Monster Robot Party
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- pricegod-urovo-daemon: C# :7790 HTTP service, drives the Urovo D812R+ via the GTSPL SDK; prints a label AND encodes the UHF chip in one pass. Drop-in for the PriceGod extension's daemon.js (same :7790, CORS *). - chafcheck: Chafon H-102 UHFPrimeReader P/Invoke probe. - ASSESSMENT.md: everything done + learned this session -- the ribbon-latch fix, PET-labels-are-not-direct-thermal finding, unreliable-status-byte quirk, SKU->EPC scheme, the Chafon HID-mode dead end, and how to port the print+encode recipe to the Mac (GTSPL Java SDK / raw TSPL). Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
200 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
200 lines
12 KiB
Markdown
# Urovo D812R+ RFID print+encode — full assessment & handover
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_Session date: 2026-07-22 (Windows 11 bench machine). Goal: make the **Urovo D812R+ (RFID)**
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print a record label **and** program the UHF chip **in one pass**, driven from the PriceGod
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browser extension — replacing the current two-step flow (Chafon gun programs a chip → Dymo 450
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prints a paper label → stick paper over chip)._
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---
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## TL;DR
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- ✅ **Built a working Windows daemon** (`pricegod-urovo-daemon`, C#/.NET Framework, `http://localhost:7790`)
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that drives the Urovo via the **GTSPL SDK** and does **print + RFID-encode in one pass**. Drop-in
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for the extension's `daemon.js` (same port, same JSON, CORS `*`).
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- ✅ **Printing works** — dark, correct, on real thermal stock, at the right size (54×24). The daemon
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even **auto-clears the recurring "out of ribbon" latch** on every print.
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- ✅ **RFID read/encode path proven** — the Urovo reads UCODE-9 chips and the `writeUHF`+`printlabel`
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encode sequence is wired and fires cleanly.
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- ⛔ **The blocker to the actual one-pass dream is the LABELS, not the printer:** the shop's glossy
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**"U9 65×35mm PET"** RFID labels are **not direct-thermal** — a direct-thermal printer can't mark
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them (only a faint emboss). Need **direct-thermal UHF RFID _paper_ labels**.
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- ⛔ **Chafon H-102 on Windows is a dead end for _writing_** — it outputs as an HID keyboard, not
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serial; the SDK can't reach it to program tags without a chronically-unreliable device-side mode
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flip. Recommend: **Chafon = scanner (reads/looks-up), Urovo = all writing.**
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---
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## 1. What was built (in this repo)
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| File | What |
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|---|---|
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| `daemon.cs` | The service. `HttpListener` on `:7790`, CORS `*`, drives the Urovo via `GTSPL_SDK.dll`. |
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| `chafcheck.cs` | Probe for the Chafon reader via native `UHFPrimeReader.dll` (P/Invoke). |
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| `start-daemon.cmd` / `build.cmd` | Run / rebuild (rebuild uses the always-present .NET Framework `csc.exe` — **no .NET SDK needed**). |
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| `README.md` | How to run + routes. |
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| `PROGRESS.md` | Running log. |
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| `*.dll` | Vendor binaries needed to build/run on Windows: `GTSPL_SDK.dll`, `GTSPL_SDK_C.dll`, `zlib.net.dll` (Urovo), `UHFPrimeReader.dll`, `hidapi.dll` (Chafon). |
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Build with `build.cmd` (rebuilds `pricegod-urovo-daemon.exe`; `.exe`s are git-ignored). Run with
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`start-daemon.cmd`.
