SCS INSTASCAN S512-C User manual

INSTASCAN©SCANNER
MODEL S512-C
Operations Manual
SCS Corporation
10905 Technology Place, San Diego, CA 92127
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
www.scs-corp.com • [email protected]
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licensed products of SCS. This Operations Manual contains proprietary
information protected by copyright and this Operations Manual and all
accompanying hardware, software, and documentation are copyrighted.
SCS does not warrant that the hardware will work properly in all environments
and applications, and makes no warranty and representation, either implied
or expressed, with respect to the quality, performance, or fitness for a particular
purpose.
Information in this Operations Manual is subject to change without notice
and does not represent a commitment on the part of SCS. SCS assumes
no responsibility for incidental damage that may result do to any
inaccuracies that may be contained in this Operations Manual.
SCS makes no commitment to update or keep current the information in
this Operations Manual, and reserves the right to make changes to this
Operations Manual and/or product without notice.
No part of this manual may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or information storage and retrieval systems, for any purpose other than
the purchaser’s personal use, without the express written permission of
SCS.
MS-DOS and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
All other trademarks or registered trademarks listed belong to their respective owners.
InstaScan and Dura-label are trademarks of SCS Corporation.
Version 100837-1 Rev. A
©Copyright 2002 SCS 10905 Technology Place San Diego, C A 92127
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Contents
Chapter 1— Introduction ....................................................... 1
Advantages ..................................................................... 2
S512-C InstaScan Scanner ................................................ 4
What Else You Need ......................................................... 5
Summary of Chapters ........................................................ 6
Chapter 2 — Installation ....................................................... 7
LEDs and Connectors ...................................................... 7
Front Panel..................................................................... 8
Rear Panel.................................................................... 10
Scanner Installation Steps .............................................. 11
Connecting External Antennas........................................ 12
Placing the Antennas..................................................... 13
Connecting to a PC Serial Port or RS-232 ....................... 14
Connecting to an AC Outlet............................................ 15
Testing the Scanner Setup ................................................ 16
Aligning the Antenna ...................................................... 19
Installing Dura-labels ...................................................... 20
Reading Information from your Dura-labels ....................... 21
Writing information to your Dura-label.............................. 22
Loading Your Application ................................................ 23
Chapter 3 — RF Communications ........................................ 24
Signal Interference ........................................................ 25
Signal Attenuation/Reflections........................................ 26
Optimizing Performance ................................................ 27
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Chapter 4 — Troubleshooting .............................................. 28
Solving Problems........................................................... 28
Contacting Customer Service ......................................... 31
Returning Your System .................................................... 31
Chapter 5 — Specifications ................................................. 33
SCS Patents ................................................................... 33
S512-C Scanner Specifications......................................... 34
Chapter 6 — DB-25 Connector Function............................... 36
Pin Assignments ............................................................ 37
Receive Antenna Select Lines.......................................... 37
Transmit Antenna Select Lines......................................... 38
Peripheral Inputs ........................................................... 38
Peripheral Outputs ........................................................ 39
Limited Warranty ........................................................... 41
FCC Part 15 Compliance ................................................ 41
Radio Frequency exposure limits ....................................... 42
Disclaimer..................................................................... 42
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1
Chapter 1Chapter 1
Chapter 1Chapter 1
Chapter 1
IntroductionIntroduction
IntroductionIntroduction
Introduction
The S512-C InstaScan scanner and the Dura-label radio frequency
(RF) tags developed by SCS are state-of-the-art data gathering
and inspection systems that combine sophisticated Interactive
Identification technology in a compact form factor. This unique synergy
allows our system to integrate seamlessly into —and significantly increase
productivity for —a wide range of applications and environments.
This system consists of the following components:
A scanner that writes information to and reads information from RF tags
using a read/write head (antenna). The scanner conforms to FCC Part
15 specifications and can operate with one or two externally connected
antennas.
Dura-label RF tags that contain information programmed by the
scanner. These tags are designed to store information under
extremely harsh environments without requiring a battery, and
the read/write tags can store a permanent record of multiple
events and transactions.
Communications between the scanner and the tags are conducted using
a revolutionary two-way technology that provides superior advantages
over conventional communication methods. The specific data being
communicated, and the amount of interaction you have with the scanner
and the tag are determined by your application.
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Advantages
Data-gathering systems such as bar code readers use one-way
communication: a sensor reads information from a device, without any
interaction between the two devices.
Moreover, bar code systems are subject to line-of-sight limitations. As a
result, airborne contaminants such as dust, dirt, oil, and mist, as well as
label damage and objects residing outside the line of sight, result in
inefficient and erroneous results.
