Building RFID Based on MFRC522 on Raspberry Pi 3B

In this project, I will demonstrate how to set up RFID on a Raspberry Pi using Microsoft IoT Core. This project uses C# coding and will ultimately interface with Stronghold CMD to control the security system in my home.

How to Set Up RFID on Raspberry Pi Using Microsoft IoT Core

The first thing you need to do is purchase a Raspberry Pi B 3+ or Raspberry Pi Model B. I recommend choosing Model B 3 over the plus version for better support of this model. I will be using the 3B+ version in this video, but I will cover what is required to make it work with the 3B.

I also suggest using a 5V power adapter and a 16GB storage card, which can be purchased as a kit to save you the trouble of finding compatible parts. If you do not buy it as a kit, make sure the accessories are compatible with Windows IoT Core. The second item you need to purchase is the MFRC522 RFID development board, which can be bought on Taobao. You can also buy it from local component suppliers for a very low price, typically ranging from ten to several dozen yuan.

The last thing you need to do is familiarize yourself with the various colors of female-to-female jumper cables. If you don’t have a soldering iron, you will also need to use it along with some electronic solder. I do not recommend buying a low-wattage soldering iron as it is difficult to use; about 60 watts is sufficient.

Once you have all the parts ready, take out the MFRC522 RFID board and solder the connectors onto the board. First, plug in or turn on the soldering iron and moisten the sponge. Once the soldering iron reaches temperature, tin the tip with solder and touch it to the pin you want to solder. Make sure that no two pins accidentally connect with a blob of solder.

Next, carefully connect the various connections in the following order, and it’s best to use a separate color for each connection, as this will help you identify the pins:

Here is a picture of the Pin Header on the Raspberry Pi; note that when the USB and network ports are on the right side, pin 1 starts from the upper left corner as the second pin, pin 2 is directly above pin 1, pin 3 is to the right of pin 1, and so on. Before proceeding with any operations, ensure that the Raspberry Pi is correctly connected to the MFRC522; otherwise, it will lead to many errors.

Now download the Windows IoT Core Dashboard; you will need to do this on a computer that supports SD cards. Next, if you are using Raspberry Pi 3 B, download the latest version of the software and install it via the Windows IoT Core Dashboard. If you are using Raspberry Pi 3 B+, you need to install the internal preview version 17661 on the Raspberry Pi; otherwise, it will not boot. Note that wireless and Bluetooth do not work on this software version. After installation, power up the Raspberry Pi, and if successful, you will see a rainbow screen followed by the Windows loading screen.

Next comes the code. You can download my project files and use a runnable project, or you can operate on your own using the following link: https://github.com/mlowijs/mfrc522-netmf/tree/master/Mfrc522

This guy has published a complete library, and you can copy and paste the code into its own C# file.

……

Source: Hackaday