I am looking to combine the following pieces of hardware in the following arrangement:
An arduino pro mini
A BlueSMiRF bluetooth modem
A Skytek M1 Mini Rfid reader (TTL device)
The Skytek M1 RFiD reader will be connected to the Arduino mini using a "Software Serial" input, allowing the serial data from the RFiD reader to be passed to the arduino through two of the digital input pins on the arduino.
The arduino will then carry out some data processing on the data input from the Mini M1. This data will then be output from the Arduino over a bluetooth serial link, using the BlueSMiRF. The BlueSMiRF will be connected to the standard TX/RX pins on the arduino.
Can anyone tell me if this is possible? and whether it sounds like it will work? If anyone has any advice that they can offer me, please help. I would like to get peoples opinion before I spend money on ordering the components to see if it works.
I built a handheld 125 khz RFID reader using 2 lilypads and a bluesmirf module 14 months ago.
So yes, it's very doo'able/done, but I'm not sure about the software serial though and that's why I used 2 lilypads and connected them on i2c and used one serial for the reader and the other for smirf.
Hand held wireless RFID readers are expensive aren't they = )
btw.. if your wanting a commercial solution (quantities) PM me, I have a stock of 125khz readers and an unlimited supply at USD10 per unit. They are the same as the Skytek modules with a number of different sized coils - and I also have stocks of 20mm x 5mm bullet tags at half the normal retail price.
The bare 168's can be used as well so you don't actually need a board.
Come to think of it, I designed a dual 168 board with an RFID module embedded. I'll see if I can find the Eagle files = )
Update:
Seems I didn't have time to finish it, or dual-Core it. But it's i2c ready so "basically" it's an RFID-duino ready to talk to another 168 on I2c.
There is an I2C version of the Skyetek M1 module also available, would I be right in thinking that if i was to use this instead of the TTL version, it would eliminate the need for the second arduino?
I have already built a handheld RFiD reader using an ID-12 which works on 125khz, although this did not need to use a microprocessor and was simply feeding the SMIRF with serial data.
The reason I want to use the Skyetek m1 is that I need a solution to work on 13.56mhz instead of 125khz. I am building custom RFiD components and I have found a supply of 13.56mhz RFiD IC's, whereas I can not find a readily available supply of the 125khz IC's. The previous system I built also had some problems regarding speed of reading etc.
If your interested in more about what it is I am doing have a look at the following:
A 13.56 module will give you a longer read distance, and you should be able to read up to 8 TAGs at once. Check out what the casino's are doing with 13.56 in chips, you might find some interesting data via google.
An i2c 13.56 module will allow you to use Arduino's i2c rather than a serial port, so you won't need a second IC or software serial. And Arduino happens to have the "most excellent" Wire library that you might like to take a look at.
Here's a link worth reading. It's a short didactic parenthetical on making TWI work on an Arduino.
It is referred to within the product design industry as styrafoam and is widely used for making quick models.
It is actually sold for a different purpose as a building material and used for insulation in cavity walls.
With a smooth grain grit paper (P800) you can get a smooth finish. I am not sure if it would be suitable for making a positive mould from, as it melts under temperature.
You could possible pour plaster around the foam, allow to cure, then cut open and use the plaster as a tool.
The blue foam is bought in large sheets, i cant remember the exact costing for it, but you can get a lot out of one sheet!
