caenrfid QuarkUp R1270 Technical document

R1270
500mW UHF RFID Ultra Compact Module
R1270CEVB
Quark Up Reader Evaluation Board
Technical Information Manual
Revision n. 00
29/05/2014
Authorized Reseller:
RFID4UStore
www.rfid4ustore.com
1-408-739-3500
[email protected]

Visit Quark Up R1270 web page and you will find the latest revision of data sheets,
manuals, certifications, technical drawings, software and firmware.
All you need to start using your reader in a few clicks!
Scope of Manual
The goal of this manual is to provi de the basic information to work with the Quark Up R1270 500mW UHF RFID Ultra
Compact Module.
Change Document Record
Date
Revision
Changes
Pages
29 May 2014
00
Preliminary release
-
Reference Document
[RD1] EPCglobal: EPC Ra di o-Frequency Identi ty Protocols Cl as s -1 Generati on-2 UHF RFID Protocol for
Communi cations a t 860 MHz –960 MHz, Vers i on 1.1.0 (December 17, 2005).
CAEN RFID srl
Vi a Vetrai a , 11 55049 Viareggi o (LU) - ITALY
Tel. [phone] Fax [phone]
info@ca enrfi d.com
www.caenrfi d.com
© CAEN RFID s rl –2014
Disclaimer
No pa rt of this ma nua l ma y be reproduced i n a ny form or by any means , el ectroni c, mechani cal, recording, or
otherwis e, wi thout the pri or written permi s s ion of CAEN RFID.
The information contained herein has been carefully checked and is believed to be a ccurate; however, no responsibility
is assumed for inaccuracies. CAEN RFID reserves the right to modi fy its products s peci fi cations without gi vi ng a ny
noti ce; for up to da te i nformati on pl ea se vis it www.caenrfi d.com.

Preliminary Product Information
This document contains information for a new product. CAEN RFID reserves the right to modi fy thi s product without
noti ce.
“Prel iminary” product i nformation describes products that are ready for production, but for which full characterization
da ta is not yet a vailable. CAEN RFID believes that the information contained in this document is accurate and rel i abl e.
However, the information is subject to change without notice and is provided “AS IS” without warranty of a ny ki nd
(Expres s or implied). You are advised to obtain the latest vers ion of relevant informa tion to verify, before pl acing
orders , that information being relied on is current a nd complete. All products are sold subject to the terms a nd
condi tions of sales upplied at the ti me of order acknowledgement, including thos e pertai ni ng to wa rranty, pa tent
infringement, and limitation of liability. No responsibility i s assumed by CAEN RFID for the us e of this informa ti on,
including use of this i nformation as the basis for manufacture or sale of any items, or for infringement of patents or
other rights of thi rd pa rties .
Disposal of the product
Do not dispose the product in municipal or household waste. Please check your localregul ati ons for
di s pos al /recycl e of el ectroni c products .

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
4
Index …
Scope of Manual............................................................................................................................................................................. 2
Change Document Record.............................................................................................................................................................. 2
Reference Document......................................................................................................................................................................2
Index … ......................................................................................................................................................................................................4
List of Figures.............................................................................................................................................................................................5
List of Tables..............................................................................................................................................................................................5
1Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................................6
General Information.......................................................................................................................................................................7
Rea der................................................................................................................................................................................7
Evaluation Board................................................................................................................................................................ 7
Accessories .....................................................................................................................................................................................8
R1270 Quark Up ReaderAccessories .................................................................................................................................8
R1270CEVB Quark Up Evaluation Board Accessories........................................................................................................8
Development Ki t.............................................................................................................................................................................9
Orderi ng Options............................................................................................................................................................................9
Installation Noti ce ........................................................................................................................................................................10
2Quark Up R1270...........................................................................................................................................................................11
Technical Speci fications Table...................................................................................................................................................... 12
External Connections....................................................................................................................................................................13
R1270 s upply and I/O connector electri cal chara cteris tics.............................................................................................15
Power supply connection ................................................................................................................................................16
General purpose I/O connecti ons ...................................................................................................................................17
External reset...................................................................................................................................................................17
UART connection ............................................................................................................................................................. 18
USB connecti on................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Antenna port specifications.............................................................................................................................................19
Rea der –Tag Link Profiles ............................................................................................................................................................20
Fi rmwa re Upgrade........................................................................................................................................................................20
BSL opera tion...................................................................................................................................................................20
Fi rmwa re upgrade via R1270CEVB board........................................................................................................................21
PCB Pad Layout............................................................................................................................................................................. 23
3Quark Up R1270CEVB ..................................................................................................................................................................24
Technical Speci fications Table...................................................................................................................................................... 25
Connection diagra m.....................................................................................................................................................................25
Installation Noti ce ........................................................................................................................................................................26
Technical drawings .......................................................................................................................................................................26
Electri cal scheme..........................................................................................................................................................................27
External Connections....................................................................................................................................................................28
Installing the USB Vi rtual COM port dri ver ..................................................................................................................................29