The SCS Interactive Identification System overcomes these
restrictions by using state-of-the-art technology. This technology
allows the scanner and tag to conduct ongoing two-way
communications that are not restricted by line-of-sight
constraints.
Figure 1.Interactive Identification Technology
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This unique capability allows:
• Collective or selective data to be read from a single tag.
• Collective or selective data to be read from multiple tags without
requiring sorting or unpacking.
• Classes of tags to be filtered according to user-defined criteria.
This technology employs a superior interrogation feature that enables
applications to uniquely identify all tags in the scan field, without
misidentification or identifying the same tag multiple times.
Its technology also uses a robust protocol that maintains a uniform per
tag scan time, regardless of the number of tags in the scan field. The
protocol provides a flexible software application interface that can be
customized to the specific needs of particular industries and markets.
These unparalleled capabilities make our system an ideal solution for
logistics and warehousing, automatic sortation, pallet tracking, and anti-
diversion/anti-counterfeiting applications.
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4
S512-C InstaScan Scanner
The S512-C scanner is designed for applications or configurations that
require the scanner to be a considerable distance from the tags, or where
numerous tags are required to be read simultaneously.
The scanner provides two coaxial connectors for supporting up to two external
antenna pairs. Each antenna plugs into its own connector on the rear
panel of the scanner.
 Warning -- RF cable connections should be tightened to 8 inch
pounds. Over tightened RF cables damage the ports on the
antennas and the S512-C. Loose connections can result in de-
creased system performance.
 Warning -- Attempting to transmit power to open scanner ports
(i.e. Neither and antenna nor a load is attached to the port) willwill
willwill
will
cause serious damage to the S512-C.
(See Page 12 for correct antenna and/or load configuration)
Figure 2.
S512-C InstaScan Scanner
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What Else You Need
To complete your system, you need an IBM or compatible personal
computer with the following minimum system requirements:
• 486 processor or better
• Compatible screen and keyboard
• 9-pin RS-232 port
• Windows 95 or 98
• 16 MB of RAM (32+ MB recommended)
The applications you use to interface with this system may have additional
hardware and software requirements. For more information, consult the
manual that came with your applications.
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Summary of Chapters
Besides Chapter 1, this Operations Manual contains the following
additional chapters:
• Chapter 2, Installation – describes how to install the scanner
and tag(s)
• Chapter 3, RF Communication - provides information on radio
frequency (RF) communications
• Chapter 4, Troubleshooting – describes how to identify, resolve,
and avoid problems when using the scanner and tag. This
chapter also contains Customer Service information and
merchandise return instructions
• Chapter 5, Specifications – lists scanner specifications
• Chapter 6, DB-25 Connector Function — describes the 25-pin
connector of the S512-C scanner.
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Chapter 2Chapter 2
Chapter 2Chapter 2
Chapter 2
InstallationInstallation
InstallationInstallation
Installation
This chapter provides instructions for installing the S512-C
scanner and tag(s).
LEDs and Connectors
The scanner provides the connectors and LEDs described in the following
sections and shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3. LEDs and Connectors
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Front Panel
The scanner front panel has three LEDs (as shown in Figure 4) indicating
power, activity, and transmitter On/Off status (see Table 1 which describes
the meanings of the LEDs). The front panel has two coaxial connectors for
connecting external antennas. Either one or two antennas can be connected
to the scanner. For instructions on connecting antennas to the scanner,
refer to page 12.
Figure 4. S512-C InstaScan Scanner
 Warning -- Attempting to transmit power to open scanner ports
(i.e. Neither and antenna nor a load is attached to the port) willwill
willwill
will
cause serious damage to the S512-C.
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Table 1..
..
. S512-C Scanner LED Meanings
LED Color Status
Power ON Red ON = scanner is turned on
and receiving power from
external power supply
Activity/Error Yellow Flicker = scanner detects tag
information
Constant flickering with no tag
in the scanning field =
(a) Noisy environment or
possible interference, resulting in
diminished tag reading.
(b) Loose cable or bad connector
Transit On Green On = Scanner is transmitting
RF signals
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Rear Panel
The scanner rear panel has an On/Off switch.
In the ON (up) position, the scanner is turned on. The red Power
ON LED should go ON, indicating that the scanner is receiving
power.
In the OFF (down) position, the scanner is turned off and not
receiving power, even if connected to a power outlet.
The rear panel also contains three connectors. The small round connector
is a standard DC power receptacle. The power supply provided with the
scanner should be plugged into this connector and into the wall outlet.
For more information, refer to “Connecting to an AC Outlet”
on page 15.
The small multi-pin connector is the 9-pin RS-232 port. The RS-232 serial
port connector allows the scanner to communicate with a personal computer
through the PC’s serial port. For more information on making this
connection, refer to page 14.
