by

|   March 19, 2009 at 9:16 AM

Can the UART be accessed with this model? It looks like there isn't an external connector as with the -BOX variant. Perhaps the connections are available on the board underall that heat-shrink?

by

|   November 20, 2009 at 8:46 AM

There are pads labeled "_TXD" and "_RXD" along with "GND" and "+5V" on the bottom of the PCB along the back edge by the button. Presumably, these are the pins needed for UART mode.

by

|   November 20, 2009 at 8:41 AM

Some of the readers on my last order had a new 1.02 firmware version that no longer provides endian-flipped hex output when decoding a badge. This means that older units (firmware 1.00) and newer units may produce completely different output for the same RFID tag. Any application designed for the original 1.00 firmware units may need to change for the new 1.02 firmware.

Also, I've tested more than 50 of these units. For me, read range is more like 2-3cm. If you need more, and you're willing to void your warranty, I've found that the range can be approximately doubled simply by soldering a 1000uF low-ESR cap in parallel with C8.

by

|   November 27, 2009 at 3:10 AM

Hi. Do you know where I can find the latest image firmware for this decive?

Regards
Daniel

by

|   December 30, 2009 at 2:25 PM

Wow. The range is an awful lie. 5-15 cm? Yeah right, it's barely 3 cm. Sparkfun, PLEASE update this page to reflect the REAL range so no one else gets scammed.

I'm trying to make a better coil for it and trying the capacitor trick.

by

|   January 25, 2010 at 1:35 PM

Range on this thing is AWFUL. Can't even read the RFID tag in my hand when it's pressed up against it.

My hands may be chubby, but even with a rfid card or tag it's barely 1 cm.

Got seriously ripped off by this.