Dot Origin VTAP Series Quick setup guide

Integration Guide -
Serial Integration Guide
Firmware from v2.2.2.1
VTAP50 and VTAP100
Revised November 2023 v1.01

If you need help to set up or use your VTAP reader, beyond what is contained in this
Integration Guide, then please contact our support team.
Email: [email protected]
Download the latest documentation and firmware from https://vtapnfc.com
Telephone UK and Europe: [phone]
Telephone North America and Latin America: [phone]
If you have any feedback on setting up or using your VTAP reader or this documentation,
then please contact our support team. The product is constantly being reviewed and
improved and we value feedback about your experience.
Copyright 2023 Dot Origin Ltd. All rights reserved.
No part of this Integration Guide may be published or reproduced without the written
permission of Dot Origin Ltd except for personal use. This Integration Guide relates to correct
use of the VTAP reader only. No liability can be accepted under any circumstances relating to
the operation of the user’s own PC, network or infrastructure.
Dot Origin Ltd
Unit 7, Coopers Place Business Park, Combe Lane, Wormley
Godalming GU8 5SZ United Kingdom
[phone]

Contents
1 Integrating VTAP with other systems 1
1.1 Basic - keyboard emulation and mass storage 1
1.2 Advanced - USB COM, serial RS232 or RS485 communications 2
2 Choice of interface 3
2.1 Interfaces to receive data from the VTAP reader 5
2.2 Interfaces to send commands or transfer files (firmware, config or
keys) to the VTAP reader 5
2.3 Available interfaces on the VTAP models 6
3 Receiving pass payload from a VTAP reader 7
3.1 Send pass payload over a serial RS232 or TTLinterface 8
3.2 Send pass payload over a serial RS485 interface 12
4 Sending commands to a VTAP reader 14
4.1 Data request commands 15
4.2 Dynamic commands 17
4.3 Remote management commands 20
5 Use an interface in passive mode 21
6 Transfer files over a command interface 23
7 About this Integration Guide 25
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1  Integrating VTAP with other systems
The VTAP reader is designed to be flexible, with many different ways that it can interface to
other systems, to accommodate a wide range of requirements. It is important to choose the
most suitable interface(s) when integrating a VTAP reader with other systems.
Interfaces available on the VTAP reader
lUSB keyboard emulation and mass storage
lUSB COM port
lSerial RS232 interface
(VTAP50-OEM and VTAP100-OEM option)
lSerial RS485 interface (VTAP100-PAC-485-CC only)
lSerial TTL/3.3V logic interface (VTAP50-OEM option)
lWiegand interface (VTAP100-PAC-W only).
Note: The Wiegand interface is specific to Access Control applications and discussed in
other VTAP Application Notes on that topic.
The tables in Section 2  Choice of interface will help you understand the pros and cons of
choosing one or more of these interface options.
The following sections explain the difference between a basic use of the VTAP reader
USB interface, assumed in the VTAP Configuration Guide, and the more advanced use of a
VTAP reader involving one or more serial interfaces.
1.1 Basic - keyboard emulation and mass storage
A simple point-of-sale or kiosk application, with a small number of VTAP readers on one site,
is likely to use USB keyboard emulation and mass storage options. The VTAP Configuration
Guide deals with the essential functions of a VTAP reader for this situation.
lDetecting a reader is present;
lReading data from the VTAP reader;
lChanging configuration file settings for reading passes, cards or tags, and providing the
configured user feedback;
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lLoading any necessary private ECC or application key files;
lUpgrading VTAP reader firmware.
The standard mass storage drive of the VTAP allows most of these functions to be performed
by third-party software integration or development, using standard file write functions, under
most combinations of programming language and operating system.
1.2 Advanced - USB COM, serial RS232 or RS485
communications
If more advanced functionality is required, the USB keyboard emulation and mass storage
drive are not always suitable, or may not be the best choice. You should consider which of
the VTAP interfaces best suits each function.
It may be that your integration requires more advanced functionality, such as:
l'Background' pass reading - the pass payload is received by an application running on an
operating system in the background, rather than the application in focus on that PC (with
the cursor correctly positioned to receive the keyboard input);
lDynamically changing configuration, either to suit different transaction types or switching
to card emulation mode and back (for detail refer to VTAP Application Notes on
VTAP NFC Tag Emulation).
All of the functions, both basic and advanced, can be reduced to three broad types:
lReceiving data from the VTAP reader - pass payload, card or tag data;
lSending commands to the VTAP reader- for dynamic configuration, to control
LED/buzzer, or request data or current settings;
lTransfer files - either firmware or configuration files.
After considering your choice(s) of interface, this Integration Guide will look at the best
approach for each of these types of action one by one.
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2  Choice of interface
The tables in sections 2.1 to 2.3 present all of the interface options and their pros and cons.
The first option in each table is the most basic configuration scenario, where pass payload or
tag data is sent from a single VTAP reader to the attached PC over a USB keyboard emulation
interface. Copying a firmware file to the VTAP mass storage drive is an easy way to update
firmware in this situation, if required.
Sending commands or remote transfer of files to the VTAP reader will require at least one of
the USB ComPort, RS232 serial, RS485 serial or TTL serial interfaces. These are called the
VTAP 'Command Interface(s)'.
Three common implementations are:
1. One of the serial ports is used for sending commands and file transfer, while pass payload
is sent over USB keyboard emulation;
2. The USB ComPort is used for sending commands and file transfer, with pass payload sent
over a serial RS232 interface;
3. Pass payload, sending commands and file transfer all use a single type of serial port, in
passive mode. (If you are using command-response actions and receiving routine data on
the same interface, choose passive mode to avoid the risk of pass reads interrupting other
