Current consumption for MOD-RFID1356 stick, range and tags

[andyhunti]

Hi there,

I've got a few of questions about the MOD-RFID1356 stick and a couple of observations.

Q1. What's the current consumption of the device. I've downloaded the pdf manual "ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS:" table on page 10 contains no data (tried to read in both preview and acrobat on mac os 10-8).
Q2. Is there a way to improve the range of the device? I can only get about <5mm and still get a reliable reading.
Q3. Is the antenna on the PCB or is it an external coil, and if a coil, which side is it on? I haven't cut off the heatshrink to check as I might want to return it if it's not fit for my purpose.
Q4. Is the performance affected if I use a USB extender cable (ie. does proximity to other electronic devices make a significant difference)?

And now the observations:
a. It can read the tags I bought from RS http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/rfid-modules/7154078/, so I guess they'd work with the BOX variant too.
b. I was getting really irregular readings (rarely working) when it was plugged into a 13inch unibody macbook pro and a 15 older revision macbook pro. but much better readings when it was plugged into a Raspberry Pi, although on insert it did make the whole Pi reboot!

I'd love to chat with anyone with any experience of these modules.

Cheers.