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
5
List of Figures
Fi g. 1.1: Quark Up R1270 500mW UHF RFID Ultra Compact Module .......................................................................................................7
Fi g. 1.2: Quark Up R1270CEVB - Quark-Up Reader Evaluation Board.......................................................................................................7
Fi g. 1.3: R1270CEVB Accessories ...............................................................................................................................................................8
Fi g. 1.4: R1270CXDK: R1270 - Development kit with reader, adapter, antennas, cable and demo tags ................................................. 9
Fi g. 1.5: Connection of the R1270CEVB to the Quark Up R1270 module ............................................................................................... 10
Fi g. 2.1: Qua rk Up R1270 technical drawings..........................................................................................................................................13
Fi g. 2.2: Quark Up R1270 power supply connection............................................................................................................................... 16
Fi g. 2.3: Qua rk Up R1270 GPIO connection example..............................................................................................................................17
Fi g. 2.4: Quark Up R1270 external reset.................................................................................................................................................. 17
Fi g. 2.5: Quark Up R1270 RS232 connection........................................................................................................................................... 18
Fi g. 2.6: Quark Up R1270 USB connection ..............................................................................................................................................19
Fi g. 2.7: BSL sequence..............................................................................................................................................................................20
Fi g. 2.8: PCB pad layout...........................................................................................................................................................................23
Fi g. 3.1: Quark Up R1270CEVB technical drawing...................................................................................................................................26
Fi g. 3.2: Quark Up R1270CEVB electri cal s cheme ...................................................................................................................................27
Fi g. 3.3: Quark Up R1270CEVB SMT pads................................................................................................................................................28
List of Tables
Tab. 2.1: Quark Up R1270 Techni cal Specifications ................................................................................................................................ 12
Tab. 2.2: Quark Up R1270 connector pinout...........................................................................................................................................14
Tab. 2.3: Quark Up R1270 supply and I/O connector electri cal cha racte ris tics......................................................................................16
Tab. 2.4: RF port pinout...........................................................................................................................................................................19
Tab. 2.5: RF port electrical chara cteris tics...............................................................................................................................................19
Tab. 2.6: Quark Up R1270 reader to tag link profiles..............................................................................................................................20
Tab. 3.1: R1270CEVB - Qua rk-Up Reader Evaluation Board....................................................................................................................25
Tab. 3.2: Quark Up R1270CEVB GPIO connector pinout.........................................................................................................................28
Tab. 3.3: Quark Up R1270CEVB SMT pads signals...................................................................................................................................28

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
6
1Introduction
This Chapter gives general information a bout the Quark Up R1270 500mW UHF RFID Ultra
Compact Module. It conta i ns thes e topics :
General Information
Accessories
Development Kit
Ordering Options
Installation Notice

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
7
General Information
Reader
The Qua rk-Up (Model R1270), OEM rea der of the easy2read©Family, is a n UHF multiregional ultra compact rea der for
low power, hi gh performa nces UHF RFID a ppl ica tions .
Wi th programmable output power in 18 s teps from 10dBm to 27dBm, the reader can detect ta gs at more than 3 mt of
di s ta nce (dependi ng on antenna a nd tag dimens i ons ).
Due to its low power consumption, the module is specifically desi gned to be ea s i ly i n tegrated in ba ttery powered
devices .
The radio frequency core of the module permits to achieve fast reading and to be used in dense reader and dens e ta g
environments for top-cl a ss rated performa nces .
The compactness of the devi ce and the board-to-board connector allow to embed the R1270 i nside the new small form
fa ctor i ndus trial ha ndhel ds , s ma rtphone a cces s ories a nd other compa ct form fa ctor devices .
The R1270 complies with a nd can operate i n both European and US regulatoryenvironments and due to its
multiregional capabilities, it's ideal for integration in devices requiring compliance to different geographical regions.
Fig. 1.1: Quark Up R1270 500mWUHF RFID Ultra Compact Module
Evaluation Board
The R1270CEVB evaluation board allows to manage the R1270 Qua rk Up reader directly via USB interface. This boa rd
is pa rticul arly s uited for Qua rk Up rea der eval uati on a nd SW devel opment purposes .
Fig. 1.2: Quark Up R1270CEVB - Quark-Up Reader Evaluation Board

