I got the SparkFun RFID Qwiic kit and Artemis Nano. I got this up and running how I want. Mainly just outputting the card number to a com port and recording it. My only problem is the receiver range. So now I’m looking at the M6E Nano.
I’m a little confused looking through the material “Simultaneous FRID Tag Reader Hookup Guide”.
I’m trying to understand the output options. one part shows attaching the “Sparkfun Serial Basic Breakout-CH340G” board to the M6E nano without an Arduino board ? The other option is to attach it as a shield to an Arduino board (I was looking at the RedBoard Qwiic DEV-15123).
Am I understanding the configuration options correctly and what’s the difference in them?
The Nano can be connected with serial/USB CH340G to a PC or Raspberry Pi. On the PC (either running Windows or Linux / Ubuntu) or Raspberry Pi Debian you can then use the Jadak MercuriAPI to communicate with the Nano. It has a number of examples but you will need either C, C# or Java knowledge to program. The API is very comprehensive and enables to use full M6E Nano capabilities BUT it will take time to get going. When running Windows there is a tool (URA) available for basic read / write.
When connecting the board to an Arduino, there is the Sparkfun library which is providing a small subset of the MercuryAPi capabilities and as a result easier to get going. I have added a number of extra functions and for most applications the library has enough functions. You can connect the M6E nano as a shield directly on an Uno pin-compatible board, which the DEV-15123 looks to be. Else you need to use it standalone and connect with 4 wires to any other board.
Other points that might be important for you :
The M6E Nano is very sensitive to strong enough power supply. While it can be connected to a PC or an Arduino and use the power from there, I have seen it often fail. Especially if you want more RFID reading / writing power to increase the range. You might need a strong external power supply connected directly to the board.
Depending on how much more range you want, you may need to connect an external antenna to the Nano.
You can then increase the RFID signal power even more with an external antenna, but the Nano module will get warm/hot soon. In that case you might need to add extra cooling.