The large multi-pin connector is the 25 pin test connector. This connector
should only be used by a qualified system integrator.
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Scanner Installation Steps
The scanner installation consists of the following steps:
1. Position the scanner — locate near desired antenna locations.
2. Connect external antennas — see page 12.
3. Place the antenna for optimum read/write operation —
see page 13.
4. Connect the scanner to PC serial port or RS-232— see page 14.
5. Connecting to an AC outlet — see page 15.
6. Testing the Scanner Setup — see page 16.
7. Aligning the antenna — see page 19.
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12
Connecting External Antennas
The front panel has two coaxial antenna connectors. Each connector
accommodates a single external antenna. Figure 5 shows the external
antenna connections to the scanner. The S512-C scanner uses one or two
antennas. When looking at the front panel, from left to right, the antenna
ports are numbered “2” and “1” (see Figure 5). If using one antenna, it
should be connected to antenna port “1”, and antenna port “2” should be
terminated with a 50 ohm load.
Figure 5. Connecting
External Antennas
 Warning -- RF
cable connections
should be
tightened to 8
inch pounds.
Over tightened RF cables damage the ports on the antennas and
the S512-C. Loose connections can result in decreased system
performance.
 Warning -- Attempting to transmit power to open scanner ports
(i.e. Neither and antenna nor a load is attached to the port) willwill
willwill
will
cause serious damage to the S512-C.
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13
Placing the Antenna
Antenna placement is critical to ensuring that information is written to
and read from tags accurately. Observe the following guidelines when
placing the antenna:
Locate the antennas away from metal objects, microwave ovens, and
other devices that may induce radio frequency interference. In addi-
tion, make sure there are no metallic surfaces between, or in relative
proximity to, the scanner and tag. For additional placement consider-
ations, refer to “RF Communications” on page 24.
When reading, the scanner’s antenna(s) should be placed no more
than 20 inches from the objects bearing tags. When writing, the
scanner’s antenna should be no more than 4 inches from objects
bearing tags.
 Tags must reside within the scan field for at least 3 milliseconds for
information to be retrieved from them.
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14
Connecting to a PC Serial Port or RS-232
The scanner has a 9-pin female RS-232 connector that connects to a
serial port or RS-232 connector on an IBM or compatible personal
computer. The serial port can operate up to 57,600 bps.
To make this connection, you need:
An appropriately configured serial cable.
One of the following adapters, if your computer’s serial port does
not have a 9-pin connector:
- A 15-pin to 9-pin adapter, if your computer has a 15-pin serial
port connector.
- A 25-pin to 9-pin adapter, if your computer has a 25-pin serial
port connector.
These adapters are available from most computer and electronics
stores.
Use the following procedure to connect the scanner to your computer’s
serial port.
1. Attach the male connector on the serial cable to the 9-pin serial
connector on the scanner’s front panel.
2. Connect the other end of the cable to your computer’s serial port.
Use an adapter, if appropriate, to make this connection.
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15
Connecting to an AC Outlet
The following procedure describes how to connect the scanner to an AC
Outlet.
1. Verify that the On/Off switch on the scanner front panel is in the
OFF (down) position.
2. Connect the power cord of the power supply to the AC receptacle in the
scanner front panel.
3. Connect the other end of the power supply to the wall outlet.
4. Set the On/Off switch to the ON (up) position. The Power ON LED
light will illuminate.
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16
Testing the Scanner Setup
The following procedure will verify that the RS-232 link between the
scanner and the computer is functioning correctly, and test the fill
functionality (read, write, multiread) of the scanner in the surrounding
environment.
1. Insert the supplied Series 5 Development and Demo Tools, Disk 1,
into an available floppy disk drive.
2. Open the “My Computer” icon on the desktop.
3. Open the floppy disk drive (typically A:).
4. Run the application “Series 5 Tools Install.exe”
5. Installshield will launch and guide you through the installation of the
Series 5 Tools onto your computer.
6. Turn on the scanner and ensure that the antennas are properly
connected to the scanner.
7. Select the “Series 5 Test Tool” icon in the Series 5 tools folder from
the start menu.
8. If the scanner is attached to COM1 or COM2, it will be recognized
by the application automatically. In the application dialog, you will
see the text “found scanner (rev XX.XX) on COMX”.
9. If the scanner is attached to COM3 or COM4, the application will
not recognize the scanner automatically. In the application dialog,
you will see the text “Can’t find Scanner, use Manual Connect.”
Select the appropriate COM PORT by pressing the down arrow in
the “Scanner <-> Host” frame. Hit the connect button. You should
see the text message “Connect: found scanner (revision XX.XX) on
COMX”.
If you receive the error message “Can’t find scanner on COMX” refer
to page 29 for troubleshooting procedures.
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