Intermec PM4i User manual

Brand: Intermec

Model: PM4i

Type: User manual

The Intermec PM4i is a versatile and powerful printer that offers a wide range of features and capabilities. With its ability to read and write RFID tags, the PM4i can be used for a variety of applications, including inventory tracking, asset management, and work-in-process tracking. The PM4i also features a durable design that can withstand harsh environments, making it ideal for use in warehouses, manufacturing facilities, and other industrial settings.

User’s Guide

RFID Kit

(Gen 2, 869/915

MHz)

for the EasyCoder®

PM4i Printer

ii RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

Intermec Technologies Corporation

Corporate Headquarters

6001 36th Ave. W.

Everett, WA 98203

U.S.A.

www.intermec.com

e information contained herein is proprietary and is provided solely

for the purpose of allowing customers to operate and service Intermec-

manufactured equipment and is not to be released, reproduced, or used

for any other purpose without written permission of Intermec.

Information and speciﬁcations contained in this document are subject to

change without prior notice and do not represent a commitment on the

part of Intermec Technologies Corporation.

reserved.

e word Intermec, the Intermec logo, Norand, ArciTech, Beverage

Routebook, CrossBar, dcBrowser, Duratherm, EasyADC, EasyCoder,

EasySet, Fingerprint, INCA (under license), i-gistics, Intellitag, Intellitag

Gen2, JANUS, LabelShop, MobileLAN, Picolink, Ready-to-Work,

RoutePower, Sabre, ScanPlus, ShopScan, Smart Mobile Computing,

SmartSystems, TE 2000, Trakker Antares, and Vista Powered are

either trademarks or registered trademarks of Intermec Technologies

Corporation.

roughout this manual, trademarked names may be used. Rather than

put a trademark (™ or ®) symbol in every occurrence of a trademarked

name, we state that we are using the names only in an editorial fashion,

and to the beneﬁt of the trademark owner, with no intention of

infringement.

ere are U.S. and foreign patents pending.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide iii

Contents

Before You Begin ............................................................................ v

Global Services and Support ............................................ v

Who Should Read is Manual?...................................... v

Related Documents ........................................................ vi

Patent Information ........................................................ vi

Installation .....................................................................................1

Introduction to RFID ....................................................................1

Applications of Use ........................................................................3

Media Recommendations ...............................................................3

RFID Operation in Fingerprint .....................................................4

Limitations ......................................................................4

Printing ...........................................................................4

RFID Setup .....................................................................5

Changing the Setup .........................................................7

Accessing RFID setup via TCP/IP ...................................7

RFID Operation in IPL .................................................................8

Limitations ......................................................................8

Printing ...........................................................................8

RFID Setup .....................................................................9

Changing the Setup .......................................................10

Accessing RFID Setup via TCP/IP .................................11

Troubleshooting ...........................................................................12

iv RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide v

Before You Begin

is section provides you with technical support information, and

sources for additional product information.

Global Services and Support

Warranty Information

To understand the warranty for your Intermec product, visit the

Intermec web site at www.intermec.com and click Service & Support >

Warranty.

Disclaimer of warranties: e sample code included in this document

is presented for reference only. e code does not necessarily represent

complete, tested programs. e code is provided “as is with all faults.” All

warranties are expressly disclaimed, including the implied warranties of

merchantability and ﬁtness for a particular purpose.

Web Support

Visit the Intermec web site at www.intermec.com to download our

current manuals (in PDF). To order printed versions of the Intermec

manuals, contact your local Intermec representative or distributor.

Visit the Intermec technical knowledge base (Knowledge Central) at

intermec.custhelp.com to review technical information or to request

technical support for your Intermec product.

Telephone Support

In the USA and Canada, call 1-800-755-5505. Outside the USA and

Canada, contact your local Intermec representative. To search for your

local representative, go to the Intermec web site and click Contact.

