Using The EM-18 RFID Module With Arduino

EM-18 RFID Module

This tutorial will show you how to quickly setup and start using the EM-18 RFID Module. Before continuing with this tutorial, watch the demo video to get a better understanding of how the product works, and then try it yourself!

What you need:

• EM-18 Module
• Arduino UNO
• USB Cable
• Breadboard
• RFID Tags

Buzzer and the LED are optional.

The EM-18 Module is great because it is similar to the ID-12 and ID-20 modules, and can also fit directly onto the breadboard without an adapter board! The process to generate the Arduino code is as follows:

1. Download the NewSoftSerial library.
2. Open the example piece of code “NewSoftSerialTest.”
3. Change the baud rate to match the EM-18 Module’s default baud rate of 9600.

As a side note: If you are using Arduino version 1.0 or higher, you don’t need to download the library. You can simply substitute NewSoftSerial for SoftwareSerial.

To use the Module:

1. Connect the EM-18 Module using the attached wiring diagram.

2. Load the sketch on the Arduino UNO.
3. Launch the Serial Communicator in the Arduino IDE (Select 57600 as the baud rate).
4. Scan a tag!

Here is what you should see in the Arduino Serial Communicator:

include

NewSoftSerial mySerial(2, 3);

void setup()
{
Serial.begin(57600);
Serial.println(“Scan RFID Tag!”);

// set the data rate for the NewSoftSerial port
mySerial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() // run over and over again
{

if (mySerial.available()) {
Serial.print((char)mySerial.read());
}
if (Serial.available()) {
mySerial.print((char)Serial.read());
}
}

Hope this little tutorial helps in getting started with the EM-18 RFID Module! Now you are ready to check for tag IDs, which can be used for multiple purposes.