zpl.tools
RFID

^HR - Calibrate RFID Tag Position

Runs RFID tag calibration and returns the resulting position and power table to the host.

^HR calibrates one specific RFID label. The printer feeds the label one dot row at a time and reads and writes the transponder at each step. It then calculates the most reliable programming position and returns a table of the readings to the host. Use ^HR only for media that does not obey the printer's transponder placement specification. On compliant media it costs throughput and gives no benefit.

Syntax

^HRa,b,c,d,e

Support

Recognised, deliberately skippedparsed: none · state: none · rendered: none

Accepted and skipped, because it configures the printer rather than the label. It cannot change the rendered output, and Labelary skips it too.

Moves the media, reads a transponder and reports the settings it found. It needs physical media to calibrate against, and writes its results to the host, not to the label. The renderer does not parse this command. It reports IGNORED_COMMAND at info severity, which does not reach X-Warnings. Labelary is also silent, so the rendered label is identical in both engines and with or without the command. — not pinned by a test

Labelary renders this command.

Parameters

aStart stringoptional · text

Text sent before the results table. Fewer than 65 characters.

Default
start
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse this command or validate its arguments. The guide does not state what a printer does with an out-of-range value.
Test coverage
bEnd stringoptional · text

Text sent after the results table. Fewer than 65 characters.

Default
end
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse this command or validate its arguments. The guide does not state what a printer does with an out-of-range value.
Test coverage
cStart positionoptional · text

Where the calibration range begins, in millimeters from the print line. F0 to F999 feeds forward, B0 to B30 backfeeds. The forward maximum is the label length in millimeters, or 999, whichever is smaller.

Default
B30 on the ZT400 and ZT600 series, B20 on all other supported printers
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse this command or validate its arguments. The guide does not state what a printer does with an out-of-range value.
Test coverage
dEnd positionoptional · text

Where the calibration range ends. F0 to F999 and B0 to B30 as for the start position. A stops automatically once a consecutive 5 mm range reads and encodes.

Default
A
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse this command or validate its arguments. The guide does not state what a printer does with an out-of-range value.
Test coverage
eAntenna and power detectionoptional · one of a set

Whether the printer chooses the antenna element and read/write power levels, or takes them as given.

Default
A
Invalid value
not documented, and we have not measured it. The renderer does not parse this command or validate its arguments. The guide does not state what a printer does with an out-of-range value.
Test coverage
No documented value is exercised by a test (A, M).
A
Automatic. The printer scans the antennas and power levels during calibration. (default)
M
Manual.

Behavior

The printer saves the calibrated position in non-volatile memory, where it replaces the ^RS programming position and survives a power cycle. The opposite order also has an effect: a later format that sets ^RS parameter p overrides the calibrated value for every RFID label until the printer goes off. Calibration also covers the print mode, the backfeed mode and the tear-off position, and a change to one needs a new calibration.

The printer sends the results table to the host on the channel that received the format, and never onto the label. The RFID TAG CALIB RUN option on the control panel starts the same calibration and returns no table.

This reference usually follows the 2006 edition of the ZPL II guide, which documents the two strings a and b only. The start position, the end position and the antenna-and-power parameters above come from later firmware.

Example

The two strings bracket the results table in the host output; the label itself is unaffected:

^XA
^HRcalibration start,calibration end
^FO50,50^A0N,30,30^FDRFID smart label^FS
^XZ

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