Who Should Read This Manual?

is document is for the person who is responsible for conﬁguring and

operating the EasyCoder PM4i equipped with an RFID Kit (Gen 2,

869/915 Mhz).

is document provides you with information about the features of

the RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 Mhz) and how to conﬁgure, operate,

maintain, and troubleshoot it.

vi RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

Related Documents

Document Title Part Number

EasyCoder PM4i User’s Guide

1-960583-xx

Fingerprint 8.70.0 Programmer’s Reference Manual

1-960582-07

IPL Programmer’s Reference Manual

006396-012

e Intermec web site at www.intermec.com contains our documents (as

PDF ﬁles) that you can download for free.

To download documents

1 Visit the Intermec web site at www.intermec.com.

2 Click Service & Support > Manuals.

3 In the Select a Product ﬁeld, choose the product whose

documentation you want to download.

To order printed versions of the Intermec manuals, contact your local

Intermec representative or distributor.

Patent Information

is product is covered by one or more of the following U.S. patents:

4,739,328; 4,786,907; 4,864,158; 4,888,591; 4,999,636; 5,030,807;

5,055,659; 5,280,159; 5,504,485; 5,521,601; 5,550,547; 5,673,037;

5,763,867; 5,777,561; 5,825,045; 5,828,318; 5,828,693; 5,850,181;

5,850,187; 5,942,987; 5,995,019; 6,078,251; 6,121,878; 6,122,329;

6,172,596; 6,195,053; 6,249,227; 6,280,544; 6,286,762; 6,286,763;

6,288,629; 6,360,208; 6,384,712; 6,404,325; 6,429,775; 6,486,769;

6,501,807; 6,525,648; 6,639,509; 6,645,327; 6,677,852; 6,768,414;

6,784,789; 6,816,063.

ere may be other U.S. and foreign patents pending.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 1

Installation

e kit comes either factory installed or can be installed on-site by

an authorized service technician. Please acknowledge the following

important notice:

If you open the electronics cover, you will void the warranty

and may cause damage to the internal components.

Opening the electronics cover exposes the user to shock

hazards which may result in injury or death.

Introduction to RFID

e term RFID (Radio Frequency IDentiﬁcation) describes the use of

radio frequency signals to provide automatic identiﬁcation of items.

RFID is a ﬂexible technology that combines advantages not available

with other identiﬁcation technologies. It is convenient, easy to use, and

well suited for automatic operation. RFID does not require contact or

line-of-sight to operate, it can function under a variety of environmental

conditions and provides a high level of data integrity.

Radio waves transfer data between an RFID reader and an item to which

an RFID tag is attached. e tag can contain data about the item, such

as what the item is, what time the device traveled through a certain zone

and so on. RFID tags can be attached to virtually anything—from a

vehicle to a pallet of merchandise.

RFID is similar in concept to bar coding. Bar code systems use a reader

and coded labels that are attached to an item, whereas RFID uses a

reader and special RFID tags that are attached to an item. Bar coding

uses optical signals to transfer information from the label to the reader;

RFID uses radio frequency signals to transfer information from the

RFID tag to the reader. However, an RFID tag can hold signiﬁcantly

larger amounts of data and can be rewritten many times which are

obvious advantages.

Reader with Transceiver

mati

System & Application

Hardware & Software

Write to Tag

Read from Tag

Antenna

Label with

RFID Tag

2 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

RFID technology uses frequencies within the range of 50 kHz to 2.5 GHz

As shown in the illustration, an RFID system typically includes the

following components:

• RFID tag or transponder that contains data about an item.

• Antenna used to transmit the RF signals between the reader and the

RFID tag.

• Reader with RF transceiver that generates radio frequency signals and

receives RF transmissions from an RFID tag.