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
8
Accessories
R1270 Quark Up ReaderAccessories
None.
R1270CEVB Quark Up Evaluation Board Accessories
Check for the s uppl ied a cces s ories bel ow:
No. 1 USB ca bl e
Fig. 1.3: R1270CEVB Accessories

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
9
Development Kit
R1270CXDK –500mW UHF RFID Ultra Compact Module Development Kit i s a vail able:
Fig. 1.4: R1270CXDK: R1270 - Development kit with reader, adapter, antennas, cable and demo tags
The R1270 Quark Up reader development kit is a complete RFID set up, for a quick implementation of RFID solutions. It
includes:
n. 1 R1270 - 500mW UHF RFID Ul tra Compact Module
n. 1 R1270CEVB - Qua rk-Up Rea der Eval ua tion Boa rd
n.1 Circula r Pola rized Qua drifi l ar Antenna U.FL ETSI
n.1 Circula r Pola rized Qua drifi l ar Antenna U.FL FCC
n. 1 Set of Labels
n. 1 A927Z Temperature Logger Ta g
n. 1 RT0005 Temperature Logger Ta g
n. 1 USB ca bl e
Ordering Options
Code
Description
Reader
WR1270CXAAAA
R1270 - Ultra Compa ct Embedded UHF RFID Rea der
Development
kit
WR1270CXDKAA
R1270 - Development kit with rea der, adapter, antenna s, ca bl e and
demo ta gs
Accessories
WR1270CEVBXA
R1270CEVB - Quark-Up Rea der Eval ua tion Boa rd
WANT020XAUFL
ANT020/UFL - Qua d - Circular polarized quadrifilarantenna (ETSI) - U.FL
WANT021XAUFL
ANT021/UFL - Qua d - Circular polarized quadrifilarantenna (FCC) - U.FL

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
10
Installation Notice
The correct wa y to connect the Quark Up R1270 module to the evaluation board is shown i n the fol lowing pictures :
Fig. 1.5: Connection of the R1270CEVB to the Quark Up R1270 module
+

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
11
2Quark Up R1270
Thi s Chapter provides the basic information to work wi th the Quark Up R1270 500mW UHF
RFID Ultra Compact Module. It conta i ns thes e topics :
Technical Specifications Table
External Connections
Reader –Tag Link Profiles
Firmware Upgrade
PCB Pad Layout

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
12
Technical Specifications Table
Frequency Band
902÷928 MHz (FCC pa rt 15)
865.600÷867.600 MHz (ETSI EN 302 208)
RF Power
Programmable i n 18 levels(1dB step) from 10dBm to 27dBm (from 10mW
to 500mW) conducted
Output Power Accuracy
+/- 1dB
Antenna VSWR Requirement
2:1 or better for optimum performa nces
Antenna Connector
Nr. 1 U.FL type
Frequency Tolerance
±10 ppm over the entire temperature range
Number of Channels
4 cha nnel s (compl ia nt to ETSI EN 302 208 v1.3.1)
50 hopping cha nnel s (compl ia nt to FCC part 15.247).
Standard Compliance
EPC C1G2 [RD1]/ISO 18000-6C
Digital I/O
4 I/O l ines (3.3V l evel; Iout=3mA max)
Connectivity
USB interface:
One USB 2.0 Full Speed (12Mbit/s ) device port
UART Seria l Port:
Baudrate: up to 115200
Da tabits : 8
Stopbi ts: 1
Parity: none
Flow control : none
3.3 V I/O Volta ge Level
DC Power
5.0 VDC+/-5%
Power Consumption
2.7W @ RF out = 27dBm
1.6W @ RF out = 23dBm
0.15W in idle mode
Operating Temperature
-10 °C to +55 °C
Dimensions
(W)25 x (L)25 x (H)6 mm3
(1.0 x 1.0 x 0.2 inch3)
Weight
5 g
Tab. 2.1: Quark Up R1270Technical Specifications
Warning: The RF settings must match the country/region of operating to comply with local laws and regulations.
It is not allowed the use in different countries/regions from the one in which the device has been sold.

