Manuale d’uso / di manutenzione del prodotto Advantage RFID Thermal Printer del fabbricante Cognitive Solutions
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Advant age RFID Thermal Printer HF (13.56 Mhz) User Guide 105-132-01 Rev A *105-132-01*.
Copyright © 2004, Cognit ive. Cognitiv e™ and Advant age™ are t rademarks o f Cognitive. Microsof t ® and Windows™ are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
T able of Contents RFID and the Advantage RFID Thermal Printer..................................... 1 What is RFID? ..................................................................................... 1 Active Versus Passi ve RFID Tags...............
Printing RFID Tags ................................................................................ 28 RFID Tag Ov erview ........................................................................... 28 Using Label Softwar e ............................
!RFID RDA FTWT ........................................................................ 58 !RFID RE TRY ............................................................................. 59 !RFID SSO NCMD ...................................................
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 1 Chapter 1 RFID and the Advanta ge RFID T her mal Printer Cognitive’s Advantage barcode label printers provide an integrated solution for traditional barcode labeling an d writing a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag.
RFID AND THE ADVANTAGE RFID PRINTER Refer to Figure 1-1, RFID Overvi e w. The RFID tag contains an antenna (A) that allows the tag to re ceive and respond to radio-frequency q ueries from an RFID reader. The reader transmits radio waves (B). The radio waves are reflected back from the RFID tag (C) and converted into digital information.
RFID AND THE ADVANTAGE RFID PRINTER RFID F r equencies RFID tags operate at a specific frequency and both the reader and the tag must be tuned to the same frequency to transfer informa tion. The Advantage RFID Thermal Printer is designed for RFID tags that operate at 13.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 4 Chapter 2 Driv er s and La bel Software Printer drivers are software tools th at translate information from an external system into an acceptable format for the printer. Older DOS- based systems do not require special drivers.
DRIVERS AND LABEL SOFTWARE 4. Click the hyperlink fo r your operating system. The Welcome window appears. 5. Click Next . The Selecting the Printer windo w appears. 6. Choose your printer from the Printers: list. 7. Click Next . The Options window appears.
DRIVERS AND LABEL SOFTWARE 8. Choose the port that the printe r is connected to from th e Available ports: list. Keep the default (LPT1) if you are not sure how the p rinter is connected. 9. Click Finish . The proper files will be co pied to your computer and the installation wizard will close.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 7 Chapter 3 Setup Setting up the Advantage RFID Therma l Printer is simple . This chapter describes printer requiremen ts, pr inter controls, loading th ermal transfer ribbon and loading print medi a . The printer self test is also described.
SETUP Contr ols, Indica tor s, and Connector s Controls and indicators for the Ad vantage RFID Thermal Printer are conveniently located on the front panel and right side of the uni t.
SETUP Figure 3-2. Advantage RFID Therma l Printer (Rear View) Connection s and Power Connector Use A - Parallel port (optional) Parallel data communications port B - Serial port (RS232) Serial data co.
SETUP R eleasing the Print Mechanism Refer to the figure bel ow to release the print mechanism. Figure 3-3. Releasing the Print Mechanism 1. Open the dust cover. 2. Refer to Figure 3-3. Slide the bl ack latches towards the rear of the unit to release the print mechanism.
SETUP Loading a Ribbon (T her mal T r ansfer Only) Refer to the figure bel ow to load thermal transfer ribbon. Figure 3-4. Loading Th ermal Transfer Ribbon 1. Release the print mechanism. 2. Unwind a few inches of the new ri bbon from the supply core.
SETUP Figure 3-5. Loading Thermal Transfer Ribbon (continued) 4. Refer to Figure 3-5. Turn the ribbon take-u p core to align the slotted end with the take-up mount. 5. Gently push the fl exible arm out and snap the take-u p core into place. NOTE: The printer autom atically takes up the slack in the ribbon.
SETUP Loading Print Media Refer to the figures and in structions below to load prin t media. Figure 3-6. Loading Print Media onto th e Spindle 1. Release the print mechanism. 2. Lift out the media spindle. 3. Load the media onto the spindl e, keeping the black media guide to the right of the media roll.
