Read barcode, write that barcode on an RFID tag

[J M]

I am using TracerPlus Desktop version 9.2.0.1378. I am trying to create an application that reads a barcode and writes that ID onto an RFID tag. I created a button that writes an RFID tag. How do I choose what gets written, specifically how do I set its value to the barcode I read previously?

I need to set the Read/Write Control ID to a variable.
What are the variable conventions for TracerPlus?
I tried to set Read/Write Control ID to Field 1 and <Field 1>. I got an error both times.
I was able to successfully set the Read/Write Control ID to 1. I believe this means I write
whatever is within control ID 1. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

[Dan Peluso]

Hi.

You are in the correct area for the options for configuring this option but missing one piece. When choosing the "RFID Tag Write" button action, you also need to specify which control contains the Tag ID (EPC value) to actually write. Since your environment can contain multiple tags within RFID range, you need to specify this tag specifically in the "Tag ID Control ID" property. This control ID will typically be a text control on the form that contains the EPC ID of the tag to write. Setting the Read/Write Control ID to the control that contains the data to write is as you describe (the barcode data in your case I think).

The hotkey option is not related to the RFID actions but is more a general button property reflecting if this button should be 'clicked' on press of the selected HotKey

Let me know if that helps.

 

[J M]

Can I set the Tag ID control ID to a variable?

My attempt at doing this is a follows:

I created a field that has input type: barcode (its ID is 1 according to the blue box in the top left corner of the field)
The purpose of this field is to read a barcode and store its value in this field (did I do this correctly?).

Next to write an RFID tag with the value in the barcode field:
I created a button with
Button Action: RFIDTagWrite
Read/Write Control ID: 1
I chose 1 because the blue box in the top left corner of the barcode field ID is 1 (when I press the Black ID icon in the TracerPlus design program).

My application needs to write what it previously read from a barcode, did I accomplish this task?

I need the barcode ID to equal the RFID tag ID.

 

[OliverR]

Hi J M. It's a little more complicated than what you're trying to do. Let me guide you through some steps:

• First, you need to know the EPC ID of the RFID tag you want to write to, like Dan said. The easiest way to get this, is to just read the tag into a field. To do this, you will first have to enable RFID reading under the Data Capture tab, and create a SmartForm rule that will fill in the EPC Memory bank in the EPC field after a RFID read
• Then you want a field that will contain the value you want to write. In your case, a barcode
• Then you create a button like you did. The Tag ID Control ID is the control ID of the field that contains the EPC ID of the RFID tag you read in step 1. The Read/Write Control ID is the Control ID of the field that contains the value you want to write; in your case the barcode field you created in step 2

If you're not very familiar with TracerPlus - which I assume you are not - this may all seem very complicated. I've attached a .tpe file of a simple project that does what you want. You can import this .tpe file through the File -> Import menu in TracerPlus Desktop. Have a look at the Button properties, the control ID's of the different fields, and the configuration under the Data Capture tab. Hopefully things will become more clear for you after that.

Just one more note: an RFID tag generally contains 2 memory banks; an EPC bank and a MEMORY bank. The EPC bank contains the tag's unique ID. The MEMORY bank can contain a value of your choosing. In the button properties you can choose which field you wish to write to. In my application this is set to the MEMORY bank, as this is what you will usually want to write to.

It's important to keep this in mind if you want to verify the new value was written correctly; you will need to read the MEMORY bank of the RFID tag to do that. The EPC ID will remain unchanged with this application. This application also does NOT read the MEMORY bank of an RFID tag.

 

[J M]

Thank you so much OliverR!
Are there any affordable devices that you all would recommend to execute a program like this?

 

[Ray Cote]

JM I don't know about affordable but the MC9190Z works great never had an issue. Also Oliver isn't the TID the tags unique ID and the EPC is for the item you put it on?

 

[OliverR]

JM I don't know about affordable but the MC9190Z works great never had an issue. Also Oliver isn't the TID the tags unique ID and the EPC is for the item you put it on?

I can confirm the MC9190Z is a very solid device, but it's not at all in the "budget" class. Motorola (or Zebra) is a premium brand, and the 9-series are their flagship devices so it's by no means cheap

You're right about the TID of an RFID tag; that's the identifier that the tag manufacturer gives to a tag. While one would assume that to be unique, that is not always the case. In any case, TracerPlus Mobile does not read the TID field of a tag, so you can't use that to identify a tag to write to in this example.

You're also right about the EPC field; that's writable (unlike TID) so you can store a value of your choosing there. Typically you would use the EPC field to uniquely identify tags with a value that means something to you, eg. a product code.

But I'm by no means an expert when it comes to RFID

 

[Ray Cote]

Oliver, I'm fairly new to RFID just wanted to make sure I was going down the right road.