Tag Reader Setup
Fusion can work with any type of tag reader as long as it presents itself as a serial device. If your computer doesn’t have a serial port, it is possible to find serial to USB converters and serial to Bluetooth converters.
If you use such a converter, there will be some software or drivers that need to be installed and configured so that the tag reader ends up looking like a serial device. Please note that every tag reader and every converter work differently and we are not able to help with the configuration of this equipment. If you are having trouble with this aspect, please refer the documentation that came with the tag reader and/or the converter or call the manufacturer for additional help.
However, once the device is properly installed and configured as a serial port, getting Fusion to work with it should be fairly easy.
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Please consult the Resource Guide for more information on Tag readers. |
Multiple Tag Readers
Starting with Fusion 4.4, it is possible to connect to multiple tag readers. Each reader is assigned an ID field—either the animal's RFID field or one of the five custom ID fields. Only one reader can be assigned each field.
Readers connected to the RFID field continue to work as RFID readers have done in the past, including being used to sense when a new or known animal has entered the chute. Other tag readers are only used to assign a tag number to the associated custom ID field.
Setup Fields
- Associated Reader. Choose which animal ID field this reader will be associated with.
- Port. Choose the port the tag reader is connected to. If you make changes to ports in the operating system while this window is open, click the Refresh Port List button. Fusion will ask the operating system for available ports and any new ones can be chosen from the list.
- Baud Rate - Encoding. All of these settings need to match what the tag reader is expecting. You will need to see the reader manual or contact the manufacturer if you are not sure what these settings should be. If you and the manufacturer are unsure what the Encoding field should be, leave it set to ISO-8859-1.
- Parser. Most of the time your reader will be a Generic reader. However, if you have UHF tags based on the USDA Interim standard which we added support for several years ago, use that option. (Note that UHF reader support is currently experimental and only readers who follow a subset of the USDA Interim Tag Data Standard can be used. Support may be removed in the future.)
- Termination String. The tag reader will send a special sequence of characters after each tag so Fusion knows when the last digit of the tag number has been sent. This sequence needs to be entered here.
- ASCII. If the termination string characters can be entered directly, you can turn the ASCII checkbox off. However, usually these strings include characters that cannot be entered directly. In that case leave this option on and enter the ASCII equivalent for each character. If there is more than one character, separate each character by a comma (ex. 13,10).
If you are having trouble figuring out what the Termination String field should be we refer you to the Resource Guide which goes into more depth.
Getting Here
You can open this window by clicking the appropriate Setup… button in the Physical Computer Management window.
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