[Koha] Help- 3M RFID and Koha

[Dobrica Pavlinušić]

2010/1/26 Mark Osborne <mosborne at ashs.school.nz>:
> Kia ora whanau,
>
> We've got a new 3M RFID security system and self check unit being installed
> (which is wonderful, and a really exciting development for our library).

I had same problem some time ago, so I decided to write driver for 3M
RFID reader:

http://blog.rot13.org/2008/10/3m_rfid_reader_810_can_freely_speak_now.html

Later on, I even played around with Comet

http://blog.rot13.org/2009/04/comet_experiment_rfid_reader_with_koha_data_in_browser.html

but now-days, I'm working on third version which should use JSONP to
fetch data from local reader and display data within Koha. Local web
server which respond to JSONP and driver RFID reader is ready, but I
haven't yet written Koha part.

You can play with stand-alone RFID driver/JOSNP server using
http://svn.rot13.org/index.cgi/RFID/ (3m-810.pl).

I also collected various useful information about 3M's RFID
implementation for libraries at

http://saturn.ffzg.hr/rot13/index.cgi?hitchhikers_guide_to_rfid

Hopefully, you will file something helpful in one of those links :-)

> The problem is that the 3M technician installing the system says that the
> RFID reader needs Windows XP middleware (called 'Pad Staff Workstation Model
> 895') to go between the RFID reader and the catalogue. We are an open source
> school and run Linux on the desktop so we don't want to have to use XP just
> to run our security system. This is strange given the RFID reader has a USB
> interface- I would have thought it would put the text string directly into
> the browser like our barcode reader used to do.

RFID reader is USB-serial device, and not USB-hid (like keyboard) so
it needs program to drive it. This somehow makes sense, because RFID
tag has more information than barcode on it.

> The technician also said that we can't catalogue items directly into Koha,
> we need to use the 3M RFID Conversion Software. This sounds nuts to me.

We have currently production deployment which uses 3M software
together with Windows macro which transfers barcode (from Koha's
window title, sic!) to 3M software and/or barcode from 3M software to
focused form in Koha. This works, but is not something we would like
to have forever, which is a reason why I started writing my own
support for it.

> Does anyone have experience with 3M RFID systems and Koha? Is there a way to
> run Linux, Koha and 3M security whilst keeping one's sanity?

We asked once 3M representative about support for developing 3rd party
software for their's RFID reader and got response: "strictly not!".
Fortunately, he got downsized in next 3M reorganization, so I'm not
too worried about it :-)

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