Magtek eDynamo Reader Power, Operation Modes and Status LEDs
- Jason Epp
About the Status LEDs
eDynamo’s have 2 LEDs that indicate change to indicate the status or mode, one is the General Status LED and the other is Bluetooth Status LED. When inside a case with an iPad, look for the LED indicators around the bottom for Bluetooth with pushbutton and the side edge, Generral Status, where cards are swiped. These LED provide feedback to the operator and cardholder about the internal state of the device (see Figure 1-1). Table 1-1 shows how to interpret the colors and flashing patterns of the General Status LED, and Table 1-2 shows how to interpret the colors and flashing patterns of the Bluetooth Status LED.
Table 1-1 – General Status LED Meaning
Color | Flashing Pattern | Meaning | |
Off | Off |
| If powered by the battery, the device is waiting for a swipe or host command, or the battery is completely drained of power and needs to be recharged. |
Green | Steady On |
| If the device is powered by USB and configured to require authentication, the device is waiting for the host to authenticate. After authentication is established it slowly blinks green, or turns steady red if authentication fails. If the device is powered by USB and not configured to require authentication, the device battery is fully charged and the device is ready to read a card. |
Green | Mostly Solid |
| If powered by USB, the device is waiting for a swipe or host command, and the battery is charging. |
Green | One Second On |
| The device has successfully decoded a swiped or inserted card. |
Green | Slow Blinking |
| If configured to require authentication, the host has successfully authenticated and the device is ready to read a card. |
Green | Rapid Flashing |
| If operating in Bluetooth LE mode, the device has card data to send to the host, but the host has not yet established a connection. Flashing stops when the host establishes a connection or after timeout waiting for connection (15-30 seconds). |
Amber | One Second On |
| If operating in Bluetooth LE mode, the device has card data to send to the host, but sending has failed. |
Amber | Steady On |
| The device is in tamper mode.
|
Color | Flashing Pattern |
| Meaning |
Red | Steady On |
| If powered by USB and the device is configured to require authentication, the host has failed to authenticate. Make sure you are connecting to the correct host, and check the authentication configuration on the host.
The device also uses this status when a user is updating the firmware. On completion, the device resets and the LED turns off briefly. |
Red | Rapid Flashing |
| When operating on battery power, a card has just been swiped but the battery must be recharged. If there is enough battery power to transmit card data, expect the LEDs to display standard card data statuses after one second. If followed by no other status, the battery is too low to send data. |
Red | One Second On |
| Device has failed to decode data on a swiped card. Try the swipe again. |
Table 1-2 – Bluetooth Status LED Meaning
Color | Flashing Pattern | Meaning | |
Off | Off |
| If powered by the battery, the device is in Airplane Mode, Discoverable Mode, or Connected Mode, or has completed one minute of Bluetooth LE advertising in Pairing Mode, or the battery is completely drained of power and needs to be recharged. |
Blue | Three Flashes |
| The user has just pressed the pushbutton for 2 seconds, and the device transitions to Pairing Mode when the button is released. |
Blue | Short Flashing |
| The device is in Pairing Mode, is advertising and ready for a Bluetooth LE host to initiate pairing. |
Blue | Solid On |
| The Bluetooth Status LED is lit when the pushbutton is pressed, to provide user feedback that the pushbutton is working correctly. |
Blue | Solid On |
| The device can optionally be configured to light the Bluetooth Status LED whenever a Bluetooth LE connection is active. |
About Power
This eDynamo incorporates a built-in Lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which requires very little maintenance. It is not subject to “charge memory” and therefore does not require deep discharge cycles to restore its charge capacity like many other battery technologies.
When properly powered through its USB port, the device powers on automatically, it remains powered on, and draws power both for operation and for recharging the battery, LED light turned off, unless another Status indicator. While charging, LED mostly green, the device consumes more power from the USB connection than when the battery is fully charged LED light will stay steady green. The device stops charging the battery when it determines it is optimally full, to prevent overcharging.
