Setting Up Your Identix miniPad USB Reader
Overview
This article will briefly show how to setup the Identix miniPad USB Reader. For more detailed information, please see the User Guide for your reader below.
Downloads
Windows Drivers (for Windows 7, 8, and XP)
Setting Up Your miniPad USB Reader
First, connect the minPad to your PC using the accompanying USB cable. If you are using a Windows OS below Windows 10, you will need to install the Windows USB driver linked above.
Once the miniPad is connected to your computer, it will be mounted and assigned a drive location.
This directory holds the Identix-Pad configuration file, which will require editing in order to switch between the different operational modes of the reader. The miniPad USB reader can be configured to operate in one of three different modes: Raw, Transparent, or HID.
The configuration file is also where you will modify the reader's settings, like transmit power, inventory mode, and session. A brief description is beside each configuration option, along with the expected values for each setting.
NOTE: When editing the configuration file, be careful not to rename the file or enter any unexpected values into the appropriate locations. Doing either of these things could cause the reader to function unexpectedly.
Raw Operation Mode
To configure the reader to operate in the Raw serial mode, open the the Identix drive directory on your computer and locate the Identix-Pad.cfg configuration file. Right-click on this file and select 'Edit' to open the file for edits.
Change the option titled OpMode to "R", and then select 'File > Save'. Once the file is saved, exit the file.
Once this is done, the miniPad should be recognized on the PC as a COM device, and will be assigned a COM port. Find the device in Device Manager and locate the COM port number assigned to it.
To read tags in the Raw serial mode, a console software like PuTTY will need to be used (download link at the top of the page). Open PuTTY and select the appropriate settings below for a serial connection, changing the COM number to the number provided by your computer. Select 'Open' to open the connection.
Once the connection is made, you should see a blank console screen. Press 'Enter' to begin operation. Once this operation is begun, pressing '1' on the keyboard will begin an inventory read, and pressing '0' on the keyboard will end the inventory read.
Transparent Operation Mode
To use the reader in Transparent operation mode, the configuration file will need to be modified again. This time, set the OpMode to "T" and save and close the file. Again, the reader should be assigned a COM port on your computer.
For this operation mode, the Indy Demo Tool from Impinj will need to be used to communicate with the reader (linked in the Downloads section above). Simply launch the Indy Demo, select your reader's COM port, and select "Connect". Once connected, the tool allows the user to configure the reader, run inventory scans, and write new EPCs to the tags.
HID Operation Mode
The reader's HID mode allows the reader to emulate a keyboard and pass tag data directly to an application on a PC. To use this operation mode, edit the configuration file so that OpMode is set to "H". Once this configuration file is saved, the reader will begin to read any nearby tags and report them to any selected text field.
If you have any questions, please contact support@atlasRFIDstore.com.