USB RFID to serial

Podion

Hello I what to konw if it's possible to plug a USB RFID reader directly to a micro controller like a propeller or if a have to convert the USB to serial? And if I have to convert the USB singnal to serial can I use a regular USB to serial plug?

Mike Green

You can't plug a USB RFID reader directly into a microcontroller and you can't use a USB to serial adapter. Both the USB RFID reader and the USB to serial adapters are USB clients. They need a master controller as a USB host. The Parallax Memory Stick Datalogger can act as a USB host for the attached microcontroller, but it'll take some work to figure out the settings. Both the USB controller on the Memory Stick Datalogger and Parallax's USB to serial adapters use chips from FTDI and I think that the one on the Memory Stick Datalogger has a mode where it will easily work with the FTDI USB to serial chips like the one on the USB RFID reader. You'd need to download and read the manual for the Vinculum 1 firmware from FTDI's website. One of the forum members has written a USB host driver for the Propeller that might be able to handle the USB RFID reader, but I can't help you with it. Perhaps someone else is more familiar with it.

mporlier

I hope someone can help me. I am in a bad situation where I have 65 USB RFID reader, purchased by mistake, that I want to use sing serial communication. Any way I can hack the board, bypass the USB chip?

Thank you,

kwinn

mporlier wrote: »

I hope someone can help me. I am in a bad situation where I have 65 USB RFID reader, purchased by mistake, that I want to use sing serial communication. Any way I can hack the board, bypass the USB chip?

Thank you,

If it uses a USB chip rather than a microcontroller with on chip USB that might be possible. You would need the reader documentation to determine that, or open one up and look at the chip part numbers on the board.