eTagReader | iLivestock Academy

The iLivestock eTagReader is easy to use and works seamlessly with iLivestock software and hardware. The eTagReader can also be used in conjunction with other weigh heads and the iLivestock app.

Getting to know the eTagReader

2.4” LED Screen Display	Displays menu items, prompts and messages.
LED Indicator	Indicates battery charging state and reading status
5-Way Menu Selector	Navigates the menu and makes menu selections. Menu/OK Key: Press to make selection or switch from Read Menu to Main Menu. Arrow Keys: Navigates through the menu options. Left / Right Arrow Keys: Also act as function keys to select action items highlighted in Green or Red
Read Scan Button	Turns on the reader and reads tags.
USB-C Port	For charging and USB connections

Whats in your eTagReader Pack

The reader package includes the following components:

eTagReader with built-in battery
USB-A to USB-C Cable
Battery Charger
Carrying Case with padded foam

Turning on your eTagReader

Press and hold down the Scan button 3 times until the reader beeps and the screen turns on

Configure the settings on your eTagReader:

SETTINGS

Go to and press the Menu/OK button to turn on the screen display.

Use the arrow keys to Scroll across to the 'Settings' icon and then press the Menu/OK button to select.

The following options found in Settings can be selected and adjusted to your requirements.

1. SETUP

Reader name

This is set to eTagReader and does not need to be changed.

Date/Time

Year / Month / Day / Hour - These will already be set-up upon receipt, but can easily be changed if required, by using the arrow keys to scroll and select and the Menu/OK button to confirm the selection.

Time Format

12hr / 24hr - Change the time format to suit your needs.

Auto Update

Enable allows the stick to get to be plugged into a computer and the date and time format to be transferred from the computer to the eTagReader - we do not recommend enabling this setting.

2. READ MODE

Single / Continuous / Auto

Set to Single: If you want to physically tap the Scan button to read each tag one by one. The reader attempts to read a tag for 3 seconds. You must press the Read button again to read another tag, regardless if a tag is read or not. If a tag was not read, a warning message will be displayed on the screen and the reader will vibrate.

Set to continuous: If running animals through a race or scanning a shed of sheep/cattle and need to continuously scan. This mode allows you to read tags continuously after pressing the Read button. The red LED flashes continuously when reading starts and beeps twice quickly when a non-duplicate tag is read and flashes once when a duplicate tag is read. Reading stops when the Read button is pressed again.(Note: this does make a continuous beeping sound when scanning)

Set to Auto: If you want to read one tag one at a time by pressing the Read button once quickly or enters Continuous Read mode by pressing and holding the Read button for more than 1 second. In Continuous Read mode, the reader beeps continuously and beeps twice quickly if a tag is read. Reading stops when the Read button is pressed again.

Once the read mode is set, you can start reading tags by pressing the Scan button. The reader beeps once and the following screen is displayed while tags are being read.

When a valid tag is read the following occurs:

Backlight of the display lights up;
The Red LED at the bottom left of the display flashes once and the Green LED at the bottom right flashes twice
Reader issues 2 short beeps and 1 short vibrate
ID number is displayed and saved into reader memory with timestamp
Both the Location and Total counters increment by 1 as the tag is read and saved.

***Invalid tags are tags with an ID that are already saved in the same session (that is, duplicate tags) or tags the reader failed to read ***

If a duplicate tag is read the following is shown:

Backlight of the display lights up;
The Red LED at the bottom left of the display flashes once followed by one flash of the Green LED at the bottom right
Reader issues 1 short beep and 1 short vibrate
ID number is displayed but will not be saved
Location counter shows the location where the ID was saved previously in the session
Total counter remains unchanged

If no tag is read the following is shown:

Backlight is turned on
Red LED stays on for 1 second
Reader displays No Tag Read!
Reader sends 1 long beep and 1 short vibrate
Both counters remain unchanged.

3. ID FORMAT

We recommend the 15 or 16 digit Display and Output options. 15 digits (without a gap in EID) 16 Digits (with a gap in EID) unless your EIDs are specifically HEX or ISO.

Use the Scroll and the Menu/Okay button to select and confirm the required format.