In addition to this basic RFID equipment, an RFID system includes

application-speciﬁc software.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 3

Applications of Use

e RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) is an optional device for the

EasyCoder PM4i that provides the printer with capacity to read and write to

RFID tags.

e internal RFID radio module operates on the UHF band at 869 or 915

MHz depending on region.

e RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869 MHz) uses an EPCglobal

Gen 2-certiﬁed IM5 Module (86X MHz RFID

frequency band).

e RFID Kit (Gen 2, 915 MHz) uses an EPCglobal

Gen 2-certiﬁed IM5 Module (915 MHz RFID

frequency band).

e RFID interface board occupies one of the slots for optional interfaces

at the back of the printer and features an extra RS-232 serial interface.

For printers running Fingerprint, this is referred to as "uart2:", "uart3:" or

"uart4:" depending on which slot is used and what other optional devices are

installed. Please note that the 9-pin connector is not functional when the

board is installed in an IPL printer.

Your printer should be ﬁtted with either Intermec Fingerprint v8.70.0 (or

later) or IPL v2.70.0 (or later), or RFID functionality cannot be guaranteed.

Media Recommendations

To ensure complete functionality of the EasyCoder PM4i equipped

with an RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz), we strongly urge you to use

Intermec recommended RFID media only. Printers with factory-installed

RFID kits come with a sample roll of 4x6" RFID media.

General media recommendations and order information is provided

through an Intermec web page: go to www.intermec.com. Choose

Products > RFID, and then click Tags, Inserts and Smart Labels.

4 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

RFID Operation in Fingerprint

e information in this section concerns users running Fingerprint

ﬁrmware on their PM4i printer. Be sure to also keep the EasyCoder PM4i

User’s Guide and the Fingerprint 8.70.0 Programmer’s Reference Manual

handy, for additional information on procedures and RFID commands.

Limitations

Note: When calling the TAGFIELD command, the start

and length parameters must be set as even numbers.

Printing

General Recommendations

e RFID inlay (or tag), which consists of a chip and an antenna, is

glued to the back of the label (between the label and the liner).

Even though the inlay is very thin, the label will be slightly thicker

in the inlay area. is may aﬀect the printout quality and therefore a

high-quality ink ribbon, such as the TMX 2304, is recommended to use

in conjuction with RFID media. e TMX 1500 would be a suitable

low-cost alternative to this product. If results are not satisfactory, avoid

printing on the inlay altogether (if the media allows it).

As a starting point, set the ribbon constant to 80 and the ribbon factor

to 25 when printing on RFID media (refer to the EasyCoder PM4i User’s

Guide for information on these procedures). Depending on the media

type, it may be necessary to change these values. is information can

also be found via the web link given in the “Media Recommendations”

section.

Note 1: In order to achieve faultless read/write operations,

some manual tweaking may be required to ensure that the

RFID labels are properly aligned with the antenna. is

involves modifying the Tagadjust variable in RFID Setup

mode. Refer to the RFID Setup section for further details.

Note 2: Each new RFID media type loaded in the printer

must be identiﬁed electronically. is can be done either by

restarting the printer, or by running a TESTFEED.

SETUP:

RFID

RFID:

MODE

RFID:

VOIDTEXT

RFID:

RETRIES

MODE:

ENABLE

These menus will only be displayed when an RFID module is installed.

VOIDTEXT:

[VOID]:

RETRIES:

[1]:

TAGADJUST:

[0]:

Read-Only

RFID:

TAGADJUST

MODE:

DISABLE

RFID:

FIELDSTRENGTH

FIELDSTRENGTH:

[100]:

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 5

Printing a Test Label

Once the printer has been loaded with RFID media, we recommend

that you print an RFID test label to verify that everything is working

correctly. When the command is issued, the printer will attempt to access

the next tag on the media roll, and if successful, it will print the tag type

name on the label.

ere are two ways to produce an RFID test label:

1 On the printer console, press the Setup button. Navigate your way to

Print Defs > Testprint > RFID Test Label. Press Enter.

