I'm trying to set up a system that'll do stuff like turn on lights or wake up my computer or unlock the doors in my car, but I don't have the kind of money to spend on $150 dollar RFID readers. Plus they're all overkill systems designed to work with 32 simultaneous tags and stuff like that. I just need something that'll detect a tag that I can hide in a wristband and flip a relay. Perhaps there's a cheaper alternative to RFID? Thanks for any help.
Hi there, I too was looking for a simple RFID device some time back for a computer power-on mod. To no real avail. There has been some activity in this area on E-Bay, but not a great deal. If you need the RFID device to be located in a tag or a wristband, then you are requiring a passive system, which will require a constant current going through the transmitter/receiver (the things that reads the rfid) as opposed to a powered rfid tag. The same effect can be acheived with a simple reed switch, but that lacks the security of RFID -so great for turning on a PC, not so great for opening the door to your car etc etc. Niggling at the back of my mind though - tells me that ScrewFix may, and just may have a simple RFID device...let me have a look... http://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?cId=101763&ts=71984&id=42266 Damn - is still too expensive for your needs...oh well..good luck
You could try a radio module (Maplin sell them for £10) and a pic or picaxe or decoder etc, it would be a lot cheaper, although you would have to have one key for everything.
Do you know if that can be used without USB? Also, I found this, which looks promising. Basically all I need is something that can tell that I'm there and trigger a relay. Hopefully from a range greater than 1cm...
This is similar to what i was looking for to do my proximity central locking thing for my car - i'm getting slowly more tempted to either get one of those phidgets things or that http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/search.do?productCode=CENLOC thing people here linked me to - but then i still have the issue of hooking it all up. I must say i'd prefer to have a higher range than rfid offers (and more similar to the above) but it doesnt seem like there are a huge range of options. That sonmicro thing looks way complicated? Please keep me updated if you do work out the best way of doing this, poody.
hi ive got some blank rfid cards and a cheap reader i got of ebay but i cant find a way to write onto the cards if anyone can help thanks.