Example 15 Digit EID = 826024709300008
Example 16 Digit EID = 826 024709300008
Example HEX EID = 8200CE85C0C9FF28
Example ISO EID = A004000826024709300008

The reader will then confirm a Reader Display / Output Confirmation

4. PREFERENCE

Brightness

We recommend keeping this at 7, so the screen is nice and bright

LED Indicators

Keep this set to ON so the LED indicators show on screen for your settings

Vibrate

Vibrates upon scanning. We recommend keeping this on for additional confirmation of a scan

Sound

We recommend keeping this ON, if you want a beep confirmation of scanning

Continuous Read Time

Adjust the continuous read time in increments of 10 minutes, up to an hour, for when your stick is set to 'Continuous' in the 'Read Mode' settings - (see READ MODE above)

Auto Off

Here you can change whether you want the stick to turn off automatically when not in use and if Auto Turn off is enabled, you can set a time limit for the Auto Turn Off. We recommend to use the longest time of 60 mins if you want Auto Off switched on.

Restore

Here you can restore to factory settings

Connection

Here you can choose whether you want to connect to another device, such as a smartphone or weigh scale directly via Bluetooth or a cable, we recommend BlueTooth for ease of use. To use Bluetooth, ensure BlueTooth is turned on (see BlueTooth below)

Currently the eTagReader does not connect to your PC or MAC for downloads. All data can be accessed via the iLivestock app

Info

This summarises all of the settings and what they are switched to. Go to the relevant settings within Settings to amend these.

BLUETOOTH

To use the eTagReader with the iLivestock app, you'll need Bluetooth switched to ON

Use the arrow keys to scroll across to the 'Bluetooth' icon and then press the Menu/OK button to select.

Press the Menu/OK button again to highlight the On/Off option and use the arrows to select On and use the Menu/OK button to confirm.

The reader will then display 'Bluetooth On' confirmation

(Note: When you leave the screen the Bluetooth icon will have a line through it, until it is connected to the app)

Press EXIT (left arrow) to leave the menu

GPS

We recommend this is turned OFF unless GPS tracking is required.

ABOUT

This confirms the reader name, serial number, firmware number, hardware number and model

MEMORY

This will show you how much memory is taken and available on the stick, including how many ID's are saved and how many sessions have been used

SESSION

In the Session module you can create, store and delete EID tagging sessions or groups.

Use the Scroll and Menu/OK button to scroll to and select Session

1. Create New Session

Select Create to create a session as a sequential numbered session/group

Select Create with Name to then add a specific name to the session/group - you'll then be taken to a letter selector to scroll and tap the letters for the name.

Numbered Session Creation:

Named Session Creation:

2. Open Session

Select Open to be taken to a list of Open Sessions to scroll through and then select and view the session. Within the selected open session you can then scroll through the tags within the session and view or delete tags as required.

3. Transmit

This option is not required.

4. Clear Session

Select Current to be taken to a confirmation screen to OK or Cancel clearing the current session you are in.

Choose Select to be taken to a list of sessions that you can scroll through, select and then be taken to a confirmation screen to OK or Cancel clearing the selected session.

Select ALL to clear all sessions and to be be taken to a confirmation screen to OK or Cancel

POWER OFF:

Scroll and select the Power Off button to turn off the eTagReader.

You will then be shown a confirmation screen to use the arrow keys to select Yes or NO and press the Menu/OK button to confirm

Charging the eTagReader:

Connect the USB cable with the USB-C end to the reader and the USB-A end to the supplied charger. The red LED on the reader will turn on indicating it is being charged. The reader will power on in a few seconds.

Alerts Table:

The eTagReader provides a range of visual, audio and vibration alerts when in use. The following table summarises the events and the default alerts. You can customise certain settings by enabling or disabling them to suit your preferences.

