getting started with the id-12

Wireless & IoT
1

I’m trying to get my ID-12 RFID reader to work without success, and was wondering if anyone could help. Currently, it is wired as follows:

pin

1: ground

2: 5V (also tried putting a 3.3K resistor between the pin and 5V)

3: nothing

4: nothing

5: nothing

6: nothing

7: ground

8: nothing

9: pin 12 (R1OUT) of MAX232

10: 330 ohm resistor → LED → ground

11: 5V

I’m reading the serial on my computer using Hyperterminal. I tested the MAX232/serial/Hyperterminal connection by making a loopback connection. I also have the ID-12 soldered to the breakout board, then soldered to header pins and put in a breadboard.

I don’t see any activity on either the LED or output when I put an RFID card in front of the ID-12. The LED blinks on briefly when I turn on the power to the breadboard, but I suspect that’s just a power surge.

I figure that the problem is one of the following:

  1. I wired the ID-12 up wrong

  2. I soldered the breakout board poorly

  3. the ID-12 is broken

  4. the card I’m testing with is not 125kHz

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to narrow down the problem, or see that I’m doing something wrong? I am testing with my university ID card (which is what I want to be able to read once it’s all setup), but I don’t know any of the specs on the chip inside. Is there a way to determine the frequency of the RFID chip inside? Thanks in advance.