If the power drops too low, status LED flashes red rapidly after a card is swiped, or stays off, the device will go into either Discoverable Mode, Airplane mode, and it will not transmit card information.
How to Charge the Battery
When the battery needs to be recharged, the General Status LED flashes red rapidly after a card is swiped. When the battery is too discharged to power the device, the device does not respond to swipes. In either case, recharge the battery as follows:
Connect the device to a fully-powered USB port. While the device is charging, the General Status LED is green most of the time and periodically blinks off. When the device is fully charged and still connected to USB power, the General Status LED is continuously green.
How to Turn Bluetooth LE Advertising On and Off
In its default configuration, the device’s Bluetooth LE module can be toggled between advertising and not advertising to save power or to stop radio emissions for airline travel. This state is known as Airplane Mode, and can also be considered the device’s “Off” state. Operators can toggle Airplane Mode as follows:
To Turn Airplane Mode On: If the device is advertising, press and hold the power button for 5 to 10 seconds to reset the Bluetooth LE module and turn advertising off. The device also resets to this state if the battery completely discharges.
To Turn Airplane Mode Off: If the device is not advertising, briefly press and release the power button or connect the device to USB power to turn advertising on.
About Operating Modes
During operation, eDynamo transitions between six distinct modes, each of which behaves differently:
Reset Mode occurs when the user presses and holds the pushbutton for 5 to 10 seconds. After resetting, the device progresses to Airplane Mode. If the device is connected to USB power, it immediately progresses to Discoverable Mode.
Airplane Mode is the shipping mode of the device. In Airplane mode, the device consumes very little power. The device may or may not be paired with one or more Bluetooth LE hosts, but it does not advertise or communicate over Bluetooth LE. To move the device from Airplane Mode to Discoverable Mode, press the pushbutton briefly or connect the device to USB power. To move the device from Airplane Mode to Pairing Mode, press and hold the pushbutton for two seconds. Connecting to a USB host automatically moves the device to Connected Mode.
Discoverable Mode is the device’s normal low-power waiting state. The user activates this mode when the device is not connected to USB by briefly pressing the pushbutton once while in Airplane Mode. In this mode, the device remains paired with any previously paired Bluetooth LE hosts but is not connected to transmit data. Upon entering Discoverable Mode, the device advertises itself over Bluetooth LE, and any paired Bluetooth LE host may initiate a connection. If the device is configured to transmit data over USB and is connected to a USB host, it immediately progresses from Discoverable Mode to Connected Mode.
Pairing Mode is activated by pressing the pushbutton for two seconds, waiting for the Bluetooth
Status LED to flash off three times, and releasing the pushbutton. In this mode, an unpaired
Bluetooth LE host may initiate pairing. Upon entering Pairing Mode, the device advertises itself over Bluetooth LE, and the Bluetooth Status LED flashes once every two seconds. The device continues to be pairable until it pairs with a Bluetooth LE host or until the optional pairing timeout period expires. If the pairing timeout period is 0 (no timeout), the Bluetooth Status LED stops flashing after one minute to conserve power, but the device continues advertising. Upon successful pairing, the device enters Discoverable Mode.
Connected Mode occurs when the device is connected to a USB host, or when a paired Bluetooth LE host initiates a connection (generally in response to the host software’s graphical user interface). In this mode the host and the device can both initiate communication, and it is the host’s responsibility to terminate the connection and return the device to Discoverable Mode to save power when an active data connection is no longer needed for the current transaction. In this mode, the device does not advertise and is not discoverable by other paired Bluetooth LE hosts.
Tamper Mode means a self-test has failed or a tamper has been detected. Upon entering this mode, the device must be returned to the manufacturer for physical inspection and a factory reset. The following can cause the device to enter this mode:
The device has been opened.
The coin cell battery inside the device has discharged below its minimum operating voltage. If the coin cell is completely discharged, the device does not respond to commands.