Events	Buzzer	Display	LED Indicator	Vibration
Power On	3 short beeps	Logo with backlight switched on and stays for 3 seconds	LED turns yellow until the GPScanID logo disappears	3 short vibrations
Power Off	5 short beeps	Powering Off… is displayed. Screen is dimmed then switched off	LED turns yellow until power off	5 short vibrations
Any of the 5 buttons are pressed	1 short beep	Turns Screen backlit on. Display changes accordingly to button hit response
Read Button is Pressed	In a session, 1 short beep and starts reading. No beep if in a menu/ setting screen, and returns to the session screen	1. Session number/Name and Reading… is displayed 2. Backlight stays on for 30 seconds then dimmed	Red LED flashes once
No Tag Read	1 long beep (2 seconds)	No Tag Read! is displayed	Red LED stays on for 1 second	1 short vibration
A Valid (Non-Duplicate) Tag is Read	2 short beeps	1. Backlight switches on 2. RFID number displayed with both counters incremented	LED flashes green twice	1 short vibration
Duplicate Tag is Read	1 short beep	1. Backlight switches on 2. RFID number displayed. Left counter shows location of ID already saved. Right counter remains unchanged	LED flashes green once	1 short vibration
Restore Factory Settings	1 long beep (3 seconds)	‘Resetting…’ is displayed for 3 seconds then screen is turned off momentarily before displaying the last session used	LED stays yellow 3 seconds	1 long vibration (3 seconds)
Connection Lost (Serial or Bluetooth connection lost or failed during data transfer)	1 long beep (2 seconds)	Connection icon disappears	Red LED flashes twice
Memory Almost Full (>90% used)	1 short beep	Memory Almost Full is displayed	Red LED flashes twice every 15 minutes
Memory Full	1 long beep (2 seconds)	Memory Full is displayed	Red LED stays on 2 seconds every 15 minutes
Charging Battery	1 short beep when charging starts	Turn backlight on for 1 minute. Battery Indicator flashes with battery level and shows adjacent lightning icon	LED stays red
Low Battery (when battery level falls below 10%)	1 short beep	Battery Low is displayed 1 second once every 5 minutes	Red LED flashes twice
Sending session(s) during data transfer	1 short beep when completed	Sending…	Red LED flashes once
Receiving session(s) during data transfer	1 short beep when completed	Receiving…	Red LED flashes once

FAQ:

Issue	Possible Cause(s)	Remedial Action(s)
Reader won’t turn on	· Read button has not been held long enough to turn the reader on. · Battery level is low or flat. ·	· Press Read button and hold for 3 seconds. · Charge the reader.
Reader not reading tags	· Reader is too far away from the transponder. · Reader is not set to read Industrial tags by default. · Memory is full.	· Move the reader closer to the transponder · Make sure Tag Type is set to Animal + Industrial if reading Industrial tag · Back up reader memory then erase it to free up storage space.
Reading distance is reduced	· Battery level is low.	· Charge the reader.

Reader not charging	· USB cable and charger not connected properly. · Charger not connected properly to cable or power outlet. · Power outlet is not turned on.	· Check connections between USB cable, charger and reader to ensure they are connected properly. · Make sure charger is plugged into power outlet and power is turned on.
Reader clock reset to 12:00AM when powered on	· Backup battery is not charged properly.	· Charge the reader for 3 hours to ensure batteries are fully charged.

Specifications:

General Features	Details
Norms	ISO 11784 and full ISO 11785 for FDX-B and HDX tags, FDX-A IP65 Rated Dust and Water proof Built-in rechargeable Lithium battery
User Interface	2.4” 320x240 Colour TFT LCD Graphical display 5-way Key and Read Button Buzzer, LED Indicator and Vibrator USB port, or Bluetooth
Bluetooth Interface	Dual model Class 1, Class 5.3 Low Energy, Serial Port Profile (SPP)
Memory	Store up to 175,000 animals ID with a maximum of 1,000 sessions and up to 4,000 IDs per session
Battery	1300mAh rechargeable Lithium-Ion (Built-in)
Battery Charge Duration	Full charge in 3 hours

Performance	Details
HDX Reading Distance	Up to 38cm (Actual reading distance depends on tag type)
FDX-B Reading Distance	Up to 32cm (Actual reading distance depends on tag type)
FDX-A Reading Distance	Up to 9cm with 2.12x12mm glass transponder (Actual reading distance depends on transponder type)

Mechanical Specifications	Details
Dimensions	267 x 124 x 41 mm (10.5 x 4.9 x 1.6 in)
Weight	438 grams
Ingress Protection Rating	IP 65
Operating Temperature	-20°C to +45°C (-4°F to +113°F)
Storage Temperature	-40°C to +85°C (-40°F to +185°F)
Humidity	0% to 80%