TransCore AP4118 User manual

AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer
User Guide
TransCore
8600 Jefferson Street NE
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113
January 2017
P/N 16-4118-001 Rev A

© 2005-2017 TransCore LP. All rights reserved. TRANSCORE, AMTECH, and EGO are registered
trademarks and are 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
8600 Jefferson Street NE
Albuquerque, NM 87113 USA
Technical Support
Phone: [phone]
Web: transcore.com/rfidsupport

WARNING TO USERS IN THE UNITED STATES
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 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 radiate radio 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 regulations 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, LP. 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)
NOTE: Shielded cables must be used with this equipment to comply with FCC regulations.
TransCore, LP
USA

1 Before You Begin
Purpose of This Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Related Documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Guide Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 Programmer Basics
Factory Supplied Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Antistatic Workstation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Using the ESD Wrist Strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Antistatic Mat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Ionized Air Blower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
ESD-Safe Tags Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Connecting the Host Device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
AP4118 Host Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3 Configuring the AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer
Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PT5780 and PT5785 Permissions Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Ordering a Permissions Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer Control Number and Serial Number . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Permissions Tag Expiration Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Configuring the Rail Tag Programmer Using the Permissions Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Permissions Tag/Programmer Control Number Matching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
AAR Tag Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
AAR User Data Type Detection and Format Delimiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
AAR Rail Tag Security Character Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Generic/Non-AAR Tag Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
AP4118 Programmer CN and Permissions Tag ID Programming . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Safeguarding the Permissions Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4 Operating the Programmer
Before You Program Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Indicator Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Sign-On . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Command Execution Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
RS–232 Command Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Enable Tone Generator (#120<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Disable Tone Generator (#121<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
Program Tag Using TransCore 6-Bit ASCII Format (#200xxx...<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . 19
Program Tag Using 4-Bit ASCII Hex Format (#201xxx...<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Read/Verify Tag Data Using TransCore 6-Bit ASCII Format (#210<cr>) . . . . . . . . 19
Read/Verify Tag Data Using 4-Bit ASCII Hex Format (#211<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Write a Page of Data Using Hex Format (#220yyxxxx…<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Write a Byte of Data Using Hex Format (#221yyxx<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Read a Page of Data Using Hex Format (#230yy<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Read a Byte of Data Using Hex Format (#231yy<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
System Reset (#30<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Display System Status (#40<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Display Tag Door Switch Status (#42<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Request Control Number (#43<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Request Expiration Date (#44<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Request Programming Mode (#45<cr>) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Programming a Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Verifying Tag Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Security Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
A Tag Programmer Specifications
Tag Programmer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Environmental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
B RS–232 Connector Pin-outs
RS–232 Connector Pin-outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

C TransCore 6-Bit ASCII Format
TransCore 6-Bit ASCII Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
D 4-Bit ASCII Hex Codes
4-Bit ASCII Hex Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
E Programmer Response Codes
Programmer Response Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
F Security Characters
Security Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
List of Figures
Figure 1 Programming Workstation with ESD Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Figure 2 Serial Interface Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Figure 3 Tag Programming Host Software Main Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Figure 4 Permissions Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Figure 5 AP4118 Tag Programmer LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Figure 6 Permissions Tag Being Slid into Tag Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Figure 7 AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer Indicator Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 8 Tag Being Slid into Tag Holder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 9 Programmer Adapter and AT5549 EOT Tag Being Slid into Tag Holder . . . . . . . . . . 26
List of Tables
Table 1 Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 2 PC Interface Protocol Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Table 3 Data Format Code, AP4118 Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Table 4 Rail Tag Page 3 Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Table 5 Troubleshooting Problems and Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Table A-1 AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer Physical and Environmental Specifications . . . . . . . 29
Table B-1 RS–232 Connector Pin-outs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Table C-1 6-Bit ASCII Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Table D-1 4-Bit ASCII Hex Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Table E-1 Programmer Response Codes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Table F-1 ASCII Security Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

