<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">I ended up using the terminal window to find the card's 'name', then hard coded it into serial.Serial.<div><br></div><div>Faye Lynn<br><div><br><div><div>On Dec 31, 2012, at 12:47 PM, James Fluhler <<a href="mailto:j.fluhler@gmail.com">j.fluhler@gmail.com</a>> wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div dir="auto"><div><blockquote type="cite" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex; "><font face="sans-serif"><span style="line-height: 20px; "><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex; ">ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyS1', 2400, timeout=1)</blockquote></span></font></blockquote></blockquote><div><br></div>Dev/ttyS1 is a Linux or Unix/Mac serial port on windows I'm fairly certain you can just put in. </div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">ser = serial.Serial('COM1', 2400, timeout=1)</span></div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">Only thing I am uncertain of is If this is the correct python way to handle a serial port on windows. </span></div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div><span style="line-height: 20px; font-family: sans-serif; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); ">But regardless if you are on windows it will always be COM# (COM1, COM2, etc...). You can look in the device manager if you are unsure which com port you are on. Once you know it will typically stay the same unless you plug in another com device before the RFID reader. </span></div><div><br>James F.</div><div><br>On Dec 28, 2012, at 12:59 PM, Arthur <<a href="mailto:Arthur@cd-net.net">Arthur@cd-net.net</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite">Yep, it looks like those use an FTDI chip to look like a good old serial port. Here's the driver page for them. <a href="http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm">http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm</a> Though, last I checked on most newer Operating Systems (Linux at least) you don't need to install a driver. It just works.<br>
<br>I don't know what controller you're using, but if it's the Lego NXT, here's a python module for that as well: <a href="https://code.google.com/p/nxt-python/">https://code.google.com/p/nxt-python/</a><br>
<br>Since it looks like the tags are preprogrammed with a unique ID, it looks like you don't have to configure them as well.<br><br>Based on the <a href="http://www.parallax.com/Portals/0/Downloads/docs/prod/audiovis/28140-28340-RFIDreader-v2.2.pdf">datasheet</a>, to activate the reciever you need to set the DTR pin to high on your virtual serial port. This pySerial command should do the trick "<span style="background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">ser.<span style="font-family:monospace;font-size:16px;line-height:20px;text-align:justify">set</span><span class="highlighted" style="font-family:monospace;font-size:16px;line-height:20px;text-align:justify">DTR(</span></span><span style="font-family:sans-serif;line-height:20px;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:16px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)">True)</span>"</span><div>
<div style="text-align:justify"><font face="sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px"><br></span></font></div><div style="text-align:justify"><font face="sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px">Here's a simple pySerial program to test this:</span></font></div>
</div><div><div style="text-align:justify"><font face="sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px"><br></span></font></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
<font face="sans-serif"><span style="line-height:20px"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">import serial</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">#This is COM? on Windows systems</blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
ser = serial.Serial('/dev/ttyS1', 2400, timeout=1)</blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
#Enable the serial module</blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">ser.setDTR(True)</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">#Do this forever</blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex">
while(True):</blockquote><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>#The datasheet says the module returns a 12 byte string</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>#If timeout happens without reading anything, it should print a blank line</blockquote>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left-width:1px;border-left-color:rgb(204,204,204);border-left-style:solid;padding-left:1ex"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>print(str(ser.read(12)))</blockquote>
</span></font></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Hope this helps,</div><div>Arthur Moore</div><div><br>On Fri, Dec 28, 2012 at 10:20 AM, Faye Lynn Thompson <<a href="mailto:watersprite@charter.net">watersprite@charter.net</a>> wrote:<br>
> Wow, y'all are already being so helpful.<br>><br>> This started as an add on to my daughter's FIRST Lego League robotics team<br>> project. The team is trying to use RFID to find misplaced items without the<br>
> need to replace batteries. The one we have is too short range, but it is a<br>> good way to learn we hope.<br>> We have this one...<br>> <a href="https://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/517/Default.aspx?txtSearch=rfid+usb">https://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/517/Default.aspx?txtSearch=rfid+usb</a><br>
><br>> It is built/designed by Grand Idea Studio....<br>> <a href="http://www.grandideastudio.com/portfolio/rfid-reader/">http://www.grandideastudio.com/portfolio/rfid-reader/</a><br>><br>> I think the usb port is an add on to the board from FTDI chip<br>
> <a href="http://www.ftdichip.com/index.html">http://www.ftdichip.com/index.html</a><br>> but I'm not sure which driver to use.<br>><br>> We are using my early 2009 macbook pro and osx 10.8.2 because it's portable. <br>
> We have windows 7 available on other machines and dual boot on the laptop. <br>> Just to make it trickier we'd like to be able to compile the code on a<br>> friends linux machine too.<br>><br>> I suspect part of our problem is just not being able to make time to get it<br>
> our brains wrapped around it. Now we'd like to have something that looks<br>> nice for the teams display at state competition on Jan 12th in Huntsville. <br>><br>> Thank You so much already<br>> Faye Lynn<br>
><br>> p.s. You are all invited to the state competition. Dates are still a<br>> little fuzzy but it will be in Huntsville. Jan 12th or 19th at Huntsville<br>> High or Grissom<br>> <a href="http://alabamafll.org/">http://alabamafll.org</a><br>
><br>><br>> On Dec 27, 2012, at 11:36 PM, Arthur <<a href="mailto:Arthur@cd-net.net">Arthur@cd-net.net</a>> wrote:<br>><br>> That sounds like a fun project. Could you give me some details about it. <br>
> Does the reader use a virtual serial port? If so, I would suggest pySerial. <br>> The other question is what do you want to do with it? There are so many<br>> great ideas for RFID. Which one are you looking at?<br>
><br>> Arthur Moore<br>><br>> On Friday, December 28, 2012, Faye Lynn Thompson wrote:<br>>><br>>> My daughter and I are trying to get a usb RFID reader to work and look<br>>> good doing it. We can get it to read and display the tags in a monitor /<br>
>> shell window. (ugly but it works) We'd like to do something in python. So<br>>> far we have lots of bits and pieces of code, but are having trouble getting<br>>> it all together.<br>>><br>
>> Any advice, urls, etc you can throw our way would be great.<br>>><br>>> Thanks<br>>> Faye Lynn<br>>> _______________________________________________<br>>> General mailing list<br>>> <a href="mailto:General@lists.makerslocal.org">General@lists.makerslocal.org</a><br>
>> <a href="http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general">http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general</a><br>><br>><br>><br>> --<br>> Sincerely,<br>> Arthur Moore<br>> (256) 277-1001<br>
><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> General mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:General@lists.makerslocal.org">General@lists.makerslocal.org</a><br>> <a href="http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general">http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general</a><br>
><br>><br>><br>> _______________________________________________<br>> General mailing list<br>> <a href="mailto:General@lists.makerslocal.org">General@lists.makerslocal.org</a><br>> <a href="http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general">http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general</a><br>
<br><br><br>-- <br>Sincerely,<br>Arthur Moore<br>(256) 277-1001</div>
</blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>General mailing list</span><br><span><a href="mailto:General@lists.makerslocal.org">General@lists.makerslocal.org</a></span><br><span><a href="http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general">http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general</a></span></blockquote></div>_______________________________________________<br>General mailing list<br><a href="mailto:General@lists.makerslocal.org">General@lists.makerslocal.org</a><br>http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/general</blockquote></div><br></div></div></body></html>