2 Acquire the printer’s internal IP number (Setup > Network > IP

Address), open your web browser and enter the number into the

address ﬁeld. is brings up the printer’s "home page". Click Printer

> Web shell and select RFID Test label from the drop-down menu.

RFID Setup

Once installed, the printer automatically recognizes the RFID module

and adds RFID options to the setup tree. e setup tree as viewed from

the console is shown in the illustration below.

RFID,MODE,ENABLE|DISABLE

Must be set to ENABLE to use RFID commands. is is the default

setting when an RFID module is installed.

RFID,RETRIES

Speciﬁes the number of labels the printer will retry to access after a failed

read or write operation. e default is 1, and allowed values range from 0

to 10. Before moving the label roll to try accessing the next tag, the text

string speciﬁed by RFID,VOIDTEXT will be printed on the failed label.

If all retries fail, the printer will position the current label below the

antenna with STOPADJUST and signal error 1321.

RFID,VOIDTEXT

Speciﬁes the text to print on labels with faulty tags. e length of the

6 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

string must be no more than 16 characters. Default text is VOID. e

text is centered on the label, written with the "Swiss 721 Bold BT" font,

and resized to cover 80% of the label width. You may enter an empty

string as "".

RFID,TAGADJUST

Speciﬁes the distance (in number of dots) the label will be moved to align

the tag under the antenna to enable successful read and write operations.

e label is moved before the printer attempts to access the tag. A

negative value will retract the label, while a positive value will cause the

label to be moved forward prior to RFID operations. Default is zero,

and only absolute values equal to or smaller than the max label length

are allowed. To ensure the media is not retracted past the printhead, the

maximum backward motion is restricted electronically.

Note: For most types of RFID labels, you will not be required

to change the Tagadjust variable. 4x2-inch labels however

are the exception. In this case you should set Tagadjust

to -104 (printhead resolution 203 dots/inch) or -153

(printhead resolution 300 dots/inch). Be sure to check the

recommendations for your RFID media, as these values may

vary slightly between diﬀerent types of media.

RFID,FIELDSTRENGTH

is parameter (a value between 0 and 100) indicates the level of

the ﬁeld strength that the antenna applies in order to communicate

with the RFID tag. By default, this is set to the maximum value. You

should not change this parameter unless it is explicitly stated in the

recommendations for your RFID media.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 7

Changing the Setup

All RFID setup values can be changed directly on the printer’s console

(except VOIDTEXT, which is a string and cannot be entered on the

numeric keypad). e following example sets TAGADJUST to 50 dots,

retries to 3 labels and VOIDTEXT to "Bad label".

Example 10 SETUP "RFID,TAGADJUST,50"

20 SETUP "RFID,RETRIES,3"

30 SETUP "RFID,VOIDTEXT,Bad label"

Accessing RFID setup via TCP/IP

e printer’s RFID setup parameters can also be changed via a TCP/

IP communication channel. Acquire the printer’s IP address from the

console (Setup > Network > IP Address), open your web browser and

enter the number into the address ﬁeld. is opens up the printer’s home

page.

In the main menu, select Configuration. is brings up a list of folders

on the left-hand side of the window. Select Printer > RFID.

8 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

RFID Operation in IPL

e information in this section concerns users running IPL on their

PM4i printer. Be sure to also keep the EasyCoder PM4i User's Guide and

the IPL Programmer's Reference Manual handy, for additional information

on setup procedures and RFID commands.

Limitations

Note: When writing to the RFID tags, you must set the rst

byte and length parameters of the RFID tag ﬁeld setup

command (a) as even numbers.

Printing

General recommendations

e RFID inlay (or tag), which consists of a chip and an antenna, is

glued to the back of the label (between the label and the liner).

Even though the inlay is very thin, the label will be slightly thicker

in the inlay area. is may aﬀect the printout quality and therefore a

high-quality ink ribbon, such as the TMX 2304, is recommended to use

in conjuction with RFID media. e TMX 1500 would be a suitable

low-cost alternative to this product. If results are not satisfactory, avoid

printing on the inlay altogether (if the media allows it).

