Hey, I'm quite new to hardware and embedded stuff, but I would like to start a project including RFID and XBees.
To be more specific, I want to have two trays, in which paper documents are filed and taken form.
The documents (equipped with RFID-Tags) are tracked by RFID-Readers, which are attached to XBees.
The XBees send the scanned IDs to a base XBee.
This third XBee is connected to a server (via an XBee explorer usb) and only receives data.
Is this viable / advisable without any Arduinos attached to the XBees?
Which XBee and which supply would you recommend?
As far as I understand, the XBees need to run in API-mode for this, so I need the series 2.5?
Regarding the supply: The XBee drains 3.3V, the RFID-reader 5V.
I'm thinking of using the 125kHz RFID-Reader ID-12 from ID Innovations (RFID Reader ID-12LA (125 kHz) - SEN-11827 - SparkFun Electronics).
Has someone already gathered experience with this setup?
Is the reader capable of scanning all documents stacked one on top of the other, or is it more reliable to scan only the entry area?
This is my fundamental idea, feel free to bring up additional ideas / amendments...
Thanks in advance!
Is this viable / advisable without any Arduinos attached to the XBees?
I don't think so. The XBees have a small microcontroller on board,but I don't think digi programmed it to read RFID tags.
Which XBee and which supply would you recommend?
How many paper trays will there be? One as sender and one receiver would have me suggesting the series 1/point to point models. More than one sender may make the series 2/mesh network models more useful.
As far as I understand, the XBees need to run in API-mode for this, so I need the series 2.5?
All XBees support API mode. Whether that is required is not clear. Using API mode, though, would allow you to have two series 1 senders talking to one series one receiver. Or use series 2 models which are about the same price.
Is the reader capable of scanning all documents stacked one on top of the other
Thanks for the feedback, PaulS!
I have some follow-up questions though:
PaulS:
Is this viable / advisable without any Arduinos attached to the XBees?
I don't think so. The XBees have a small microcontroller on board,but I don't think digi programmed it to read RFID tags.
I didn't mean to read the RFID tags with the XBee, but to attach RFID-Readers to the XBee.
Do you think this is possible without involving an Arduino?
PaulS:
How many paper trays will there be? One as sender and one receiver would have me suggesting the series 1/point to point models. More than one sender may make the series 2/mesh network models more useful.
There will be two trays plus one base station at the beginning, and maybe one additional tray later.
Will it be possible to distinguish which station sent the data?
PaulS:
As far as I understand, the XBees need to run in API-mode for this, so I need the series 2.5?
All XBees support API mode. Whether that is required is not clear. Using API mode, though, would allow you to have two series 1 senders talking to one series one receiver. Or use series 2 models which are about the same price.
I used to design RFID readers for a living. You can't read if there is more than one tag in the field with that reader.
I don't know how you expect to just scan the input region to your tray because you don't have much control over the field.
I would work out that aspect of the project before you worry about communicating any readings you do get. Is not an RFID tag going to be very clumsy attached to a piece of paper?
This project is for demonstration purposes, not for productive use.
I expect the users to put the documents in the tray in such a way that the tags will be easily read.
And the documents consist of more than only one single sheet of paper.
