RFID Car immobiliser with PIC12629

Ok, so there are heaps of immobilisers out there but with most of them, if someone has your keys, they have you car.  What good is a car alarm with 3+ point immobilisation if someone manages to get the keys and of course the alarm remote. 

This is a simple immobiliser based on a PIC12F629 and an ID-12 chip from innovations.  This can be built for about $50.

Advantages:
The ID-12 chip is/can be remotely mounted away from the main PCB, behind a panel with no external components viewable.

If someone carjacks you or something like that (after you have started the car) then if they stop the car, it will not be startable again.

Cheap and effective

I apologise for the slight lack in detail.  This was a project i done some time ago and it has been a long time since i touched it.  I have posted this on here as it was requested by a few people. I will be happy to answer questions though.

Step 1 The Schematic and how it works

The PIC and the ID-12 are powered by a 7805 5v regulator via some basic filtering caps.  The PIC is in an endless loop at this point, reading available data from the ID-12.  Once a card/tag is read, it compares the string with up to 10 tags it has in EEPROM.  If one matches, it activates the transistor which in turn activates the relay and the program stops.  If there is no match, it just keeps waiting for data. The bi-colour LED indicates the status.

Initial setup is done by shorting the jumper and then reading up to 10 tags in sequence. This overwrites each tag if it's alreading in eeprom.

I know the schematic is hard to read, click on the 'i' in the top left then click on the  'original file' link for an uncompressed version...

Comments

[rjadhav1]

HI.... CAN ANY ONE TELL ME THE CONNECTION BETWEEN RFID READER AND PC .....

[andrew_h]

See the spec sheet for the ID-12. If you want to connect it directly to a PC serial port, you will likely need a MAX232 or equivalent to convert the 5v TTL to true serial. However, some serial ports or USB to serial adapters will work ok on just the 5v signals.

[Opus the Poet]

When I saw this I was hoping for something I could use to shut down a car that had just tried to run me over on my bike. I could use such an item about 3 times a week when I ride as someone tries to "teach me a lesson" about riding in the street about every other ride. BTW I ride in full compliance with the law TX VC 551.100-103, I teach bicycle laws to local cops who would bust me in a nanosecond if they caught me breaking the law.

[thinkdunson]

 dude, this instructable has nothing to do with bicycles.  vent somewhere else.

to kill a car you would need a powerful emp genny.

[Opus the Poet]

I was hoping for something a little smaller and lighter than an EMP generator, something that didn't require a semi trailer to haul it around. I just want to be able to shut cars down after they are used as a weapon against me. The most deadly thing in our lives is not a gun, but the family car, by a decimal (close to 4 binary) order of magnitude. The number of people that die inside cars has been decreasing as newer cars replace older cars with less passenger protection, but the people outside cars are dying at the same rate they have since the mid-1990s, in spite of fewer miles travelled in the last 2 years.

[lukeyj15]

I agree with thinkdunson, RFID will never kill a car. Even lighting won't immobilize a car.
You would be better off just firing an automatic weapon at the engine...

[chandra03]

im chandra..can i get the source code for this...i cant download it.

[inst_lom]

Sorry I can ask a question "also works with a 12f675?" thanks

[andrew_h]

Should work fine on the 675 too. The only real difference is the analogue input.

[inst_lom]

Thanks for the reply I did not have a 12F629 un12f675 I tried but it seems that does not run the program, the file download is
good or has a problem?? Thanks

[andrew_h]

Hmm, there may be an extra option needed to disable the analogue input. Give me a little time and i will relase a version compatible with 675.

[inst_lom]

ok thanks I'll wait

[andrew_h]

Ok, i have uploaded a hex file for 675 on the last step. Should work but i can not test as i don't have one...

[inst_lom]

No, nothing seems to not work
not yet bought the ID-12 but I can not send your pic in the programming jumper
pin 6 is low and pin 7 is high and does not exceed,
Thanks hello ..........
Sorry for the English but is translated

[andrew_h]

I found that i have a 675 so i will give it a try myself in the next few days.

[inst_lom]

THANK YOU SPEED
UNFORTUNATELY I CAN NOT TRY BEFORE MONDAY
POI TI FARO 'KNOW
HELLO THANKS

[dragon_shadow88]

thanks for answering, but still the question stays : "how could i extend the reading range?"

should i build a bigger anntena ? How should i build it ? i see that the ID-20 has an option for external anntena , but i didn't find anywhere what cind of antenna ?

[andrew_h]

There is antenna designs in the ID-12 datasheet.

Depending on the application and range you need, your easiest option is to use credit card sized 'tags' - these give about 10cm range on an id12.

[andrew_h]

Im currently working on a much more advanced version of this using a 16F828a. It is designed to be a 3 point passive immobiliser and also controlling the central locking of a car.

It's in the final development and testing stages now, hopefully should be finished in a week or two. Let me know if anyone is interested and i will post it as another instructable.

[dragon_shadow88]

Hi

I wonder does this circuit can work with ID-40 ? because the ID-40 has a tvice longest range than a ID-20.

