Avid Technology Wand Reader-B User manual

Wand Reader-B
User's Manual
Congratulations on the purchase of your new Avid Wand Reader-B with Bluetooth® low
energy technology. This reader is capable of reading Avid RFID microchips, as well as many
other brands of RFID microchips using the FECAVA, Trovan, and ISO (FD -B) protocols. It
can also send microchip ID numbers to your tablet, smart phone or computer with Bluetooth
low energy support.
Table of Contents
1 Getting to Know your Wand Reader-B..................................................................................2
1.1 Reader and Antenna Wand............................................................................................2
1.2 Battery Compartment......................................................................................................2
1.3 Power Switch..................................................................................................................2
1.4 Display............................................................................................................................2
1.5 Read Buttons..................................................................................................................3
2 Reading Microchips with your Wand Reader-B.....................................................................4
3 Bluetooth Low Energy Interface.............................................................................................6
3.1 Change Cards.................................................................................................................6
3.2 Mode Change Card........................................................................................................6
3.3 Format Change Card......................................................................................................7
3.4 Pairing with your Device.................................................................................................8
3.5 Using the Bluetooth Low Energy Interface.....................................................................8
4 Display Messages..................................................................................................................9
5 Specifications.......................................................................................................................10
6 Regulatory Information.........................................................................................................11
7 Warranty and Customer Service..........................................................................................12
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 1 of 12

1 Getting to Know your Wand Reader-B
1.1 Reader and Antenna Wand
Your Wand Reader-B consists of two main parts, connected together by a cable. The
rectangular plastic housing contains the display, battery, and all of the reader electronics,
while the black wand contains the antenna which reads the microchips. The antenna is in the
loop at the end of the wand handle.
The antenna, handle and green push button are waterproof and can be completely immersed
underwater as long as the rectangular reader housing itself is kept out of the water. If you
need to use the Wand Reader-B in conditions where the main reader housing may get
splashed, then it is recommended to protect the main reader housing with a plastic bag.
1.2 Battery Compartment
The reader is powered by one 9-volt battery. An alkaline battery is recommended for longer
battery life. The battery is located in the battery compartment on the lower back side of the
reader housing. To replace the battery, slide the cover straight off to access the battery
compartment. After replacing the battery, slide the cover back to its original position, making
sure the wires are securely inside the compartment.
1. Power Switch
The power switch is located on the main reader housing. Slide it to ON to turn on the reader.
When the reader is turned on, it will beep and show its operating mode on the display. If the
reader does not beep and display some text, then check the battery.
To turn the reader off, slide the switch back to the OFF position. If left on, the reader will beep
several times after every three minutes of inactivity to remind you to turn it back off after use.
1.4 Display
The reader displays microchip ID numbers and status messages with the display on the front
of its main housing. When you turn on the reader, it will briefly display:
AVID/FEC/TR/ISO
to indicate that it can read Avid, FECAVA, Trovan, and ISO (FD -B) microchips. The display
will then show the current Bluetooth interface mode, and will continue showing the current
mode until you try to read a microchip. The mode display looks like:
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 2 of 12

AVID NNNNN mode
where NNNNN is a unique identifier for your reader, and mode is the current Bluetooth
interface mode. Bluetooth modes will be covered in detail in section 3.2.
1.5 Read Buttons
The Wand Reader-B has two read buttons: a small black button marked READ on the
rectangular housing, and a larger green button on the antenna wand. The green button on the
wand is waterproof, but the black button on the main reader housing is not.
Pressing and holding either read button tells the reader to begin looking for a microchip. The
display will show:
Looking
until a microchip is found or you release the read button.
When a microchip is found, the reader will beep twice with a high tone and show the number
on the display. If you release the read button before the reader finds a microchip, the reader
will beep once with a low tone the display will show:
No ID Found
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 3 of 12