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### Daemon routes (`:7790`, JSON)
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| method | path | body | returns |
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|---|---|---|---|
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| GET | `/status` | — | `{ok,ready,status,statusText,printer}` |
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| POST | `/print-encode` | `{sku,releaseId,artist?,title?,genre?,style?,info?,price?,condition?,w?,h?,gap?,dir?}` | `{ok,epc,status,note,...}` |
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| POST | `/write-tag` | alias of `/print-encode` (the daemon.js name) | same |
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| POST | `/print-test` | same body, **prints only, no RFID** (safe on plain thermal) | — |
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| GET | `/read-tag` / `/read-raw` | — | tag EPC / all memory banks |
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| POST | `/calibrate` / `/recover` | — | RFID auto-cal / ribbon-off+feed clear |
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---
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## 2. The proven Urovo print+encode recipe (⭐ portable — this is what transfers to the Mac)
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Every step below is the **exact GTSPL SDK call sequence** the daemon uses. Almost all of them are
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plain **TSPL commands** (`sendcommand`) — the only special one is the RFID write. This recipe is
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device knowledge, not language knowledge; it should replicate on _any_ GTSPL binding (Windows .NET,
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**Java/`GTSPL-1.1.8.jar`**, Android, etc.):
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```
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detectUSB / openport # connect to "Urovo D812Riplus(RFID)"
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SET RIBBON OFF # direct thermal (no ribbon). REQUIRED, repeatedly (see §3)
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<if status != "00">: formfeed; SET RIBBON OFF # clear a latched "out of ribbon"
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SET TEAR ON
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GAP 2 mm,0 mm # gapped die-cut labels (Dymo 54×24). For RFID rolls that
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# blind the gap sensor: GAP 0 mm,0 mm (continuous)
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SIZE 54 mm,24 mm # label size (was 65×35 for the PET RFID stock)
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DENSITY 15 # MAX darkness — needed; lower barely marks
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DIRECTION 1 # flip to 0 if the label prints rotated
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CLS (clearbuffer)
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writeUHF("H", 2, 12, "E", <24-hex EPC>) # ⭐ THE RFID ENCODE: hex, EPC bank ("E"), word 2, 12 bytes (96-bit EPC)
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TEXT/QRCODE ... (printerfont/qrcode) # the visible label
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SET RIBBON OFF # re-assert immediately before printing
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printlabel("1","1") # fires PRINT + ENCODE together, one pass
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<wait for status to return to "00"> # RFID+feed leaves it "busy" for ~1–3s (see §3)
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readUHF("H",2,12,"E") / query_UHF # optional verify (note: the encoded tag has fed past the
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# antenna by now, so on-printer read-back is unreliable —
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# verify with a separate reader / Chafon scan instead)
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```
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**SKU ↔ EPC scheme (v1, in the `Epc` class):** the 96-bit EPC (12 bytes) = **6 bytes** 14-digit
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timestamp SKU + **4 bytes** release_id + **2 bytes** `0xEC01` marker. ⚠️ **Unverified against the
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Mac/Chafon scheme** — if existing tags use a different layout, change ONLY the `Epc` class; nothing
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else depends on the byte order. (Best check: scan an existing Chafon-written tag and compare.)
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---
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## 3. Hard-won gotchas (the Urovo D812R+ specifically)
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1. **PET labels aren't direct-thermal.** The glossy **"U9 65×35mm PET"** RFID labels only emboss —
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they will _never_ print dark on a direct-thermal printer. This cost hours (looked like a
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density/ribbon/printer fault; it was the media). Scratch test: drag a nail across a blank label —
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direct-thermal paper leaves a gray streak, PET/plain leaves nothing. **Buy direct-thermal RFID
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_paper_ labels** (see §5).
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2. **"Out of ribbon" (status `08`) is a latch.** The printer defaults to thermal-transfer (expects a
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ribbon). `SET RIBBON OFF` switches to direct thermal — but a _latched_ `08` (e.g. after opening
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the head / pulling the roll back) is **NOT** cleared by `SET RIBBON OFF` alone; it needs a
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**power cycle**, OR a **formfeed + SET RIBBON OFF** (which the daemon now does automatically on a
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non-`00` start).
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3. **The status byte lies right after a print.** During the RFID-encode + feed the reader returns
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garbage codes (`20`, `31`, `45`, `FC`) for 1–3s, then settles to `00`. Do **not** judge success on
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the immediate post-print byte — poll until `00` (the daemon's `WaitReady`), and verify the actual
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result by eye / a separate tag read.
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4. **USB drops on power-off.** Powering the printer off removes it from the USB bus; it re-enumerates
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a few seconds after power-on. If `detectUSB` returns null/`no printer`, wait or replug. (COM4/COM5
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on this laptop are the Urovo's _Bluetooth_ SPP links — ignore them.)
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5. **Label-size calibration is on the printer:** hold the **FEED** button while powering on, wait for
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**5 beeps** — it auto-calibrates gap/label size. Needed after changing stock.
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6. **Talk to it via the GTSPL SDK, not the Windows spooler.** Raw TSPL through the Seagull print
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driver/spooler did not reliably deliver commands (esp. `SET RIBBON OFF`); the SDK's direct USB path
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does. Build without a .NET SDK using `Framework64\v4.0.30319\csc.exe`.
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---
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## 4. The Chafon H-102 situation (why it's parked)
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The two CF-H102 guns, on Windows, put their tag reads on the **HID keyboard** channel (USB-HID, or
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BLE "LE GATT HID device" when paired) — **not** the CH340 serial the SDK needs. Proven: `chafcheck`
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(`OpenDevice`+`GetTagUii`) returns `0xFFFFFF12` (`COMM_TIMEOUT`, "reader not answering") at **every**
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baud on **both** guns; a raw serial read with **DTR+RTS asserted** got **0 bytes** while triggering.
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To _write_ tags via the SDK the gun must be in **serial/command mode**, flipped **device-side**
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(config barcode / the sideloaded Android app) — which the user reports is chronically flaky (Mac too).
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The Windows Chafon SDK has serial / USB-HID / network paths only — **no BLE** — so Bluetooth isn't a
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path for the gun here either.