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
13
External Connections
The locati on of the connectors i s s hown in Fi g. 2.1. Thei r mechanica l s peci fi cations a re l is ted below:
Antenna Port: U.FL fema le (P.N. HIROSE: U.FL-R-SMT-1(10)).
Supply and I/O connector: Mol ex P.N. 53748-0208 (ma tes wi th Molex 52991-0208 to be us ed on the hos t boa rd).
Fig. 2.1: Quark Up R1270 technical drawings

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
14
Suppl y a nd I/O connector pi nout is s hown i n the foll owi ng tabl e 1:
Pin #
Signal
Description
1
GND
Ground
2
TCK
TCK JTAG si gnal (debug purpose only)
3
GND
Ground
4
/RST
Reset
5
TXD
UART TX to host
6
TMS
TMS JTAG s ignal (debug purpose only)
7
RXD
UART RX from hos t
8
TDI
TDI JTAG s ignal (debug purpose only)
9
5V_USB
USB Vbus voltage
10
TDO
TDO JTAG si gnal (debug purpose only)
11
BSL_SEL
Bootl oader interface selection
12
TST
TST JTAG s ignal (debug purposeonly)
13
D+
USB da ta +
14
GPIO0
General Purpose IO #0
15
D-
USB data -
16
GPIO1
General Purpose IO #1
17
VIN
Input supply vol tage
18
GPIO2
General Purpose IO #2
19
VIN
Input supply vol tage
20
GPIO3
General Purpose IO #3
Tab. 2.2: Quark Up R1270 connector pinout
The GPIO0-GPIO3 pins are 4 general purpose bidirectional pins, their default direction at power up (or after a Reset) is
input.
The rea der can be controlled via UART or USB interface. The s election of the interface is performed i nternal l y to the
module a ccording to the following algorithm: if no i nterface has been previously s elected a nd a high l evel s ignal is
detected on the RXD pin, the UART interface i s s el ected a nd the USB interfa ce i s dis abl ed; on the contrary if no
interface has been previously selected and RXD pin is at l ow level or l eft unconnected, the USB interface i s selected and
the UART interface i s disabled. Please note that in case you want to s witch between the two i nterfaces you ha ve to
res et the modul e.
For the USB interfa ce a Vi rtua l COM Port (VCP) is implem ented.
To es tablish a link with the device us i ng UART or VCP connecti on, you mus t confi gure your COM port as fol lows :
Baud rate: 115200
Parity: None
Da ta bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
Flow Control: none
JTAG pi ns, unlessotherwise noted, are for i nterna l de bug purpos e only a nd sha l l not be connected by the us er.
/RST and BSL_SEL pins shall be properly driven to s tart the bootloader of R1270 embedded microcontroller in case the
us er wants to upgrade the firmware image of the reader. In normal operation BSL_SE L s hal l be at low level or left
unconnected.
See § BLS operation pag. 20 for the des cripti on of the bootl oa der operation.
1Debug purpose and unused pins should not be connected.

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
15
R1270 supply and I/O connector electrical characteristics2
Pin name
Pin No.
Parameter
Min
Type
Max
Unit
GND
1,3
TCK
2
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Input current
10
μA
/RESET
4
VIL
-0.3
0.6
V
VIH
1.65
3.6
V
Inte rna l pul l -up res i sta nce
47
kΩ
Puls e width
10
μs
TXD
5
VOL
0
0.55
V
VOH
2.5
3.5
V
Output current
3.0
mA
TMS
6
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Input current
10
μA
RXD
7
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Input current
10
μA
TDI
8
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Input current
10
μA
5V_USB
9
Input DC volta ge
4.75
5.00
5.25
V
Input current
20
mA
TDO
10
VOL
0
0.55
V
VOH
2.5
3.5
V
Output current
3.0
μA
BSL_SEL
11
VIL
-0.3
1.0
V
VIH
2.2
3.6
V
Internal pull-down resi sta nce
10
kΩ
TST
12
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Internal pull-down resi sta nce
45
kΩ
D+,D-
13,15
VOL
0
0.3
V
VOH
2.8
3.6
V
Impedance
28
44
Ω
GPIO[0:3]
14, 16,
18, 20
VOL
0
0.55
V
VOH
2.5
3.5
V
Output current
3.0
mA
VIL
-0.3
0.75
V
VIH
1.5
3.6
V
Input current
10
μA
2Exceeding maximum values reported in the table may cause permanent damage to the model.

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
16
Pin name
Pin No.
Parameter
Min
Type
Max
Unit
VIN3
17,19
Input suppl y vol ta ge
4.75
5.00
5.25
V
Suppl y current (idle )
30
mA
Suppl y current (RF ON @
23dBm)
0.32
A
Suppl y current (RF ON @
27dBm)
0.55
A
Tab. 2.3: Quark Up R1270 supply and I/O connector electrical characteristics
Power supply connection
In the fol lowi ng schema tic s ugges ted R1270 power supply connecti on i s s hown.
An externa l 100uF bypa s s ca pacitor between Vi n and GND is recommended for proper opera ti on.
The use of fuse F1 (or a n equivalent solid state current limiter) is recommended since R1270 doesn't provide i nternal
current li mita ti on protection.
Fig. 2.2: Quark Up R1270 power supply connection
3External 100uF bypass capacitor between Vin and GND is recommended for proper operation.
Quark Up
Module