1
Chapter 1
Before You Begin
The AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer User Guide provides information
necessary for installing, operating, and troubleshooting the AP4118 Rail
Tag Programmer.
Purpose of This Guide
This AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer User Guide discusses the proper setup and opera-
tion of the AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer. This guide also provides procedures useful
in troubleshooting any problems encountered after installation.
Intended Audience
The AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer User Guide is designed to be used by technical
personnel responsible for setting up and operating theAP4118 Rail Tag Programmer
and related software.
Related Documents
AP4118 Rail Tag Programming Host Software User Guide
Guide Topics
This document presents the following information:
Chapter 1 – Before You
Begin Describes the purpose, intended audience, guide topics, related
documentation, and document conventions
Chapter 2 – Setting Up
the Programmer Describes how to set up the tag programmer, prevent electrostatic discharge
damage to tags, and connect the programmer to a host computer system
Chapter 3 – Permissions Defines permissions and instructs how to configure the AP4118 Rail Tag
Programmer using a PT5780 or PT5785 Permissions Tag
Chapter 4 – Operating
the Programmer Describes how to program a tag and how to verify or read the data. This
chapter also lists the RS–232 command set and describes the security
character operation
Chapter 5 – Trouble-
shooting Procedures Lists problems that may be encountered during tag programmer operation and
suggested solutions

Before You Begin
2
Typographical Conventions
Table 1 lists the conventions used in this manual.
Appendix A – Program-
mer Specifications Provides the programmer’s physical and environmental specifications
Appendix B – RS–232
Connector Pin-outs Describes the cable interface configuration to a host computer
Appendix C – TransCore
6-Bit ASCII Format Lists TransCore’s 6-bit ASCII character codes
Appendix D – 4-Bit ASCII
Hex Codes Lists TransCore’s 4-bit hexadecimal formats
Appendix E – Program-
mer Response Codes Lists the tag programmer response codes
Appendix F – Security
Characters Lists the 6-bit security character codes
Table 1 Typographical Conventions
Convention Indication
This procedure might cause harm to the equipment and/or
the user.
Concerns about a procedure
Code Code, including keywords and variables within text and as
separate paragraphs, and user-defined program elements
within text appear in courier typeface.
Dialog Box Title Title of a dialog box as it appears on screen
Function Starts with the characters, G4, which are in mixed case with
no underscores, and include parentheses after the name, as
in G4FunctionName().
Menu Item Appears on a menu. Capitalization follows the interface.
Note Auxiliary information that further clarifies the current
discussion. These important points require the user’s
attention. The paragraph is in italics and the word Note is in
boldface.
NUL Zero-value ASCII character or a zero-value byte

Before You Begin
3
NULL Zero-value pointers. Null-terminated string refers to strings
of printable ASCII characters with a zero-value byte placed
in memory directly after the last printable character of the
string.
Table 1 Typographical Conventions (continued)
Convention Indication

Programmer Basics
4
Chapter 2
Programmer Basics
This chapter lists the factory-supplied and optional equipment for the
AP4118 programmer, and describes how to prevent electrostatic
discharge (ESD) damage to tags, connect to a host computer, and install
optional TransCore tag programming software to the host computer.
Factory Supplied Equipment
The programmer is shipped with the items listed here. When unpacking your order,
make sure all of the items are included:
•AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer
•Programmer Accessory Kit (P/N 19094-01) includes:
• Power transformer and cable to convert AC voltage to 12V DC
•Powercord
• Programmer-to-PC RS–232 connecting cable
• Static-suppression wrist strap with cord
• TransCore USB flash drive with:
– AP4118 Tag Programmer Host Software
– AP4118 Programmer User Guide
If any of the above items are missing from your order, contact your TransCore distributor.
If you did not purchase TransCore P/N 14-4118-002 and you want to program the
AT5549 End-of-Train Tag, you will also need anAT5549 End-of-Train Tag
Programmer Adapter (TransCore P/N 20-4118-001), which is required to seat the
AT5549 tag during programming.
To use the AP4118 programmer you need either a host system, such as a personal
computer (PC), or a communications terminal to operate the programmer. TransCore
does not supply this equipment for the AP4118 Rail Tag Programmer.
Preventing Electrostatic Discharge Damage
Caution
TransCore tags are sensitive to ESD, and precautions are necessary to ensure
proper tag programming operation. Use the grounded ESD static-suppression wrist
strap when using the programmer. Additional protection from ESD is recom-
mended where practical.