SETUP Figure 3-7. Feeding Media Under the Print Mechani sm 4. Place the loaded media spindle into the printer with the black guide to the right. 5. Feed the media under the open print mechanism. NOTE: The media spindle sho uld fit secu rely with t he black guide pressed against the media roll.
SETUP P erfor ming the Self T est The self test checks the printer’s ov erall ope rability. Refer to the figures and instructions below to perform the printer self te st. Figure 3-8. Performing the Printer Self Test IMPORTANT! The printer should be loaded with media, connect ed to AC power, and turned off.
SETUP The output from the self test is described in the table below. Setting Description Example S/N Printer serial number S/N: A123456789 F/W Firmware version F/W: 195-150-320 REVISION and BUILD Firmware revision and build number REVISION: 3.
SETUP Setting Description Example RECALIBRATE If a label travels the No Media Timeo ut distance without seeing an index mark, the printer will attempt to recalibrate the printer if RECALIBRATE: ON. If RECALIBRATE: OFF, the printer will error out with a red ready light.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 18 Chapter 4 Printing Standar d Labels and Ta g s The Advantage RFID Thermal Printer prints both direct thermal and thermal transfer labels and tags in a host or network environment.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS Creating a T ext File Use the following instruction s wi th Windows-based computers. 1. Click Start . 2. Choose Run . 3. In the Open: text box, type co mmand . 4. Click OK . The Command window appea rs. 5. In the Command window, at the prompt, type ed it and press ENTER.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS 6. In the DOS Editor window, ty pe the co mmands and data to be sent to the printer. NOTE: If you are using a printer with a serial port (COM port), it may be necessary to save the file and print directly from the Command window.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS 3. In the Save As dialog, type a na me for the file. Then, click OK . NOTE: The file name must be eight characters or less. The na me cannot contain spaces or symbols. 4. On the File menu, click Exit . This returns you to the Command window.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS Sample Label This is a sample label and the pr ogramming used to create it. ! 0 100 100 1 WIDTH 224 PITCH 200 DRAW_BOX 20 0 200 30 2 TEXT 2 20 0 TEST LABEL BARCODE CODE39 20 7.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS 2. Press CTRL+P or, on the File menu, choose Print . The Print dialog appears. 3. Select a Cognitive printer. 4. Click Close to close the Print dialog.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS Setting Label Size Set the printer driver for the label size. 1. On the File menu, click Page Setup . The Page Setup dialog appears.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS 4. Set the correct width and height for your label. The example shows a 2.4” wide by 1” tall label. 5. Click OK and, if necessary, Fix to reset the margins. The Word document should look si milar to the fi gure below. Copyright © 2004, Cognitive.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS Creating a Label and Barcode Design the label as you woul d any Word document. Use the following steps to design a barcode. 1. Select the desired font. 2. Enter the numbers for the barcode . A barcode will not display on the screen, but is printed on the label.
PRINTING LABELS AND TAGS Printing from Proprietary Applications There are a variety of applications that are industr y or function spec ific. Some of these require a generic text prin ter driver.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 28 Chapter 5 Printing RFID T a gs Printing RFID tags may include printing information on the tag, writing data to the tag, reading da ta from the tag, or a comb ination these actions.
PRINTING RFID TAGS Figure 5-1. Data Blocks The write tag (WT) command ASCII string is limited to 63 characters. Each WT command ASCII string is limited to a maximum of 63 characters. For a 256 byte RFID tag, a maximum of four WT commands containing 63 characters of data may be used.
PRINTING RFID TAGS Using Label Software A version of NiceLabel labeling software, de signed specially for Cognitive printers, is included on the Companion CD. This software provides label printing, label de sign, RFID write and RFID read capabilities.
PRINTING RFID TAGS 5. In the Command window, at the prompt, type ed it and press ENTER. The DOS Editor window appears. 6. In the DOS Editor window, ty pe the co mmands and data to be sent to the printer. NOTE: If you are using a printer with a serial port (COM port), it may be necessary to save the file and print directly from the Command window.
PRINTING RFID TAGS 9. On the File menu, click Exit . 10. At the prompt, type exit . The Co mmand window closes. S tored Formats Stored formats are tag form ats that are saved as a te xt file. This file can be reused to create tags without having to rety pe all of the required commands.
