Powercast's rugged RAIN RFID Reader for harsh environments

Powercast ruggedised its RAIN RFID Reader Module to reliably communicate with and power RFID tag devices in RFID systems operating in extreme temperatures, where other readers could overheat and fail. It can operate from –40°C to +85°C. It is also typically lower cost than other modules.

“Our ruggedised module ensures reliable data capture in monitoring and management systems operating outdoors and in other extreme environments, and is already deployed in several such applications,” said Charles Greene, PhD., COO and CTO of Powercast

Powercast’s module is a finalist in the Best New Product Awards at the RFID Journal LIVE show, being held 9–11 April 2024 in Las Vegas, NV, and is on display at Powercast’s booth #529. The awards ceremony will be held April 11 at 1pm. Powercast chose the Impinj E710 reader chip to provide RAIN RFID read/write capability and IoT device connectivity for its module. The companies’ technologies combine to enable RFID readers that can efficiently identify, locate, and authenticate large groups of tagged items quickly. The module’s RF protocol adheres to EPCglobal UHF Class 1 Gen 2 / ISO 18000-63 RFID, while it interfaces to other embedded electronics systems via USB or UART communication lines, and is powered from externally applied 5V DC power. The 2.7” × 1.7” × 0.37” Extended-Temperature RAIN RFID Module features:

Impinj E710 RAIN RFID reader chip for communication and power.

FCC modular certification supporting 902-928MHz ISM frequency band operation.

Support for up to four antennas via U.FL/UMCC connectors.

RF power levels up to +30dBm. “We are honoured that RFID Journal LIVE has selected our module as a finalist in its Best New Product Awards,” said Charles Greene, PhD., COO and CTO of Powercast. Greene continued: “Our ruggedised module ensures reliable data capture in monitoring and management systems operating outdoors and in other extreme environments. It is already deployed by customers in several such applications, including monitoring automotive parameters such as temperature, pressure and wear, as well as commercially for outdoor asset tracking.” "The Impinj E family of RAIN RFID reader chips raise the bar for performance, integration, and ease of use,” said Vikas Dhurka, Senior Director of Product Management for Impinj. "Our reader chips enable our partners like Powercast to build small, powerful, and energy-efficient products. We are pleased to see Powercast continue to use our products in unique and innovative ways as we both work to expand adoption of RAIN RFID into new and exciting markets."