Jan 2010
Access Ltd Access (North America) Inc
18 Suttons Business Park PO Box 2569
Reading, Berkshire Peachtree City, Georgia
RG6 1AZ, United Kingdom 30269-2569, USA
Tel [phone] Tel [phone]
Fax [phone] Fax [phone]
Email [e-mail] Email [e-mail]

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About This Manual
OCR310 –Product Manual
Fourth Edition (Jan 2010) (c) 2009 Access IS
Part No.OCR310 Series www.access-is.com
All rights reserved. Whilst every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this manual, Access Ltd
assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from
the use of the information contained herein. We reserve the right to change the specifications, functions and
circuitry of the product without notice. All trademarks acknowledged.
Warnings
This manual contains important information regarding the installation and operation of the OCR310 reader.
For safe and reliable operation of the reader, all users must ensure that they are familiar with and fully
understand all instructions contained herein.
Warranty
Access Limited (trading as Access IS and formerly Access Keyboards Ltd) warrants that this product shall be
free from defects in workmanship and materials for a period of one year from the date of original purchase. If
the product should fail to operate correctly in normal use during the warranty period, Access Limited will
replace or repair it free of charge. No liability can be accepted for damage due to misuse or circumstances
outside Access Limited control. Also Access Limited will not be responsible for any loss, damage or injury
arising directly or indirectly from the use of this product. Access Limited total liability under the terms of this
warranty shall in all circumstances be limited to the replacement value of this product.
If any difficulty is experienced in the installation or use of this product that you are unable to resolve, please
contact Access IS.
Trademarks
All trademarks mentioned in this manual are acknowledged to be the property of the respective trademark
owners.
Access IS is a registered trademark of Access Limited.
IBM and PC/AT are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
Microsoft and Microsoft Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

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Radio Frequency Energy
European EMC directive 89/336/EEC
This equipment has been tested and found to
comply with the limits for a class A computing
device in accordance with the specifications in
the European standard EN55022. These limits
are designed to provide reasonable protection
against harmful interference. 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 or television
reception. However, there is no guarantee that
harmful interference will not occur in a particular
installation. If this equipment does cause
interference to radio or television reception, which
can be determined by turning the equipment on
and off, the user is encouraged to correct the
interference with one or more of the following
measures: (a) Reorient or relocate the receiving
antenna. (b) Increase the separation between the
equipment and the receiver. (c) Connect the
equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from
that to which the receiver is connected. (d)
Consult the supplier or an experienced radio / TV
technician for help.
FCC Compliance Statement (United States)
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate
radio frequency energy and if not installed and
used properly, that is, in strict accordance with
the manufacturer’s instructions, may cause
interference to radio communication. It has been
tested and found to comply with the limits for a
class A computing device in accordance with the
specifications in Subpart J of part 15 of FCC
rules, which are designed to provide reasonable
protection against such interference when the
equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area may cause interference, in which
case the user at his own expense will be required
to take whatever measures may be necessary to
correct the interference. Changes or
modifications not expressly approved by the
manufacturer could void the user’s authority to
operate the equipment.
Canadian Department of Communications RFI
statement
This equipment does not exceed the class A
limits for radio noise emissions from digital
apparatus set out in the radio interference
regulations of the Canadian Department of
Communications.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de
bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la
classe A prescrites dans le règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectriques publié par le ministère
des Communications du Canada.
Revision History
Rev 1 July 2008 First Release
Rev 2 January 2009 Addition of mounting installation instructions
Rev 3 March 2009 Various updates and corrections
Rev 3.5 July 2009 More updates and corrections.
Rev 4 Jan 2010 Minor corrections

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Contents
Revision History...........................................................................................................................3
1. Overview ..............................................................................................................................5
2. Specifications.......................................................................................................................6
3. Configuration........................................................................................................................7
3.1 Serial Connection...........................................................................................................................7
3.2 USB Connection.............................................................................................................................7
CDC Class .............................................................................................................................................................7
HID Keyboard Class emulation.............................................................................................................................7
Custom HID Class .................................................................................................................................................7
4. Installation............................................................................................................................9
5. Output Data Format............................................................................................................12
6. Operation ...........................................................................................................................13
7. Configuration......................................................................................................................14
8. Application Notes................................................................................................................16
9. Mounting Recommendations..............................................................................................17
10. Example Interface Schematics........................................................................................19

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1. Overview
The Access IS OCR310 series unit is a compact reader designed for use in document recognition of one, two
and three line travel and identity documents using OCR B.
Features:
Fast and reliable reading of passport, travel and identity documents up to 44 characters in length
Bi-directional document reading
Serial RS232 interface with selectable baud rate and USB with CDC and USB Keyboard emulation
Low power consumption
Low power sleep mode
Compact design

