TransCore AR2200 User manual

TransCore Inc.
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106
March 2003
P/N 411052-003
AR2200 RF Module
User Guide

Information in this document is subject to change and does not represent a commitment on the part of
TC IP, Ltd.
©2003 TC IP, Ltd. All rights reserved. TRANSCORE is a trademark and Amtech is a registered trademark of
TC IP, Ltd. and is used under license. All other trademarks listed are the property of their respective owners.
Contents subject to change. Printed in the U.S.A.
For further information, contact:
TransCore
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
TransCore Action Center (TrAC)
19111 Dallas Parkway, Suite 300
Dallas, Texas 75287-3106 USA
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

WARNING TO USERS IN THE UNITED STATES
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC) RADIO FREQUENCY
INTERFERENCE STATEMENT
47 CFR §15.105(a)
NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device
pursuant to Part 15 of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a
commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiateradio frequency (RF) energy and
may cause harmful interference to radio communications if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual. Operating this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference, in
which case, depending on the laws in effect, the users may be required to correct the interference at their
own expense.
NO UNAUTHORIZED MODIFICATIONS
47 CFR §15.21
CAUTION: This equipment may not be modified, altered, or changed in any way without permission
from TransCore, Inc. Unauthorized modification may void the equipment authorization from the FCC and
will void the TransCore warranty.
USE OF SHIELDED CABLES IS REQUIRED
47 CFR §15.27(a)
Shielded cables must be used with this equipment to comply with FCC regulations.
A license issued by the FCC is required to operate this RF identification device in the United States.
Contact TransCore, Inc. for additional information concerning licensing requirements for specific devices.
TransCore, Inc.
USA

Contents

vii
Contents
1 Before You Begin
Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Guide Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Health Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5
2 AR2200 RF Module Overview
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3
Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Range Sensitivity Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
ISO Compatible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Patented Design: High-Speed Signal Capture, Noise Immunity. . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Frequency Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Preamplifier Line Driver Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Circuit Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
International Safety Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Output Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Harsh Environment Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Custom Frequencies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Replacement I/O Interface Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Attenuators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Hex Key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Weatherproof Enclosure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
3 Installing the AR2200 RF Module
AR2200 RF Module Installation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Differences in Installation Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
AI1200 Reader Power Supply Upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Configuring the RF Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Required Wiring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Required Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Positioning the RF Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

AR2200 RF Module User Guide
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Terminal Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5
Grounding the RF Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Terminal Designations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Normal Mode Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Compatibility Mode Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
4 Testing the RF Module
Setting Voltage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
5 Indicator Lights
6 Adjusting RF Power
7 Range Modulation Sensitivity Adjustment
A Technical Specifications
Component Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Electrical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3
Physical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3

Contents
ix
List of Figures
Figure 2-1 AR2200 RF Module I/O Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Figure 3-1 Normal Mode and Compatibility Mode Configurations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Figure 3-2 RF Module Terminal Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Figure 3-3 Normal Mode Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Figure 3-4 Antenna Output Port Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Figure 3-5 Compatibility Mode Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12
Figure 4-1 RF Board Test Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Figure 5-1 RF Module LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Figure 6-1 RF Power Select Dipswitch Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Figure 7-1 Range Modulation Sensitivity Potentiometers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3
List of Tables
Table 1-1 AR2200 RF Module User Guide Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3
Table 1-2 Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4
Table 2-1 AR2200 RF Module Options and Operating Frequency Bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Table 3-1 RF Module Minimum Wire Gauge Vs. Distance from Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Table 3-2 Jack and Plug Terminal Designations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7
Table 3-3 Connecting Wires Between the RF Module and the Reader Interface . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Table 3-4 Maximum Cable Lengths for Power Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Table 3-5 Connecting the Check Tag Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Table 3-6 Maximum Cable Length for Check Tag Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Table 3-7 Connecting Wires Between the RF Modules and the Reader Interface . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Table 3-8 Maximum Cable Lengths for Power Wiring and Signal Wiring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13
Table 3-9 Connecting the System Check Tag Cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-14
Table 3-10 Maximum Cable Lengths for Check Tag Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Table 4-1 Test Point Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Table 5-1 LED Indicators and Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3
Table 6-1 RF Power Output Select Dipswitch Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Table A-1 AR2200 RF Module Electrical Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3
Table A-2 AR2200 RF Module Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-3
Table A-3 AR2200 RF Module Physical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A-4

AR2200 RF Module User Guide
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