RFID reader control

[krl control]

Hi I am pretty new to labview

Spoiler

 so my apologies if this is a moronic question. I am trying to build a system that uses RFID to attach weight changes on a load platform to a RFID tag that is in the read field during the time that the weight change is taking place. I have a EPC Gen 2 UHF RFID reader which has a RS 232 interface. What I need now is code to control the reader.

I looked in the code sharing section. But could not find anything for UHF readers. I am thinking that surely someone is out there also trying to use labveiw to control a RFID reader so that must mean that I am looking in the wrong place or something.

Would a simple RS 232 driver suffice to get things going or do I still need to use VISA?

(Where can I get more info and training on how to use VISA?)

If there is some already written code out there that would run the reader that would be ideal, then I could just modify it to work for our application.

Regards JB

[Dennis_Knutson]

Have you looked at the manual to see what the command is get a reading? Have you tried any of the commands with a program such as hyperterminal or one of the serial examples in LabVIEW?

[Jackie_B]

Hi JB, 

I would recommend first starting with your RFID device. Check to see if your device has any drivers that can be used by LabVIEW to access it. Check the manual of your device to see the ways in which it should be accessed.  

Once you figure that out and know specifically what you want to do, our website contains an abundance of resources to help you learn. For learning basic VISA commands, I would strongly recommend the help in LabVIEW as well as the example finder. For the help, if you drop a command on your block diagram, go to Help-> Show Context Help and hover over the command, there will be a pop-up with a brief explanation on the purpose of that command, or subVi. There will also be a detailed help option that you can click on that will give you a thorough explanation. To find examples go to Help-> Find Examples-> and in the Browse Tab, select Hardware Input and Output-> VISA. Though these examples will not give you a packaged code related specifically to RFID, it will allow you great benefit in getting started with accessing your device.

Furthermore, there are other forums, linked below, that deal with communicating to an RFID device. I would recommend that you look through these to get started.  

http://forums.ni.com/t5/Instrument-Control-GPIB-Serial/How-to-make-labview-to-receive-information-fr...

http://forums.ni.com/t5/RF-Measurement-Devices/How-to-connect-USB-RFID-reader-to-LabView/m-p/505129?...

Good Luck!
Jackie

[krl control]

Thanks. for the great advise.

I am thinking, would it be easier to run the reader with the SDK that came with the reader and then access the data file with labview?

Regards JB

[Jackie_B]

Hi JB, 

It's really up to what your requirements are for your program and how much time you are willing to dedicate to learning something you may not be that familiar with. I have looked on our website and cannot find any device drivers for your RFID device. That doesn't mean that the company that manufactures this device won't have any drivers to interface with LabVIEW. Good luck with your program and post back if you need anymore help!

Regards,

Jackie

[krl control]

What is required to be part of the driver for it to be able to interface with labview? I did not ask probeingly but the person who I have been dealing with was not really familiar with labview though he knew what it was. So it may be the case that they have something but are not aware that it could work?

Thanks JB

[Dennis_Knutson]

What form does the SDK take? Is it a C type dll, ActiveX, .NET? This sort of detail is something you need to know and something you need to provide in order to get any sort of answer. These sort of interfaces could be a bit more difficult to implement. A serial interface can be pretty trivial and you should at least attempt to use it. Provide the vendor's documentation on RS-232 connections.