When you need to read different types of RFID cards and you are not satisfied with the commonly available USB RFID readers, a customized solution comes to the rescue. This was exactly the case for Gaben, the manufacturer of the GB Touch industrial touch terminals.
This type of stationary terminal is used in manufacturing plants for displaying work documentation and other company information. To make working with the terminal easier and more efficient, the client wanted to add a dual RFID reader to the terminal.
It was to be integrated on the side of the terminal, in a relatively narrow monitor frame. The development and manufacture of such a device is not entirely straightforward, both because of space constraints and the requirement to read two types of cards or chips.
How does the dual RFID reader work?
From a technical point of view, it is a device that actually has two readers. Each of them communicates on a different frequency:
- 125 kHz (LF, low frequency)
- 13.56 MHz (HF, high frequency)
In both cases, the goal is to extract a unique identifier (UID) from the chip or card, which the reader sends on. This means that the card can “dump” its ID directly into Excel or a login form.
The advantage is universal use – the reader is just a hardware intermediate. The customer’s software decides what happens to the ID. In the warehouse it can be a record of the movement of goods, in the office it can be a login to the system.
Compact PCB designed into the monitor body
The main challenge of this project was to design the mechanical layout so that both RFID readers would fit on a relatively narrow circuit board. At the same time, it was necessary to ensure that their antennas did not interfere with each other and that each worked reliably on its own frequency. Therefore, one antenna is etched directly onto the underside of the board, while the other is connected externally.
Communication with the readers is performed by a microcontroller, which also provides a USB interface for connection to a computer. There are two LEDs on the board, the green one indicates the microcontroller activity, the white one indicates the readiness of the reader or successful reading of the card. This gives the operator an overview that everything is working.
Part of the development was to fine-tune the firmware – we expanded the output format options and made available a persistent configuration that Gaben can customize itself according to the needs of individual clients. We also taught the reader to support several completely non-standard formats used by Gaben’s customers – they sent us a sample of cards for analysis and we added the necessary conversion functions to the device software.
From a small series to a long-lasting collaboration
Originally, it was just a small job. Gaben required about 20 readers to be fitted into their new touchscreen terminal. However, the demand for these terminals began to grow and the 20 units became a permanent part of the production. Today, the reader is installed in several types of Gaben touch terminals and several hundred units are produced annually.
The development of the reader started as a one-off solution for a specific project. Today it is a reliable part of the customer’s product line.
We’re glad we could be there – from design to mass production. And if you too need electronics that adapt to you, not the other way around, get in touch.