PRINTING RFID TAGS 6. In the DOS Editor window, ty pe the co mmands and data to be sent to the printer. 7. On the File menu, choose Save . 8. In the Save As dialog, type a na me for the file. Then, click OK . NOTE: The file name must be eight characters or less.
PRINTING RFID TAGS 13. At the prompt, type exit . The Co mmand window closes. Sample RFID T ag This is a sample RFID tag an d th e programming used to create it.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 35 Chapter 6 Maintenance and Calibr a tion The Advantage RFID Thermal Prin ter is designed to provide exceptional service with a minimum o f preventive maintenance. Maintenance Printer maintenance should be perfo rmed with each media roll.
MAINTENANCE AND CALIBRATION 3. Press the FEED button to cl ean a ll sides of the roller CAUTION! Incorrectly cleaning the pr inter will cause permane nt damage and void the printer’s warranty. Cognitive recommends using a cert ified cleaning pen for all your printer’s cleaning requir ements, P/N 60-14-00-0002.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 37 Chapter 7 Pr og r amming The Advantage RFID Thermal Printer, like other Cognitive printers, is programmable using ASCII commands. Additional commands have been added to support the RFID functi onality. This chapter p rovides an explanation of the new RFID commands used by the Advantage RFID Thermal Printer.
PROGRAMMING Programming Rules Use blank spaces exactly as show n in the command descriptions, examples, and syntax. Blank spaces are the delimiters b etween parameters. Omitting a necessary space may result in incorrect programming or a failure to recognize com mands.
PROGRAMMING RFID Command S tructure Example The following listing is an ex ample of RFID command usage. ! 0 100 1200 1 DELIMIT $ RF VAR_CLEAR WT 0 "COGNITIVE SOLUTIONS RFID xxxxxx" WT 16 &qu.
PROGRAMMING RFID Commands Use the following commands to program RFID features of the Advantage RDIF printers. Standard Commands Variable Definitions Setup/Debug Commands RF ID_GET RF_TYPE !RFID ? RF H.
PROGRAMMING RF ID_GET Function This command is defi ned as "RFID Function", ID GET. This command retrieves the cu rrent RFID tag's unique identifica tion number and returns it to the host.
PROGRAMMING RF HOST Function This command instruct s the Printer to transmit the specified ASCII string to the Host Machine using the serial port. When used in con junction with the printer "Delimit" command in a label format, certain variable values can also b e returned to the host.
PROGRAMMING RF VAR_CLEAR Function This command instructs the Printer to clear and reset all of the in ternal RFID Read-Tag Data- Handler Variables. After executi ng this command, no ‘RF nn’ Variab.
PROGRAMMING RT Function Read Tag. This comm and retrieves RFID-tag data from the tag currently positioned over RFID Reader/Writer H/W. Explicit Form RT ss ee “fmt” vv Parameters ss Starting block to begin reading octets (bytes) ee Ending block. Stop on this block after reading the contents.
PROGRAMMING WT Function Write Tag. This comman d stores the quoted data to the RFID-Tag currently positioned over RFID Reader/Writer H/W. T he da ta will begin storage at the ss Tag-block and extend to and Zero pad any unused bytes within the ending block.
PROGRAMMING WTLOCK Function Write and Lock Ta g. The command permanently writes data to a tag. A s with the WT command, the user is responsible for maintaining the 63 by te requirement. Approximately 15 seconds, with no retries, is required to wr ite lock a full blank tag.
PROGRAMMING Example To Printer: ! 0 100 800 0 DELIMIT $ WTLOCK 0 "123-1234-123" WT 4 "John Q. Public" WT 10 "Medical Mumbo Jumbo" RT 0 3 "A" 33 RF HOST "$RF 33$" END From Printer: 123-1234-123 NOTE: Individual Read or Write transf ers to/from the RFID-Tags are limited to 64 byte s maximum.
PROGRAMMING RF_TYPE Function This is an RFID reserved and internal variable contains the last RFID-Tag’s Type. This va riable is often used in conjunction with the RF HOST command.
PROGRAMMING RF_IDNUM Function This command is defi ned as "Reference Find" ID Number. This command returns the unique tag identification numbe r and is often used in conjunction with the R F HOST command.
PROGRAMMING RF_BLKSZ Function This command is define d as "Reference Find", Block Size. The command returns the block size for a specific tag type. This va riable is often used in conjunction with the RF HOST command to return the tag block size to th e host.