If the answer is NO , than , how can I extend the operating range of this RFID reader ?

PS: sorry for my bad English, i'm from Serbia :) (thanks for the answer)

[andrew_h]

Looking at the datasheet for the ID-40, i see two potential problems in using it for this setup. It appears that the ID-40 does not use TTL level serial data but 'true' RS-232. You would likely need a max232 or equivalent between the data wire on the ID-40 and the IC to shift the voltages down. The other problem is that the ID-40 runs on 12v (nominal) whereas the ID-12 is only 5v so you would need an additional power source for the ID-40.

[calaman25]

hi, i downloaded the file, but the extension is .tmp, is that ok?, or i have to change it to .hex

[andrew_h]

 Yes, just rename the file to .hex and you should be fine.

[ShadowCowz]

 pretty awesome, gotta try this :D

[andrew_h]

Thanks for the replies people.  I really had no idea this would be so popular!

[mikeyeez]

great instructables will help in my auto electrical work,

[shteef]

 Hmm, interesting, best get my soldering iron out. Great inscrutable.

[Dutch_Razor]

 Wow this is great! I was trying to create a door lock using the ID12 and a PIC16F628A but I couldn't get it to work.

Is there any chance you could compile it for a 16F628A?

[andrew_h]

 I suppose i can but it's not just as simple as selecting the different chip and hitting compile.  i/o pins/ports and memory locations etc are different in that chip.

If you can be a little patient then i can recode it for the bigger chip but to be honest, is it really worth it?  The 16f628A is way overkill and you'll have a lot of wasted pins.  The 12f629 is also a lot cheaper and is pretty much fully utilised.

[Dutch_Razor]

Sorry I had no experience in that, thought it was just a recompile.

Nevermind then , I'd be better off ordering the 12f629 and keeping the 16F628 for another project.

Thanks for the quick reply!

[ian bernal]

Hello!  I really like this idea, but forgive for asking, where can i get a RFID card for this? do i have to program it?  thank you

[andrew_h]

The tags are encoded with a 64bit hex key from factory theoretically garunteed unique.  The tag itself or the reader do not need to be programmed, only the PIC.

The cards/tags are commonly available on Ebay and some electronics stores that sell silicon chip kits (Silicon chip released a somewhat similar kit to this). Just look for 125khz RFID tags. They can also be referred to as 'Manchester' tags.

[samirsky]

What would it take to get rid of the need for keys?
I would like to use an RFID (or even just a magnet and a reed switch) to enable my Jeep to be started with a push putton switch.  (No need for keys for the doors in a topless Jeep.)

That way I wouldn't need my keys, and how to start my Jeep would not be obvious to someone who didn't know the 'trick'.

Kind of a cheap-man's-add-on to emulate the newer cars where you don't put the keys in the ignition (keep in pocket) and just push the button.

[DavidKaine]

Wire the relay in place of the ignition keyswitch, so it switches the "run" circuit.  then you just need a momentary switch to engage the starter. You'll need an additional switch to disengage the relay when you want to shut the car down, though.  Through creative use of a loop circuit and a SPDT relay, you could use the start button as a stop button.

[sgounaro]

Hi , I wried the circuit programmed the pic and it seems like it never goes to the programming mode? It just sits with the Red LED on. I tried to sort the jumper also but nothing happens.

I also wired pin 10 of the RFID module ( ID-20) and it shows me when the RFID actually reads the card.

Thanks

[andrew_h]

Are you able to connect it to a serial port of PC to see what it's doing?

Pin2 of the pic is pseudo RS232 tx.
Connect that with pin 2 on a PC serial port and pin 5 on serial port to gnd on the board.  Open hyperterminal @ 9600 and you should see it spit out data as you read the tag.

Make sure you have the ID chip wired for ascii mode and you are using the TTL pin (9) and not the CMOS data pin (8) for data.

I'll hook mine up to a PC soon and post the screenshots here so you can see what to expect.

There is also a slight possibility that the hex i posted is an old/incomplete version (sry, as i said, this was a long time ago i done this).  Ill compare it to what is in my working one and let you know.

[andrew_h]

I've confirmed the original file I uploaded is infact and incomplete one (apologies for that).  I have uploaded a known working copy. (now v1.2).

For some reason my serial port is not working for me at the moment but i have updated the final stage with LED behaviour.

[sgounaro]

Hi know it seems that nothing works after I uploaded the file. None of the LEDS light up anymore , I will try to hook up a serial to the PIC and see how it goes.  Although the reader is reading the cards...

 

[sgounaro]

Works perfectly . I was able to view everything through the serial.
The problem before was that my chip went bad , so I programmed another and it worked..

Thanks again,

Spyros

[andrew_h]

 Great to hear. Enjoy the RFID goodness :)

I could also do a revision so that it could be used as a door entry module too.  It would work the same but only have momentary output and remain in a software loop. If you used a DPST relay it could then be used with electronic door strikes and magnetic locks.

If there is a demand for it, I don't mind doing it.