2 Reading Microchips with your Wand Reader-B
The reader antenna is located in the round loop on the end of the wand handle. This provides
communications between the microchip and the reader. While pressing down either read
button, move the loop at the end of the antenna wand in a circular pattern while moving it
toward the animals head, starting from the middle of the animal's back:
Figure 1: Search Pattern
The reason for this scanning pattern is that microchip orientation plays a major role in reading
distances. In Figure 2, CHIP A, in a parallel orientation to the antenna loop, will achieve its
maximum reading distance towards the center of the loop. CHIP B, in a perpendicular
orientation to the loop antenna, will achieve its maximum read distance towards the outside
edges of the loop. It is therefore recommended to move the antenna in a circular motion so
that the loop antenna and the microchip will be optimally oriented at some point in the
scanning pattern.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
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Figure 2: Microchip Orientation
The reader will continue scanning for a microchip until either it finds one, or you release the
read button. Once the reader finds a microchip, it will beep twice with a high tone and show
the microchip ID number on its display. The display format will vary, depending on what type
of tag was read. Here are some examples of what different tag types will look like on the
display:
Microchip Type ID umber Sample
Avid Protocol AVID*123*456*78
ISO Protocol 77200000 7 56
FECAVA Protocol 22A2426F10
Trovan protocol 00-0132-824F
If you release the read button before the reader finds a microchip, then it will beep once with a
low tone and show:
No ID Found
Metal objects (especially ferrous metals) absorb electromagnetic fields. Operating the reader
antenna or placing the microchip too close to metal objects can severely limit the reading
range of the reader. If you are experiencing reduced operating range, check for metal
tabletops, doors, cage walls, etc. in close proximity (a few inches) to any part of the microchip
and/or reader. Also, make sure that you are using a fresh battery, because using a weak
battery will reduce microchip read range.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 5 of 12

Bluetooth Low Energy Interface
Your reader can send each microchip ID number that it reads directly to a device with
Bluetooth low energy support, such as a tablet, smart phone or computer. The reader will
appear as a wireless keyboard to the device. No special software or driver is required on the
paired device, as long as it has hardware and operating system support for a Bluetooth low
energy wireless keyboard. The MiniTracker 3-B can be used with any software which can
accept keyboard input, such as a spreadsheet, text editor, web browser, etc. Before the
reader can talk to your device, you need to pair them to each other as described in section
3.4.
.1 Change Cards
Your Wand Reader-B comes with two special cards which you use to configure its Bluetooth
low energy interface. You read them with your reader just like any RFID microchip to change
configuration settings. One is labeled Mode Change Card, and the other is labeled Format
Change Card:
Figure 3: Mode Change Card Figure 4: Format Change Card
Keep the two change cards away from the reader's antenna during normal use, so that they
will not interfere with reading other microchips.
.2 Mode Change Card
Each time you read the Mode Change Card with your Wand Reader-B, the reader will change
its current Bluetooth interface mode and then show which mode it has just changed to on the
display. The display will look like:
AVID NNNNN mode
where NNNNN is a unique identifier for your reader, and mode is the new Bluetooth interface
mode.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
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The possible modes are:
Mode Pairing
Required?
Description
OFF No Bluetooth low energy interface is disabled.
PAIR No Allow the reader to pair with a new device. This mode times out in
two minutes. When a new pairing is created, the reader
automatically switches to the NONE mode after the timeout. If no
new pairing is created, then the reader forgets its existing pairing
and switches to the OFF mode.
NONE Yes Bluetooth low energy keyboard emulation mode with no trailing
key after the microchip ID number.
ENTR Yes Bluetooth low energy keyboard emulation mode with ENTER key
after the microchip ID number.
TAB Yes Bluetooth low energy keyboard emulation mode with TAB key
after the microchip ID number.
The "pairing required" modes are only available if the reader has been paired with another
device, as described in section 3.4.
. Format Change Card
Each time you read the Format Change Card with your Wand Reader-B, the reader will
change how it formats Avid protocol microchip ID numbers when they are sent over the
Bluetooth low energy interface. Four formats are available:
Avid Microchip ID umber Format
AVID*123*456*78
123*456*78
A12345678
12345678
The default format is A12345678 , but you can choose whichever format is convenient for
use with your software. No matter which format you choose, Avid protocol microchip ID
numbers will always be displayed in AVID*123*456*78 format on the reader's display, and
the formatting of other types of microchip ID numbers will not be affected.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
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.4 Pairing with your Device
Before you can use your Wand Reader-B with your tablet, smart phone, computer, or other
device with Bluetooth low energy support, you need to pair them together. Start by reading
the Mode Change Card until the reader is in PAIR mode. The display will look like:
AVID NNNNN PAIR
where NNNNN is a set of six characters that is unique to your reader.
Now, while the reader is in PAIR mode, set it up as a wireless keyboard on your device,
following your device manufacturer's instructions. Your MiniTracker 3-B should appear as
"AVID NNNNN" on your device, where NNNNN is the same unique sequence of numbers
and/or letters that is displayed on the reader's display. Set up your device to treat the reader
as a US English keyboard.
.5 Using the Bluetooth Low Energy Interface
Once the reader is paired with your device and connected to it, put the device's cursor on its
device screen where you want a microchip number typed in. Read a microchip with your
reader and then the microchip number will appear on the paired device as though the number
had been typed in from a US English keyboard.
Many devices will hide their on-screen keyboard when any wireless keyboard is connected.
Just turn off your reader when you need to access the on-screen keyboard on one of these
devices.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 8 of 12