PROGRAMMING RF LOCATION Function This command is de fined as "Reference Fin d", Variable at Location #. The co mmand returns the value that was stored in a printer variable with the RT command where nn is an arg ument to be specified. Explicit Form $RF nn$ Parameters nn Range of 0 through 99.
PROGRAMMING !RFID ? Function This command queries the printer for a summary of the existing printer settings for RFID fun ctionality. Explicit Form !RFID ? Parameters None Response See example below.
PROGRAMMING !RFID CONFIRM Function Controls the transmissi on of a ‘Success’ or ‘Failure’ indication at the very end of any CPL-RFID command’s execution. Explicit Form !RFID CONFIRM on/off Parameters ON When the setting is ON , the printe r will return RFID:SUCCESS or RFID :FAILURE for every command issued to the printer.
PROGRAMMING !RFID HOST Function This command instruct s the Printer to transmit the specified ASCII string to the Host Machine using the serial port. When used in con junction with the printer "Delimit" command in a label format, certain variable values can also b e returned to the host.
PROGRAMMING !RFID LEDFLSH Function Controls the transmissi on of a ‘Success’ or ‘Failure’ indication to the LED disp lay during and at the very end of any CPL-RFID command’s execution.
PROGRAMMING !RFID LEDTIME Function Regulates the interval of LED illumination and LED OFF time used in generat ion of an LED Flash on ‘Success’ or ‘Failu re’. Explicit Form !RFID LEDTIME nn Parameters nn Determines the LED illumination interval.
PROGRAMMING !RFID MARK Function This command sets whether or not to print a defined mark on a lab el that fails to write ex pected data to an RFID tag. Explicit Form !RFID MARK ON/OFF Parameters ON When the setting is ON , the printe r will mark a label that fails a RT , WT , or WTLOCK command.
PROGRAMMING !RFID RDAFTWT Function This command initiates an integrity test following a WT command. Data is read an d undergoes a byte- by-byte comparison with the initial data. The comparison occurs befo re the WT command is returned as successful or failed.
PROGRAMMING !RFID RETRY Function This command sets th e number of retries that the printer will perfo rm on a RT , WT , or WTLOCK command. To enter the re tr y loop, the printer must fail a specific command after reading the ta g identification and type.
PROGRAMMING !RFID SSONCMD Function This command controls the automatic execution of a Select-Tag command prior to the Host Command to RT , WT , or WTLOCK an RFID tag. Explicit Form !RFID SSONCMD ON/OFF Parameters ON Causes automatic Select-Tag command executions before any RT , WT or WTLOCK command.
PROGRAMMING !RFID TAGTYPE Function This command verifi es a tag type. Enter the tag type and verify the change with th e !RFID ? command. Explicit Form !RFID TAGTYPE ISO/TI/PHILPS Parameters ISO Sets the industry standard ISO-15693 tag type TI Sets Texas-Instrument’s ‘Tag-it HF’ tag type.
PROGRAMMING !RFID TIMEOUT Function This command sets the time delay, in milliseconds, to wait before considering a command a fai lure. NOTE: The parameters are part of a calculation and do not translate into exact ex ecution time differences.
PROGRAMMING Example To Printer: !RFID 20,,,,50 !RFID ? From Printer: Setup/Config Parameters: | | | Base Cmd Timeout: 20 Msecs Select Tag Timeout: 70 Msecs Read Tag Timeout: 16 MSecs Write Tag Timeout.
PROGRAMMING !RFID TXAFTER Function This command controls the state of the hardware’s RF carrier transmission after any Ho st Command to read, write or write and lo ck an RFID-Tag Explicit Form !RFID TXAFTER ON/OFF Parameters ON Causes hardware to keep RF carrie r transmission ON after CPL-RFID Tag- Interface command completion.
PROGRAMMING !RFID VOID Function This command instructs the printer to use this specified ASCII string to stamp or print on failing RFID-Tags if and only if !RFID MARK ON is selected. Explicit Form !RFID VOID “ASCII-String-to-Stamp-Bad- Tags” Parameters “ASCII- String-to- Stamp-Bad- Tags” Text string to stamp or print on failed tags.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 66 Chapter 8 T r oubleshooting The Advantage RFID Thermal Printer is a dependable printe r that requires little user maintenance. When problems occur, it is important to determine if hardware or prog ramming is the cause.
