ON Semiconductor SPS1M-EVK User manual

©Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, 2016
March, 2016 −Rev. 1
1Publication Order Number:
EVBUM2324/D
SPS1M-EVK
SPS1M-EVK Battery Free
Wireless Sensor Handheld
Evaluation System
Introduction
This guide describes how to use the Handheld Evaluation
System to carry out sensor measurements using Magnus®−S
technology.The system consists of the handheld reader,
charger, cradle,and sample sensor tags.
The reader is pre−loaded with application software which
reads sensor tags and reports results with a single button
click. If the reader sees more than one sensor tag,it will
measure the tag with the highest reported received power,
and ignore the others.
The cradle is used for connecting the reader to a PC.This
is generally only required for updating the software on the
reader; it is not necessary for normal use.The reader has a
power plug for charging without the cradle.To use the
cradle,plug in the USB cable and power cable to the back of
the cradle,and connect the USB cable to the PC.Insert the
reader vertically into the cradle and then rotate the reader
backward to lock it in place (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Connecting the Reader to the Cradle
When the reader is connected,Windows should
automatically install the driver necessary to communicate
with it,and the Windows Mobile Device Center will launch.
Access the reader memory by selecting “Connect without
setting up your device”, and then “Browse the contents of
your device” under “File Management”. See Figure 2.
If Windows does not recognize the reader, install the
driver software in the WinDriverInstall folder provided with
this Evaluation System.
Figure 2. Accessing Reader Memory through a PC
Connection
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Launching Sensor Software
To launch the handheld Sensor software, double−click the “My Device” icon on the Desktop. Then double−click “Flash”,
then the “Sensor_xxxxx” folder, and finally the “Sensor” icon as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Launching the Sensor Software
At startup, the handheld screen looks like the screenshot
in Figure 4. The following controls are available:
•Read button: Starts the sensor read process. Pressing
the round yellow button on the keypad also starts a read
•Setup button: Opens the Setup screen with additional
controls
•Sound button: Toggles on and off the beep which
sounds when a read is complete
The battery indicator is at the bottom of the screen.It gives
the battery charge percentage or reads “Charging” when the
unit is plugged in.
Figure 4. Main Screen
The Setup screen is shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. Setup Screen
The following controls are available:
•Buttons
♦Back: Returns to the main screen
♦Advanced: Opens the Advanced screen with
additional settings
♦Exit: Quits the application
•Pulldowns
♦Trip Below: When the measured Sensor Code is
lower than this value, the main screen can optionally
display a message and a background color
♦5C / 5F: For temperature measurements, chooses
Celsius or Fahrenheit units

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♦AutoPw RSSI: Sets the minimum and maximum
target values for the AutoPower feature. See
Section 2.6.
♦Max Power: Sets the maximum power level the unit
will use. Larger numbers correspond to lower
powers.
♦Display: Sets the output type to be displayed when
the read completes. See Section 2.5.
•Checkboxes
♦Autopower: Activates the AutoPower function. See
Section 2.6.
♦Dashboard: Replaces the logo with the Dashboard
which provides more detailed information about the
result of a sensor tag read. See Section 2.7.
♦High Precision: Activates High Precision mode. In
this mode, the unit will make 30 read attempts
before displaying the results. This mode is
recommended for temperature measurements and for
Sensor Code measurements when precise values are
desired. When turned off, 10 reads are attempted.
♦Fast: Activates Fast mode. This mode will display a
result as quickly as possible, at the cost of lower
precision.
The Advanced screen is shown in Figure 6.
Figure 6. Advanced Screen
The following controls are available:
•Pulldowns
♦Region: Sets the RFID frequency band to use.
Setting to a band not corresponding to the reader
hardware will result in reduced performance.
♦Algorithm: Sensor Code values generally vary
linearly with the frequency channel on which they
are read. This pulldown selects whether the final
result will be the average of the individual reads, or
will be computed by performing a linear regression
analysis on the data. See Application Note AN006
for more information.
♦Trip Color: If the Sensor Code result is below the
trip value defined in the Setup screen, the result will
displayed with this background color.
♦Trip Phrase: If the Sensor Code result is below the
trip value defined in the Setup screen, this phrase
will be displayed.
♦No Trip Color: If the Sensor Code result is above
the trip value defined in the Setup screen, the result
will displayed with this background color.
♦No Trip Phrase: If the Sensor Code result is above
the trip value defined in the Setup screen, this phrase
will be displayed.
♦Save Profile: Settings can be saved to one of five
profiles, which will be stored on text files in Flash
memory. This pulldown selects the profile number to
be saved to. Any settings saved to profile 0 will be
loaded automatically when the application is
launched.
♦Read Profile: Selects the stored settings profile
number to be read from.
•Buttons
♦Save: Save settings to the selected profile number
♦Read: Load settings from the selected profile
number
♦Apply: Applies any changed settings and returns to
the Setup screen
Result Types
The unit can display three different types of results: the
Sensor Code,temperature,and the On-Chip RSSI Code.
Sensor Code
The Sensor Code is a value between 0 and 31 for
Magnus−S2 tags, and between 0 and 511 for Magnus−S3
tags. It varies depending on the environment of the tag and
can be used to sense multiple quantities depending on the
design of the tag antenna.
On-Chip RSSI Code
The On−Chip RSSI Code is a value between 0 and 31
which indicates how much power the tag is receiving from
the reader (higher values indicate more power). The
On−Chip RSSI code is used by the AutoPower function to
control the amount of power the unit transmits to the tag.
Temperature
The unit can read the temperature code from the tag and
convert it to a value in degrees C or F. To perform the
conversion,the unit automatically reads temperature
calibration information stored in the Magnus−S chip.Only
Magnus−S3 tags support temperature measurements.
AutoPower and On-Chip RSSI
Sensor and temperature results can be distorted if the
sensor tag receives high levels of power from the reader (see
Application Note AN006 for more information). Because of
this, the reader transmit power should be reduced if the