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2. Specifications
Dimensions: Length: 40mm
Height; 22mm (max)
Width; 24mm
Weight: 16g
Colour: Black
Environmental: Operating temperature 0º to 50ºC
Storage temperature 0º to 60ºC
Humidity 0 to 95%, non-condensing
Power Requirements: 3.3V DC +/- 10% Active: 100mA Nominal, Idle: 50mA Nominal , Sleep: 20mA Nominal
Electrical Interface: Serial LVCMOS or USB 1.1
Data Source: Machine Readable Passports (MRP) - 2 lines of 44 characters
Machine Readable Visas (MRV) -2 lines of 44 characters, 2 lines of 36 (size II)
Machine Readable Travel Cards - 2 lines of 36 (size II) & 3 lines of 30 (size I)
Font Type: OCR –B
Field of View: 19.6 mm nominal
Depth of Field: 1.0 mm nominal, 1.5mm Max
Data Standards: Conforms to ICAO 9303 standards
Approvals: To be confirmed.
Outputs: Open collector outputs for LED and sounder indication of good read/bad read.
Connection: 12 Way 0.5mm FFC
Pin Number
Function
1
RXD In 3.3V CMOS Non-Inverted
2
TXD Out 3.3V CMOS Non-Inverted
3
LED Out Open Collector Up to 5V 200mA
4
DC Power In 3.3V
5
USB D- Serially terminated
6
USB D+ Serially terminated
7
USB GND
8
CTS In 3.3V CMOS Non-Inverted
9
Power and Signal GND
10
RTS Out 3.3V CMOS Non-Inverted
11
Sounder Out Open Collector Up to 5V 200mA
12
Frame Ground

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3. Configuration
The device has an automatic selection between serial and USB modes. If there is no USB connection to the
device it will automatically switch to serial mode. When using USB mode it is recommended to tie the unused
serial inputs to signal ground.
3.1 Serial Connection
The serial interface is configured by default as 3.3V CMOS suitable for connection to RS232 via an interface
chip such as MAX3232 or direct to a 3.3V microprocessor. For evaluation a simple interface board with a
linear regulator and a 3.3V to RS232 chip is supplied. As supplied, the CTS input to the unit activates the
power down mode when it is inactive.
By default the output data is formatted to 9600 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop but can be changed to 7-bit even
parity. Available baud rates are 1200, 4800, 9600 and 19,200. Please contact Access IS Support for
information on modifying the protocol parameters.
For evaluation a simple board is available with a sounder, LED indicator, 3.3V linear regulator and a 3.3V
serial to RS232 buffer chip. The schematics are in appendix 9.
3.2 USB Connection
The USB interface is a standard full-speed (12 Megabit) USB 2.0
The unit has three configurable device classes under USB. These are CDC, HID Keyboard and Custom HID.
CDC Class
The CDC interface is the standard USB CDC class as defined in the Universal Serial Bus Class Definitions
for Communications Devices Revision 1.2 and PSTN subclass specifications.
Power down mode is enabled by deactivating the DTR line by sending the SetControlLineState command
with bit 0 of wValue set to zero.
Under Microsoft Windows the unit appears as a virtual COM port under Device Manager and can be
accessed in a similar way to other COM ports. This also handles the virtual COM port; port number can be
set from Device Manager.
For Microsoft Windows a suitable .INF file is supplied to enable the device to be used with the standard
Microsoft CDC driver. The .INF file can be downloaded from the link indicated below
http://downloads.access-is.com/0126b.inf
HID Keyboard Class emulation
The HID Keyboard Class emulation follows the USB HID 1.1 specification boot interface as defined in
appendices B, C and F. Note that power saving mode is not available in keyboard emulation mode
Custom HID Class
This is a custom HID interface following the USB HID 1.1 specification. It is used where a virtual COM port or
keyboard output is not appropriate. It usually requires installing a custom driver to bring the data into the
application.

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It is recommended to use XP service pack 3 with the unit although it can be used with service pack 2. For
evaluation purposes a simple USB interface board with a sounder, LED indicator and linear 5V to 3.3V
regulator is available. The schematics are in appendix 9.

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4. Installation
Microsoft Windows USB CDC Mode
Plug the unit into a USB port. This will bring up the Found New Hardware Wizard.
Click on “No, not this time” and then on “Next>”

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Click on Install from a list or specific location and then “Next >”.
Then Click on “Search for the best driver in these locations” and click on “Browse” to locate the file 126a.inf
Then click in “Next >”
Then Click on “Continue anyway”

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Then Click on “Finish” to complete.
Microsoft Windows USB Keyboard HID Mode
Plug the unit into USB and after a few messages the device will be automatically installed.