PROGRAMMING If the printer will not print this labe l but does print labels that were prepared on another system, yo ur system may not be compatible with the printer. The most common cause of this is improper end-of-line termination. NOTE: Hex dump mode allows you to see every character th at reaches the printer.
PROGRAMMING READY Light is Red Make sure that the pri nthead is la tched down tightly on both sides. If the printer feeds out multiple bl ank labels, it will need to be calibrated. Refer to Chapter 6, Maintenance and Calibrati on , for calibration instructions.
PROGRAMMING Printer Drivers Printer drivers are available for down load from the Co gnitive web site, http://www.cognitive.com . For a Barcode Blaster or Code Courie r model printer, select the legacy model printer driver. For the Advantage, Solus, and Del Sol model printers, select the driver for your Windows operating system.
PROGRAMMING The ## indicates the number you need to enter to increase the da rkness. For example, you would type the line as VARIABLE DARKNESS 20 . Start with 20 , then gradually increase the number to 30 , then 40 , and so on. The higher the number, the hotte r the printhead and the darke r the print.
PROGRAMMING T echnical Suppor t Contact Info r ma tion Hours: 8AM-5PM Mountain Standard Time (MST). Telephone: +1.720.221.9498 Toll Free: +1.800.525.2785 ext 498 Fax: (303) 215-0385 E-Mail: support@cognitive.
Copyright © 2004, Cognitive. 72 Appendix A A ppendix A – Specifica tions Printer Model LBT24-2043-Hxx LBT42-2043-Hxx Technology Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer Direct Thermal or Thermal Transfer Width (max) 2.
Appendix B A ppendix B – Cer tified RFID Ta g s Part Number Description 114-001-01 Roll, TT Labels, HF (13.56Mhz) RFID, 2. 25” x 2.25” label centered on 2.5” liner. 100 labels, 3” core, wound in, 1” GAP, TI TagIt 114-003-01 Roll, DT Wristbands, HF (13.
Inde x C N calibrate · 37 null modem · 7, 9 calibration · 37 cleaning · 36 P connectors · 8 contact · i print mechanism controls · 8 releasing · 10 printer drivers D installing · 4 printing .
INDEX RF VAR_CLEAR · 45 RF_BLKSZ · 53 RF_IDNUM · 52 RT · 46 WT · 47 WTLOCK · 49 RFID tag certified · 77 printing · 29 S sample label · 23 RFID tag · 35 self test · 15 setup · 7 specifications · 75 T thermal transfer ribbon · 11 troubleshooting · 69 Copyright © 2004, Cognitive.
Un punto importante, dopo l’acquisto del dispositivo (o anche prima di acquisto) è quello di leggere il manuale. Dobbiamo farlo per diversi motivi semplici:
Se non hai ancora comprato il Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer è un buon momento per familiarizzare con i dati di base del prodotto. Prime consultare le pagine iniziali del manuale d’uso, che si trova al di sopra. Dovresti trovare lì i dati tecnici più importanti del Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer - in questo modo è possibile verificare se l’apparecchio soddisfa le tue esigenze. Esplorando le pagine segenti del manuali d’uso Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer imparerai tutte le caratteristiche del prodotto e le informazioni sul suo funzionamento. Le informazioni sul Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer ti aiuteranno sicuramente a prendere una decisione relativa all’acquisto.
In una situazione in cui hai già il Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer, ma non hai ancora letto il manuale d’uso, dovresti farlo per le ragioni sopra descritte. Saprai quindi se hai correttamente usato le funzioni disponibili, e se hai commesso errori che possono ridurre la durata di vita del Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer.
Tuttavia, uno dei ruoli più importanti per l’utente svolti dal manuale d’uso è quello di aiutare a risolvere i problemi con il Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer. Quasi sempre, ci troverai Troubleshooting, cioè i guasti più frequenti e malfunzionamenti del dispositivo Cognitive Solutions Advantage RFID Thermal Printer insieme con le istruzioni su come risolverli. Anche se non si riesci a risolvere il problema, il manuale d’uso ti mostrerà il percorso di ulteriori procedimenti – il contatto con il centro servizio clienti o il servizio più vicino.
