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I am looking for an Arduino-compatible RFID reader supporting ISO 11784 & 11785, in order to read tags used for animals (mostly cats and dogs) identification.

I found both RMD660 and and Sniffer Nano v2.0 from ITead Studio, but they are out of stock. Is there any alternative?

The final goal is to build an intelligent cat door, that does not require adding a new RFID tag to my cat (he already had one implanted, and doesn't wear a collar).

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If your goal is not to require an RFID tag why do you need an RFID reader? – Curd Jan 3 '12 at 12:54
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He meant "does not require adding ANOTHER RFID tag to my cat". See this Wikipedia page: Microchip implant (animal) – Axeman Jan 3 '12 at 13:32
Thanks Axeman, that's exactly what I meant. I edited my question to reflect this. – Wookai Jan 3 '12 at 16:39
BTW I'm not an expert, but I don't think those tags can be easily (and reliably) read beyond the usual 10-15cm range... – Axeman Jan 3 '12 at 18:31
That's enough, the chip is located on the left shoulder, and I plan on putting the reader at the top of the cat door. If this does not work, I may look into another alternative though. – Wookai Jan 3 '12 at 22:03
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4 Answers

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I got a reader dirt cheap from Priority1 Design. There based in Australia but with shipping it only cost $61 ($43 for the reader + shipping). The electronics are exposed so I needed to make a custom case for it but it works great. They have readers for both 125 KHz and 134 KHz but both seem to read the 134 KHz chips fine. I get my RFID tags from Oregon RFID. Links below.

http://www.priority1design.com.au

http://www.oregonrfid.biz

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Thanks a lot, this is exactly what I was looking for! – Wookai Oct 4 '12 at 8:45
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@Wookai Those Priority 1 Design boards' antennas are on the PCB, resulting in a short reading distance, as it can be seen in this technical sheet. Check out my tutorial if you want to build it from scratch for very cheap. – abdullah kahraman Mar 4 at 8:37
Thanks, your tutorial looks very interesting! I'll give it a try! – Wookai Mar 4 at 16:43
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1) Are you sure it's a 134.2 kHz tag? Companion animal tags in the US are commonly 125 kHz. Some tags are non-ISO/proprietary and can only be read with the manufacturer's reader.

2) Many 125 kHz readers can be modified to read 134.2 kHz by replacing the crystal.

3) There are higher power readers that can read 12mm tags at much larger distances than what the Arduino and other simple readers can do. They cost a couple thousand dollars though. FYI, the world's most powerful ISO FDX reader is at Bonneville dam on the Columbia River and can read 12mm FDX-B tags at 7 feet. It has its own HVAC system. http://php.ptagis.org/wiki/index.php/Site_Page_BCC_-_Bonneville_PH2_Corner_Collector

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Yes, I'm quite sur it's 134.2 kHz. The specs (anis.ch/en/microchip) say it uses ISO 11784 & 11785. – Wookai Jan 3 '12 at 22:04
up vote 2 down vote

I have been using an arduino UNO to decode FDX-B with some success in conjunction with the EM4095 chip tuned for 134.2kHz. I purchased a populated board from Elektor, see the article link: http://outlet.elektor.com/contents/en-us/50-00023%20manual.pdf.

BTY you can buy a cat flap from: http://www.sureflap.co.uk/ , a bit expensive, it uses a patented technique to extend the detection range.

As for my progress, I can currently detect the cats tags as well as a test tag and locate the header in the data stream, working on the CRC and data payload formatting.

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up vote 0 down vote

These OEM boards will read ISO FDX-B at close range

  • HID 0000-USM-01-0-01
  • Priority 1 RFIDRW-E-232
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Links would be nice. – stevenvh May 3 '12 at 12:10

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