User Guide
Reader Manager Guide Page 57 of 62 40-10-006-DOC 15/09/2006
13 Appendix A – AVR Options
13.1 Upgrading An AVR Series Reader
To upgrade the firmware in the reader, follow this sequence of steps:
•
Make sure that the ReaderServer is NOT running. In most environments, just disconnect and the
server will be shut down. If you have selected Start server when computer boots in the Connection
settings or manually started it, closing the connection will not close the ReaderServer. In this case,
connect and type Exit() into the console window and press Enter to terminate the server and close the
connection.
•
Select the File menu then select the Upgrade AVR Readers... menu option. The upgrade window
appears.
•
The previous serial port used in this window is automatically reselected. If this is the first time this
application has been run, the first available port detected will be used. Make sure the correct serial
port for the reader is selected from the drop down list of serial port names. If you do not know which
serial port number to use, see SS. Ports detected by Windows are shown with a + next to them. Note
that Windows sometimes reports ports that are not actually there.
•
Unplug the power from any AVR Series Reader, which is most simply done by removing the power
jack plug from its socket in the cover plate on the underside of the unit.
•
Plug the power in and the software should indicate the connection has been made When the
connection has been established, the icon changes and the text changes in the middle of the window
and on the status line. If this does not happen, check the port number being used and make sure the
serial cable is correctly plugged in.
•
Click on the Firmware Upgrade tab. Follow step 1 and select the file to upload. For current AVR
Series readers, it is 40-70-016-SFW_Firmware.hex. To get this file, see SS. The file can be located
anywhere on the system.
•
Click on Program under step 2. The loading process will begin, with progress being continuously
displayed in a progress bar on the screen, and indicated by rapid flickering of the green LED on the
reader.
•
When the upload has finished, close the upgrade window. Remove power from the reader and reapply
to reset it. The ReaderServer can now be started and connection with the upgraded reader established.
The Altera Upgrade tab follows a similar procedure to upgrade the programmable logic device on the
board. There are a number of data files that can be used depending on the type of reader being used.
Check with technical support that the correct RBF file has been supplied for the reader.
There are a number of other controls on this window, but they are primarily for testing and
manufacturing purposes.
13.2 Opening A Connection Using The Command Line
The Automatically Connect On Startup option works well if only a single copy of ReaderManager needs
to run at the same on a single computer. But if there is a need to run multiple copies, then the software
doesn't know which connection to make automatically with each copy that is started.
To resolve this dilemma, ReaderManager can accept the connection name as a command line parameter.
For example, this could be put in a batch/script file:
python ReaderManager.py "New 1310"
This application will not return to the command prompt until the ReaderManager has exited. To run
multiple copies, it is necessary to run each from separate command windows (or batch files).
In this example, python is given without a path, but in many cases, it will be necessary to supply the path
to the Python interpreter, for example, C:\Program Files\Python23\Python.