Trimble Announces Firmware Update for ThingMagic RFID Modules to Simplify Integration into Finished RFID Readers

Trimble announced an update to its ThingMagic Micro and Micro-LTE, embedded UHF RFID modules in the ThingMagic Mercury 6e Series. The firmware update allows for autonomous operation by enabling hardware read triggers and savable configuration settings in the module. It eliminates the need for users to write and run MercuryAPI development code and simplifies the process of building RFID-enabled products.

Customers currently using the Micro and Micro-LTE modules in their existing RFID products need to use ThingMagic's MercuryAPI to write applications to control the module. The MercuryAPI supports Java, .NET and C programming environments. The MercuryAPI Software Development Kit (SDK) contains sample applications and source code to enable developers to get started demonstrating and developing functionality. With the firmware update, users can now save configuration settings such as RF power, duty cycle, read triggers and which antennas to search on, among many others. This allows prospects, who have not previously used ThingMagic modules and written code to the MercuryAPI, to build RFID finished readers more easily.

The Micro and Micro-LTE with autonomous operation is suited for prospects who have an existing platform that cannot accommodate the use of the MercuryAPI but want to implement an RFID solution. Additionally, this mode of operation results in decreased power consumption because the "read on power up" mode allows the reader to only consume power when it is on. There is no power consumption if the device is off, making it an ideal solution for a battery-operated device such as a handheld reader.