As a starting point, set the sensitivity number to 565 when printing on

RFID media (refer to the EasyCoder PM4i User’s Guide for information

on this procedure). Depending on the media type, it may be necessary

to change this value. is information can also be found via the web link

given in the “Media Recommendations” section.

Note: In order to achieve faultless read/write operations, some

manual tweaking may be required to ensure that the RFID

labels are properly aligned with the antenna. is involves

modifying the Tagadjust variable in RFID Setup mode. Refer

to the RFID Setup section for further details.

Printing a Test Label

Once the printer has been loaded with RFID media, we recommend

that you print an RFID test label to verify that everything is working

correctly. When the command is issued, the printer will attempt to access

SETUP:

RFID

RFID:

MODE

RFID:

VOIDTEXT

RFID:

RETRIES

MODE:

ENABLE

These menus will only be displayed when an RFID module is installed.

VOIDTEXT:

[VOID]:

RETRIES:

[1]:

TAGADJUST:

[0]:

Read-Only

RFID:

TAGADJUST

MODE:

DISABLE

RFID:

FIELDSTRENGTH

FIELDSTRENGTH:

[100]:

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 9

the next tag on the media roll, and if successful, it will print the tag

type name on the label. To print a test label, press Setup on the printer’s

console. Go to Test/Service > Testprint > Config > RFIDlabel.

RFID Setup

e printer automatically recognizes the RFID module, and adds RFID

options to the setup tree. e setup tree as viewed from the console is

shown in the illustration below.

RFID,MODE,ENABLE|DISABLE

Must be set to ENABLE to use RFID commands. is is the default

setting when an RFID module is installed.

RFID,RETRIES

Speciﬁes the number of labels the printer will retry to access after a failed

read or write operation. e default is 1, and allowed values range from 0

to 10. Before moving the label roll to try accessing the next tag, the text

string speciﬁed by RFID,VOIDTEXT will be printed on the failed label.

If all retries fail, the printer will position the current label below the

antenna and signal error 61.

RFID,VOIDTEXT

Speciﬁes the text to print on labels with faulty tags. e length of the

string must be no more than 16 characters. Default text is VOID. e

text is centered on the label, written with the "Swiss 721 Bold BT" font,

and resized to cover 80% of the label width. You may enter an empty

string as "".

RFID,TAGADJUST

Speciﬁes the distance (in number of dots) the label will be moved to align

the tag under the antenna to enable successful read and write operations.

e label is moved before the printer attempts to access the tag. A

negative value will retract the label, while a positive value will cause the

label to be moved forward prior to RFID operations. Default is zero,

and only absolute values equal to or smaller than the max label length

10 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

are allowed. To ensure the media is not retracted past the printhead, the

maximum backward motion is restricted electronically.

Note: For 4x3" and 4x6" labels you will be required to change

the Tagadjust variable. Set Tagadjust to +112 (for printhead

resolution 203 dots/inch) or +166 (for printhead resolution

300 dots/inch). Be sure to check the recommendations for

your RFID media, as these values may vary slightly between

diﬀerent types of media.

RFID,FIELDSTRENGTH

is parameter (a value between 0 and 100) indicates the level of

the ﬁeld strength that the antenna applies in order to communicate

with the RFID tag. By default, this is set to the maximum value. You

should not change this parameter unless it is explicitly stated in the

recommendations for your RFID media.

Changing the Setup

RFID setup values are changed with the following commands:

<SI>Jn,m,p where n: is 1 for RFID,MODE,ENABLE and 0 for

RFID,MODE,DISABLE

m: TAGADJUST value in dots.

p: number of RETRIES.