actions.)
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Active or passive interface
The USB or serial communication interfaces, can be described as being in either
active or passive mode.
Active mode means that pass payload or card data read by the VTAP reader will be
sent immediately over the interface in use, whenever it is read. Active mode
allows simultaneous bi-directional communication, such as continuous reception of
any incoming data from the reader and sending any commands. (Active mode is not
therefore suitable for RS485 where communications are half-duplex.)
Passive mode means that the VTAP reader will only send data in response to a
command (query), listed in the VTAP Commands Reference Guide. Passive mode is
useful if your system or application polls for data to process, rather than reacting to
data which could arrive at any time. It ensures that data received can always be
treated as a response to the last command sent. Passive mode allows
uni-directional communication only, and so is recommended for the RS485
interface as that is half-duplex. It can also be used, on any of the full-duplex
interfaces on your VTAP reader (USB COM, serial RS232, TTL serial), if required for
your application.
Your preference is likely to be driven by your existing systems, and in-house technical
expertise.
If you need pinouts and hardware connection information please refer to the Installation
Guide for your VTAP reader (available on https://vtapnfc.com).
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2.1 Interfaces to receive data from the VTAP reader
 USB keyboard emulation USB ComPort and Serial
(RS232, RS485, TTL/3.3V logic)
Read
mode
Active Active/Passive
Command-
response
No Yes
Pros •Very simple set up
•Easily understood by non-technical staff
•No third-party software integration or
development required
•Can read pass/card data without the receiving
application being in focus on an operating system
•Commands can be sent to request data, read or
change settings
•Dynamic configuration changes possible
•Can be integrated in existing custom
software/script
Cons •Requires the receiving application to be open
and in focus for every pass read (cannot be in the
background). The cursor must be in the correct
position to receive keyboard input.
•As keyboard responses differ between UK/US
and Apple keyboards some characters may
change with operating system keyboard language
settings, requiring a special keyboard map (see
KBmap setting).
•Equipment reboot needed to initiate USB
ComPort
2.2 Interfaces to send commands or transfer files
(firmware, config or keys) to the VTAP reader
 USB mass storage emulation USB ComPort and Serial
(RS232, RS485, TTL/3.3V logic)
Pros •Very simple set up
•Easily understood by non-technical staff
•USB connection on most PCs
•Updating firmware requires simple copy/paste
operation
•Config.txt file (and LED.ini file on VTAP50) can
be opened and edited simply in a text editor such
as Notepad
•Serial connections widely used in industry
•Remote file transfer can be done easily using
Zmodem, without the operating system file
manager
•More suitable for scenarios with multiple VTAP
readers connected
•RS485 ideal for long cable run (up to 1200m)
Cons •File transfer can be done locally over USB
connection
•Detecting addition or removal of mass storage
not always reliable on Windows - difficulties for
automating file transfer
•May be file caching issues where a deleted file is
only detected by the operating system on
reboot/remount
•RS232 is only suited to short cable runs (up
to 15m)
•RS485 is half-duplex, which means
communication is in only one direction at a time.
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2.3 Available interfaces on the VTAP models
The table below illustrates available interfaces on all the VTAP models
VTAP model Keyboard
wedge/
barcode
emulation
USB
ComPort
TTL
Serial
Serial
RS232
Serial
RS485
Bluetooth
keyboard
VTAP50-OEM Available Available Available Available - -
VTAP100-OEM Available Available - Available - -
VTAP100-USB-CC Available Available - - - -
VTAP100-PAC-485-CC Available Available - Available Available -
VTAP100-PAC-W Available Available - Available - -
VTAP100-PRO
(Coming soon)
Available Available - Available - Available
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3  Receiving pass payload from a VTAP reader
Receiving pass payload (and card data) and sending it over one (or more) of its interfaces is
core functionality for a VTAP reader. You should decide which interface(s) will receive this
data, and whether that data should be sent automatically whenever a pass or card is read
(active mode) or whether another system is responsible for polling the reader on a regular
basis to request data (passive mode).
Although there is no restriction on the type of system that can be connected over the
interface you choose, there may be electrical safety measures to be observed in the hardware,
such as using rated power settings for the interface and the VTAP reader, grounding on both
sides, and cable shielding. You must ensure the commands used by the connected system
respect warnings or cautions that appear in this Integration Guide or the VTAP Commands
Reference Guide. (The next section discusses the commands to use if you want to poll for
data.)
The key advantage of choosing any option other than USB keyboard emulation, is that the
data can be read in the background and does not rely on a system cursor being present in an
entry box. It can also avoid the need for complex keyboard input handling code, or setting the
keyboard input language.
The configuration settings to send pass payload over USB keyboard emulation or send pass
payload over a virtual COM port are included in the VTAP Configuration Guide.
The settings to use other interfaces all follow the same basic pattern as those for keyboard
emulation, where <interface>Mode enables or disables the interface.
Most of the same settings are then used, with the appropriate KB, ComPort, Serial, or
Serial2 prefix, to determine which data to read, from which passes, cards or tags. There are
then a few extra settings specific to each interface. Refer to the VTAP Commands Reference
Guide for the specific settings to use with different interfaces.
This Integration Guide discusses the integration and operational aspects of using the serial
interfaces, including RS232 and RS485. It includes using the VTAP interfaces for sending
commands, which may be required for your integration and custom software development.
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