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5. Output Data Format
The OCR310 is supplied pre-configured with a simple output format. Other output formats are available on
request. Please contact Access IS Support Department for details:
<STX>
If present <Line 1 Data><CR>
If present <Line 2 Data><CR>
If present <Line 3 Data><CR>
<ETX>
It is also possible to configure the unit to send <CR><LF> instead of <CR> if the application needs it.

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6. Operation
The unit will produce an output once a document is swiped. It will substitute an asterisk for any character it
does not recognise. If it has more than seven characters it does not recognise then it outputs thirty asterisks.
If it does not recognise the document at all it will disregard the read and output nothing.
If there are any errors there are three short pulses on the sounder output and a pulse on the LED output. For
a good read there is one short pulse on the sounder output and no pulse on the LED output.

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7. Configuration
In normal use no setup is required.
The configuration mode can be enabled by sending an escape sequence to the unit.
This is “<ESC> L ~”(0x1B, 0x4C, 0x7E)
This brings up a menu which allows various parameters to be set and saved in non-volatile memory.
The menu looks something like this but may vary due to different firmware versions and options.
*** SYSTEM SETUP(V1.0) ***
Mar 17 2009 11:16:14
AKOCRS20A-0032M
1 - HOST PORT: 8 bit, No Parity
2 - HOST PORT: 9600 baud
3 - SOUNDER: Enabled
4 - HOST CTS: ON
6 - PROTOCOL: Unformatted
9 –USB CLASS: CDC
A - BAD ERRORS: NO OUTPUT
K - KEYBOARD EMULATE: US
S - SAVE & EXIT SETUP
X - EXIT SETUP WITHOUT SAVE
Enter 1 to 9, S or X:
Option 1 selects the format for serial output between 8 bit, no parity, one stop bit and 7 bit, even parity, one
stop bit. The default is 8 bit, no parity one stop. This has no effect on USB.
Option 2 selects the speed of the serial output between 9600, 19200, 1200 and 4800 baud. The default is
9600 and has no effect on USB.
Option 3 enables and disables the sounder output for status reporting.
Option 4 Enables and disables the serial handshaking and has no effect on USB
Option 6 Allows changing the format of the output data between the default “Unformatted” data bracketed by
the EXT and STX control characters and other custom protocols.

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Option 9 selects between the three USB classes. CDC, Keyboard HID and Custom HID. Note that this does
not affect the serial output. However setting the Keyboard HID mode means that the setup menu is then
inaccessible over USB and will need to be changed using the serial connection.
Option A selects the behaviour when a document is determined to be unreadable. The two settings are
Ignore or output 30 asterisks. This is useful if you need confirmation that a document was swiped even if it
was not readable. The default is no output.
Option K selects the language of the keyboard used when USB class is set to Keyboard HID. The current
choices are US, UK, DK, IS, ES, DE and FR. The default is US. Other languages are available by special
request please contact Access IS Support for details.
Option S will save the changed settings and exit the setup menu. The settings will not take effect until the unit
is repowered.
Option X discards the changed settings and exits the setup menu.
All other options are reserved.

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8. Application Notes
Under USB CDC mode the unit works as a virtual COM port under Microsoft Windows this is handled exactly
like a real COM port including handling the control lines.
The device can be put into a lower power mode where the document scanning is disabled but can be re-
enabled in less than 1ms. This mode is controlled by the CTS line when using serial communications or
setting the virtual serial port DTR line when using USB.
Note that if the device is unplugged from the USB bus whilst opened in the program then reattached the
device will not be accessible. In this case is necessary to close the device in the program (even if an error is
returned) and unplug and reconnect the unit. If the device is closed before reconnecting then the device
should be accessible on reconnection.

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9. Mounting Recommendations
The unit is designed to be flush mounted against the wall guide that the document is swiped along. The
document should be held close to the camera window during the swiping operation.
Recommend slot width should be 1.5mm, with a maximum of 2.0mm allowable. Please also ensure that the
camera window area is directly opposite a matt black surface on the opposing wall.
To ensure a smooth swipe action and thus reliable read, Access IS recommends the use of a smooth wear
resistant stainless steel track guide. This will also help reduce the possibility of debris occurring from swiped
media which could cause reading problems.
Example dimensional position of the unit within the track assembly:-

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10. Example Interface Schematics