<SI>Kn where n: is the VOIDTEXT string.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 11

Accessing RFID Setup via TCP/IP

e printer’s RFID setup parameters can also be changed via a TCP/

IP communication channel. Acquire the printer’s IP address from the

console (Setup > Network > IP Address), open your web browser and

enter the number into the address ﬁeld. is opens up the printer’s home

page.

In the main menu, select Configuration. is brings up a list of folders

on the left-hand side of the window. Select Printer > RFID.

12 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

Troubleshooting

Problem:

"No tag found" is displayed when a TESTFEED is attempted.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• e inlay could be broken.

- Replace the label.

• You are not currently using RFID media.

- Load the printer with RFID media.

• e current TAGADJUST value is incorrect.

- Align the label with the edge of the tear bar (Fingerprint) or

press the Feed button to position the label at the start-of-print

point (IPL). Leave the lid open and measure the distance

between the middle of the inlay and a point orthogonally right

below the antenna. Convert the distance to dots.

TAGADJUST = Distance * TPH

resolution

(mm)

Enter the TAGADJUST value in the SETUP menu with the

command:

SETUP "RFID,TAGADJUST,<value>" (Fingerprint)

<SI>J1,

<value> (IPL)

Example:

TPH (ermal Printhead) resolution 203 dpi

DISTANCE 15 mm

TAGADJUST = 15 * 203 / 25.4 = 120 dots

Problem:

An application writing to RFID tags produces a large number of VOID

labels.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• Verify that the TAGADJUST value is set correctly.

- Follow the procedure as described above

• e printer has not yet identiﬁed the RFID media type.

RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User's Guide 13

- Fingerprint users: run a TESTFEED, either via the console

(Shift+Feed) or the printer's home page. On IPL printers, the

media is identiﬁed automatically when you lower the printhead

and press the FEED key.

• e output power to the antenna could need adjusting.

- Check the recommended ﬁeld strength for your speciﬁc media

(see “Media Recommendations”). Adjust the parameter

accordingly.

Problem:

None of the RFID commands work. e message "RFID inactive" is

displayed.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• RFID Mode has been disabled.

- Enable it with the following commands:

SETUP "RFID,MODE,ENABLE" (Fingerprint)

<SI>J1 (IPL)

Problem:

Printing on non-RFID media is slow and printing is halted in between

labels.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• RFID mode is enabled.

- Disable it with the following commands:

SETUP "RFID,DISABLE" (Fingerprint)

<SI>J0 (IPL)

Problem:

After the printer has been loaded with a new roll of RFID media, it is

unable to write to the tags.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• e printer has not yet identiﬁed the RFID media type.

- If RFID media is changed without the printer having been

14 RFID Kit (Gen 2, 869/915 MHz) User’s Guide

turned OFF, it resets the inlay type and waits for a TESTFEED

to identify the new RFID media. A TESTFEED should take

care of this problem.

Problem:

RFID operations yield "Not supported by tag type" error messages.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• A command tries to access a tag data segment that is not available on

the current RFID media.

- Example: Performing TAGWRITE or TAGREAD operations on

the EPC segment of a tag that is not a Gen 2 tag.

• A command is referring to a tag format that is not available on the

current RFID media.

- Example: using TAGFORMAT "NUM" for Class 1 media, or

trying to write an EPC-96 format to a 64-bit tag.

• A command is used together with a "level" that is not allowed for a

particular tag type.

- Example: using TAGPROTECT "UNLOCKP" on Class 1

media or TAGPROTECT ”ON” for Gen 2 tags.

Problem:

Data can be written unlawfully to a write-protected ISO 18000-6B tag.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• For some ISO 18000-6B tag chips, the functionality to protect the

tag memory from being rewritten has not been implemented.

- Switch to tags with a diﬀerent chip that have this functionality

implemented.

Problem:

TAGWRITE commands yield “Tag format error” error messages.

Possible Causes and Suggested Remedies:

• e user is trying to store an excessively large amount of data in the

tag's memory.

• An invalid value has been entered, such as an uneven number of

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