Appendix S; Rfid Overview - Datamax E-Class Mark II Programmer's Manual

Appendix S

RFID Overview

The printer has two different operational modes for the programming of RFID tags: Direct,
and Label Formatting.
The RFID programming data can be entered in one of two formats: ASCII, or Hexadecimal.
Data in the ASCII format is entered conventionally, while data in the hexadecimal format is
entered as the hexadecimal-pairs equivalent of the ASCII character(s). For example, to
program the word "TEST" in the ASCII format, the data is entered as TEST; alternately, in
the hexadecimal format the word is entered as 54455354. The other important
consideration is the data format byte count. Compared to the ASCII format, hexadecimal
formats use twice the number of bytes. Returning to the example above, in the ASCII
format "TEST" has a byte count of four, while the hexadecimal format equivalent has a byte
count of eight.
To send information about the results of tag printing back to the host, refer to the
<STX>KcOF command for option feedback.
Direct Mode
Direct Mode allows the user (host) to directly control the reading and writing of RFID tags.
This mode contains both a generic Read / Write Interface and a high level HF / UHF Tag
Interface. In Direct Mode, each RFID tag is individually processed with status and data
responses. Typically these commands are used for diagnostics or custom applications.
Generic Read/Write Interface
The Generic Read/Write Interface allows the Host Application to send generic commands
for RFID operations by utilizing the printer's database for specific parameters. Requiring
no knowledge of the tag types being used (except the data format), these commands
consist of simple read and write operations. See the <STX>KaR and <STX>KaW commands
for details.
HF (13.56 MHz) ISO15693 Tag Interface
The ISO15693 Tag Interface allows the Host Application to perform specific operations
pertaining to HF-type (13.56 MHz) tags. Since these commands override the printer's
database by interfacing directly to the tag module, knowledge of HF tags and their
operation is required. See the <STX>KtA, <STX>KtD, <STX>KtE, <STX>KtH, <STX>KtU,
<STX>KtR, and <STX>KtW commands for details.
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