Show suggestion: Magnetic Access Control System

[magstripper]

Hey I put up a sourceforge project that can decode mag cards, and can control a electromagnetic strike to lock/unlock a door. All free / OS of course.

Interface: magnetic head soldered directly to a mono audio input jack (polarity doesnt matter), into the microphone input of any computer (the code is java, i know i know). But because it's java it does work with windows / mac / linux.

More info magstripper. sf. net (my first post so it seperates it)

I'd be cool if you guys did a segment on it, you can find a little more info on the forums of the project, and the crappy documentation that comes with it. And of course I can answer any questions you have. And if anyone else wants to know more details on magcards here I can probably answer your questions.

Because my project accesses the data at a lower level (raw waveform) rather than letting the hardware try to decode the binary, it can deal with non standard cards that start with a 1 bit, and correct CRC/LRC.

I know everyone knows about stripesnoop but that uses a gameport which very few people have, even laptops have a mic input. With magstripper you can decode wav files that you recorded with a mp3 player etc. This helps if you have limited access to a card.

And of course it can also control a magnetic strike via a serial interface with a small relay circuit (because the rs232 port cant provide enough current).

</Self Pimping My Project>

Cheap track 2 reader
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=8968
stripesnoop's videos are a good place to start to understand how different tracks work / how to use shims.

[thrillagorilla]

What about Proxy readers?

[scienceking]

Using RFID based control would be fun too, and about as easy now with all the products out in this area. Another cool thing would be to use a crypto key sent to the lock via bluetooth from a cellphone or laptop(although I'm not sure software already exists for this, it wouldn't be too hard to write). The hardest part about this is making a lock mechanism that is reliable and safe(if you wanted to do this part from scratch). But there are some EM strikes and locks you can even buy at a good hardware store that you could interface I suppose.

[magstripper]

rfid / smart cards are pretty cool but the problem is they cost a lot more money that $13 for a mag card reader. Plus you'll have to buy media, and load custom software on a specific operating system. There are also different standards that use different frequencies.

So i'd love to get a rfid reader, but chances are if i even have rfid cards, that one reader wont be able to read them all. Plus with rfid you can clone the cards just being in proximity, with mag cards you have to have physical access to the card, if even for a moment.

But if you know of an OS project for rfid, or a really cheap setup lmk

[scienceking]

http://www.trossenrobotics.com/store/p/3604-Phidget-RFID-Kit-EM4102-.aspx

Seems like THE current starter kit for RFID projects to get if you want to use a PC as the base and not a micro. Thats the kit, they have just a reader for cheaper, but its still not that bad.(59 for the reader and 79 for the kit) This is nicer than most because its USB, and its getting harder to find serial ports on newer computers. However, serial ones can be cheaper(a year ago I found an RS232 reader/tag pair for like 30 dollars, but I can't find the link again...), and of course serial I/O is pretty easy to do in C or Python(you can read/write just like a file) so you could just write your own program.

But as this kit offers software for Windows, OSX, Linux, and Windows mobile, I think it has you set. They even offer a Kit bundled with the RFID toys book if you want some ideas from it. I have never read it, but I've heard its good for beginners. Note you may want to go with something like their APSX kit if you really need write functionality, as the kit above is read only. However, I don't know why you'd need write for simple projects, and the APSX is not as nice as the Phydget for this audience IMO.

On this topic, I did think of something important to note. Like any homebuilt project, you should never rely on it to perform mission critical tasks or to be secure. In the case of RFID locks, someone with a mobile reader CAN read your tag for your passphrase. So just keep that in mind.

Happy hacking!