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**Recommendation:** stop fighting it. Use the Chafon as a **keyboard scanner** (trigger → _types_ the
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EPC → focus a search box to look up a tag; 100% reliable in the mode it's already in) and let the
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**Urovo do all writing**. Once direct-thermal RFID labels arrive, the Chafon isn't needed to program
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anything.
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---
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## 5. What to buy (unblocks the one-pass dream)
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**Direct-thermal UHF RFID _paper_ labels**, all of:
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- **Direct thermal** (⚠ not "thermal transfer", not "PET/PP") — search **"direct thermal RFID label"**
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- **Paper face** (direct-thermal coated paper)
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- **UHF RFID inlay, EPC Gen2, chip NXP UCODE 9** (matches existing tags/reader)
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- **54×24 mm** (or 55×25 — the Dymo size), roll compatible with the D812R
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- Ask the seller: **"compatible with Urovo/TSC D812R RFID printer"**
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The existing PET tags aren't wasted — a reader can still _program_ them; you'd just keep
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printing+sticking paper for those. New DT-RFID paper labels are what enable single-pass.
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---
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## 6. Two-mode design (agreed)
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- **Mode A — "Separate" (today's flow, existing stock):** program chip + print Dymo separately, stick
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paper on top. On Windows the encode step is the flaky Chafon (see §4) — recommend leaning on the
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Urovo instead where possible.
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- **Mode B — "Combined / one-pass" (the goal):** one button → Urovo prints + encodes together on
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DT-RFID labels. Daemon path (`/print-encode`) is built.
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A Settings toggle picks the mode; the extension change is tiny (same `daemon.js` contract). Wiring the
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PriceGod buttons → `:7790` was not done yet (next step).
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---
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## 7. ⭐ For the Mac: getting the Urovo to program chips over there
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The **daemon.cs is Windows-bound** — `GTSPL_SDK.dll` is a Windows DLL; it won't run on macOS. But the
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**recipe in §2 is portable**. Options, best first:
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1. **GTSPL Java SDK (most direct).** The vendor SDK ships a cross-platform Java library:
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`Documents/Software V1.1.2/drive-download-.../20241129_GTSPL_Java_Library/lib/GTSPL-1.1.8.jar`
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(also `gtspl_sdk.jar` in the Android samples). Java runs on macOS — write a small program that
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mirrors §2 (`openport`/`sendcommand`/`writeUHF`/`printlabel`). ⚠ Verify the jar's USB transport
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works on macOS (the Android build assumes Android USB; desktop USB may need a native lib or a
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serial/USB-CDC path). This is the cleanest port because `writeUHF` does the RFID encoding for you.
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2. **Raw TSPL over USB (no SDK).** ~90% of §2 is plain TSPL text you can send straight to the Urovo's
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USB device on macOS (e.g. write to the raw printer device, or CUPS `-o raw`). The **one missing
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piece is the RFID-encode command** — `writeUHF("H",2,12,"E",epc)` is an SDK helper wrapping the
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printer's TSPL RFID command, and its exact bytes weren't captured this session. To get them: sniff
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the USB writes while `writeUHF` runs on Windows (USBPcap/Wireshark), or check the Urovo/Gainscha
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TSPL RFID command reference. Once you have that command string, the whole thing is raw TSPL and
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trivially portable (even into the existing Node `rfid-daemon`).
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3. **Extend the existing Mac `rfid-daemon`** (Node) to open the Urovo and emit the §2 sequence
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(needs the RFID command bytes from option 2).
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**Reality check for "can the Urovo program chips on Mac?":** yes, mechanically — it's the same USB
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printer speaking TSPL. The only real work is the transport (get bytes to the printer on macOS) and the
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RFID-encode command (use the Java `writeUHF`, or capture its bytes). Everything else — ribbon-off,
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geometry, density, one-pass timing — is documented above and identical.
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---
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## 8. Open items / next steps
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- [ ] Buy direct-thermal UHF RFID paper labels (§5) — the true unblock.
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- [ ] Verify the SKU↔EPC scheme (§2) against an existing tag; adjust `Epc` class if needed.
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- [ ] Wire PriceGod buttons → `:7790` + the Mode A/B toggle.
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- [ ] Match the label layout to the extension's `labels.js` design more faithfully (current TSPL layout is functional, not pixel-perfect).
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- [ ] (Optional) On Windows, decide Chafon = scanner-only vs. chase command mode.
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- [ ] (Mac) Try option 1 or 2 in §7 to program chips there.
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See also the shop's memory notes: `urovo-d812r-ribbon-fix`, `urovo-d812r-rfid-label-gap-issue`,
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`urovo-d812r-pet-labels-not-thermal`, `urovo-windows-print-encode-daemon`, `chafon-h102-windows-hid-mode`.
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