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
17
General purpose I/O connections
The GPIO0-GPIO3 pins are 4 general-purposebidirectionalpins. Their default di rection a fter a power on reset or a
general res et is s et to input.
GPIO, when configured as Outputs, can be used to drive indicators as leds or buzzers or to send trigger signal to others
equi pments .
GPIO, when configured as Inputs, can a ccept control signals from other equipments or tri gger signals from sensors (i.e.
photocel ls ).
In the fol lowi ng schema tic a n exampl e of appl icati on of GPIO i s s hown.
Fig. 2.3: Quark Up R1270 GPIO connection example
External reset
R1270 ma nual reset can be performed by forcing at low level /RESET pin for 10μs a t least. /RESET pin is pulled-up by an
interna l res is tor.
Fig. 2.4: Quark Up R1270 external reset
Quark Up
Module
Quark Up
Module

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
18
UART connection
The RXD/TXD pins are used to communicate with the R1270 board via UART port. Si nce Quark Up RX/TX are TTL l evel
si gnals, in order to connect it wi th a PC, a TTL/RS232 translator s hall be us ed (pl ea se refer to the dia gram bel ow).
To es ta bli s h a li nk wi th the device, the host COM port s ha ll be configured as fol low s:
Baud rate: 115200
Parity: None
Da ta bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
Flow Control: none
Fig. 2.5: Quark Up R1270 RS232 connection
Quark Up
Module

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
19
USB connection
In the foll owi ng i mage the connecti on between R1270 module a nd USB interfa ce is s hown.
Since the maximum supply current for the reader exceeds the USB li mita tion (500mA), the s uppl y vol tage sha ll be
provi ded via a n externa l power s ource or via a dua l USB cable .
The 5V_USB s ignal a t pin 9 of reader connector i s not intended to supply the module but is used by the rea der to
detect the presence of a n USB hos t.
Fig. 2.6: Quark Up R1270 USB connection
A Vi rtual COM Port is implemented, in order to establish a linkwith the device, the host COM port s hall be confi gured
as fol lows :
Baud rate: 115200
Parity: None
Da ta bits: 8
Stop bits: 1
Flow Control: none
The VID/PID combination that identifies the USB device is:
VID: 21E1
PID: 0080
Antenna port specifications
In the fol lowi ng tabl e the pi nout of R1270 a ntenna is shown.
Pin #
Function
Direction
Description
INNER
RF OUT
OUT
RF output
OUTER
GND
-
Ground
Tab. 2.4: RF port pinout
Parameter
Min
Typ.
Max
Unit
RF output power
10
500
mW
10
27
dBm
Output power vs. power setting a ccuracy
± 1
dB
RF port impedance
50
Ω
Recommended antenna VSWR
2:1
-
Tab. 2.5: RF port electrical characteristics

Quark Up R1270 - R1270CEVB - Technical Information Manual
20
Reader –Tag Link Profiles
Qua rk Up reader supports different modula tion and return li nk profil es accordi ng to EPC Cl as s1 Gen2 protocol.
In the following table are reported allprofiles that have been tested for the compliance with ETSI and FCCregulations .
Link profile #
Regulation
Modulation
Return Link
0
ETSI - FCC
PR–ASK; f=40kHz
FM0; f = 40kHz
1
ETSI - FCC
PR–ASK; f=40kHz
Mil ler (M=4); f = 256kHz4
2
ETSI - FCC
PR–ASK; f=40kHz
Mil ler (M=4); f = 320kHz
Tab. 2.6: Quark Up R1270 reader to tag link profiles
Firmware Upgrade
Qua rk Up reader firmware upgrade is based on Boot Start Loader (BSL) of the embedded mi crocontrol ler ins i de the
modul e.
An upgrade s oftwa re has been developed to be us ed wi th Qua rk Up eva lua tion boa rd (mod. R1270CEVB).
BSL operation
In order to s tart the BSL of Quark Up internal microcontroller /RST and BSL_SEL signal shall be driven as in the picture
bel ow:
Fig. 2.7: BSL sequence
The BSL program execution s tarts if after a reset (or at power up) the BSL_SEL pin is at hi gh level for at l ea st 100ms.
The sel ected interfa ce for upgrade operati on i s the USB and the protocol a ppl ied is defi ned a s:
•HID protocol wi th one input endpoint a nd one output endpoi nt. Each endpoint h as a l ength of 64 bytes .
•VID: 0x2047
•PID: 0x0200
4Default value.