Assistance requested for writing code for UHF RFID reader

Projects General Guidance
1

Hello,

I'm very new to the Arduino world and have no background in computers. I'm in grad school for Zoology right now, and I want to make a system to track my organisms using RFID tags. I work with bees so the tags have to be quite specific in size and weight, which leads to needing these super small UHF tags:

(I don't think you need to know which tags for this scenario but in case anyone is curious: it's Murata LXMS21ACMF-218, the datasheet is here:

Murata_LXMS21ACMF_218_datasheet_2210-3077657.pdf (1.4 MB)

I purchased an integrated UHF RFID reader/antennae (FM-504) which was advertised to work with Arduino controllers. I have an Arduino Uno R3.

Current connections from the reader to the Uno:
Reader Arduino
Ground ---> Ground
EN ----> 3.3V
RX -----> TX (Digital 1)
TX -----> RX (Digital 0)
VCC -----> 5V

I reached out to the manufacturers for datasheets and some information to try to help figure out the code and was given the below documents:

Command list.pdf (206.4 KB)
CRC16 sample Code.txt (2.2 KB)
FM-504 command format.pdf (223.6 KB)
FM-504 datasheet.pdf (264.9 KB)

It includes the Hex commands for certain operations but I have no clue what to do with those. My (terrible) abilities in writing code for Arduino are only good for being able to modify existing codes that I find, but I don't even know where to start for writing this from scratch and translating those Hex commands into something usable. I've searched for existing codes on the internet but haven't found anything that works with my reader.

Any advice for writing this code would be extremely helpful, thank you so much and I'm sorry that I am an idiot at this, please forgive my ignorance.

Edit: To be more specific in my question, is there a way to make the manufacturer provided Hex commands into Arduino code?

2

You would do best starting by buying an Arduino and play with it.
Search for example code for the RF reader You selected. Then modify that code to fit Your needs. Forum will not write that code for You.
The aim for forum is helping new members in learning coding. It's not a free code give away institution.

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3

Perfect place to make friends that can help you if you just ask around. Is there an engineering department somewhere near?

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4

You're very right, and I've reached out to see if there's anyone working in this area that would be willing to help too. I'm hopeful someone in the Engineering department will have some time to assist.
I've read lots of useful things on here and figured I might as well ask here too. I thought maybe someone would know how to make a hex command line into Arduino code. My google searching is telling me that's not really possible but I thought maybe there was something I didn't understand in those documents that would make it doable.
Thank you for your kind response!

5

Just like everything else in life, you have to know how to crawl before you learn to run. Did you not also learn to read in small steps? Writing programs is exactly the same process. The first is the hardest and they get a little easier each time.

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