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sensor tag is receiving enough power to cause distortion.
The power should not be turned down too low,however, or
reads could become unreliable.The AutoPower function
addresses this issue,and it is recommended that AutoPower
be turned on for sensor and temperature measurements.
The AutoPower function measures the power received by
the sensor tag by reading the On−Chip RSSI Code.It then
adjusts the reader transmit power and attempts to achieve an
On−Chip RSSI value within the range specified in the
AutoPower RSSI pulldowns in the Setup screen.The
recommended minimum and maximum target On-Chip
RSSI values are 16 and 21.
AutoPower attempts to quickly find a transmit power
which results in an On-Chip RSSI within the target range,
but is not guaranteed to succeed.If the average On-Chip
RSSI value reported from the tag is outside the target range,
a warning triangle will appear with the message “RSSI target
not met”. If the On-Chip RSSI exceeds the upper target limit,
the accuracy of the sensor or temperature measurement
could be impacted.
Figure 7. RSSI Target Not Met Warning
Dashboard
When the Dashboard is turned on,the logo is replaced by
more detailed information about the measurement.This is
explained in Figure 8.
Figure 8. The Dashboard Feature

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Read Counts
An individual measurement consists of multiple Sensor or
Temperature Code reads. Taking multiple readings corrects
for channel-frequency dependence in the Sensor Code and
reduces random noise in the sensor and temperature
measurements.
It is possible for some of the reads in a measurement to
fail.The reader will report a result if only some reads
succeed, but the accuracy of the result may be reduced. If
fewer than half of the read attempts in a measurement are
successful,a warning triangle will appear with the message
“Few reads” (Figure 9). The Dashboard can be used to
determine how many reads succeeded in a measurement.
Figure 9. The “Few reads” Warning
Making Measurements
Antenna Orientation
The reader antenna must extended (folded out from the
reader body) before reading tags. The RF beam is directed
outward and perpendicular to the face of the antenna.The
reader antenna should be aimed at the sensor tag,and the tag
oriented such that its long axis is perpendicular to the RF
beam (Figure 10).
Figure 10. Proper Reader Antenna and Tag
Orientation
Read Time
The read process begins when the yellow read button on
the touch screen or keypad is pressed.A progress bar will
appear on the screen to indicate the progress of the read.The
read process can take up to several seconds to complete. The
reader should be held still during the read process.Click the
Cancel button to stop the read process before it completes
(Figure 11).
Figure 11. The Read Progress Bar and Cancel Button
Maximum Read Range
The maximum distance at which a tag can be read depends
on the design of the tag and the surface it is placed upon.
Also,nearby objects can reflect the reader signal and cause
multipath interference.Because of factors like these, the
maximum read range cannot be precisely predicted in
advance.In general,the handheld reader is designed to read
tags from a distance of 1 to 2 meters.

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Temperature Measurements
Temperature can be read from the Magnus−S3−based
sensor tag.Set the Display value in the Setup screen to
Temperature.High Precision and AutoPower mode will be
automatically selected.
Moisture Measurements
Moisture measurements can be made with the Moisture
Sensor tag.Set the Display value in the Setup screen to
Sensor Code. AutoPower mode will be selected by default.
The presence of moisture on the interdigitated capacitor of
the tag will change the Sensor Code reading. Generally,
moisture will cause a reduction in the Sensor Code value.
The surface on which the tag is placed can also affect the
Sensor Code, so the tag should stay in the same place under
both dry and wet conditions. Illustrative results are given in
Figure 12.
Figure 12. Sensor Code changes when a water droplet is placed on the tag
The Moisture Sensor tag can also detect a fine mist
sprayed or wiped on the interdigitated capacitor area.
Troubleshooting
If the reader cannot read sensor tags, or only reads tags
from a short distance, try the following steps
•Verify that the maximum reader power is set to 0.
•Move the tag to a different location or surface
•Rotate the reader 45 degrees while still pointing the
surface of the antenna at the sensor tag
•Fully recharge the reader
•Reset the reader as described in Section 4.1.
Resetting the Reader
The reader can be reset to its factory settings with the
process below.This will not delete the Sensor software from
the flash memory.
1. Exit out of any application that may be running.
2. Start Nordic ID’s demo program: Start ³
Programs ³RFID ³RFID Demo
3. Restore factory defaults: Settings ³Save ³
Factory default ³Save Settings
4. Exit the demo program: Main Menu ³Exit
5. Reset Windows Registry to default: Start ³
Programs ³Nordic ID ³Registry Backup ³
Factory Default ³Defaults ³Ye s
6. Reload Windows CE: Push the power button in the
lower right-hand corner of the keypad, select
“Reload Windows CE”, then click “Reload” in the
lower left-hand corner of the screen. Follow the
instructions to re-calibrate the stylus input.
c
Magnus is a registered trademark of RFMicron.

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