4 Display Messages
The reader's display can show many different status and mode messages in addition to
microchip ID numbers. Here is a summary of the various messages which you might see
while using your reader.
Message Timeout Description
Battery Low None The battery voltage is very low. Please turn off the
reader power and remove the weak battery
immediately to prevent battery leakage, and
replace it with a fresh battery.
Connected NNN 3 sec. The reader has successfully connected with a
Bluetooth device in NONE, ENTR, or TAB modes.
NNN is the connection state code.
Disconnect NNNN 3 sec. The reader has disconnected from a Bluetooth
device. NNNN is the disconnection code.
No ID Found None The reader did not find a microchip before the
read button was released.
Pair again 3 sec. The existing pairing data was invalid. The reader
automatically returns to OFF mode. The user may
initiate pairing again by switching to PAIR mode.
Pair failed NNNN 3 sec. The Bluetooth device cannot connect to the
reader. The failure code NNNN indicates the
problem with the Bluetooth device, e.g. device has
outdated pairing information.
Paired NNN None The reader has successfully paired with a
Bluetooth device in PAIR mode. NNN is the pairing
state code.
Pairing outdated 3 sec. The reader rejected pairing request. The pairing
information on the rejected device is outdated.
Pairing removed 3 sec. The PAIR mode timed out after 2 minutes. The
existing pairing information on the reader has
been removed.
Ready to read 3 sec. The reader can accept more tag reads for
Bluetooth keyboard entries.
Wait for ready 3 sec. The Bluetooth keyboard entry queue is full. Wait
for the Ready to read message before
scanning another tag. The reader will display
Ready to read when it is ready to read and
transfer another tag.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
Page 9 of 12

5 Specifications
Operating Frequency: 125 kHz
Operating Temperature Range: 32° to 122° F (0° to 50° C)
Storage Temperature Range: 4° to 158° F (-20° to 70° C)
Power: One 9-volt alkaline battery
Display: 16 character monochrome, reflective liquid crystal display
(LCD)
Indicators: Audible beeps and LCD
Microchip Compatibility: Avid (125 kHz), FECAVA (125 kHz), Trovan (128 kHz) and
ISO FD -B (134.2 kHz) protocol microchips, produced by
multiple manufacturers
Reader Dimensions: 2.4"W (6.1cm) x 6.9"L (17.5cm) x 0.86"H (2.2cm)
Antenna Wand Dimensions: 21"L (53.3cm) , 4.0"I.D. (10.1cm), 5.0"O.D. (12.7cm)
Combined Weight: 1 lb. (453.5grams)
Avid Injectable Microchip Read
Range:
6" (15.3cm) typical*
FECAVA Injectable Microchip
Read Range:
6" (15.3cm) typical*
ISO (FD -B) Injectable
Microchip Read Range:
5" (12.7cm) typical*
Trovan Injectable Microchip
Read Range:
4.5" (11.4cm) typical*
Environment: Antenna wand loop, handle, switch, and cable are
waterproof and may be immersed. Reader housing is not
waterproof, and should not be exposed to water.
* Reading ranges were measured using 12mm implantable microchip transponders. Reading
distances will vary depending on the orientation and the size of the microchip transponder.
Avid Wand Reader-B User's Manual: 2017-07-14 Release
Copyright © 2017 Avid Identification Systems, Inc.
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