For beginners: How to set up a Raspberry Pi RFID RC522 Reader and record data on IOTA
This document’s purpose is to explain the process on how to use a RFID reader and record data on the IOTA tangle. It is a step-by-step guide that I wrote after I failed trying to make any solution working that I had found on the internet. Please let me know if you see anything that needs improvement.
1. Hardware Setup
1.1 Components
- Raspberry Pi 3 (or 2) with the following components: WiFi, 32GB Micro SD card, Power supply.
- RC522 RFID Reader
- Breadboard Wires F/F
In addition, you will need for the setup: USB keyboard, USB mouse and HDMI cable.
1.2 Assembly
The assembly is straight forward.
RFID Reader: You will need to solder the pin header onto the module board. Be careful with this step as otherwise the system will not work (you will not be able to read/write tags). I for example had one pin not soldered correctly and it took me a long time to identify and solve this problem as I originally thought it was a software problem.
Connecting: Connect the reader to the Raspberry the following way:
2. Software setup
On your computer do the following:
- Download and install SD card formater on your computer: https://www.sdcard.org and format the SD card.
- Download Raspbian (NOOBS): https://www.raspberrypi.org/downloads/noobs/ . You can download NOOBS lite.
- Copy the NOOB content to the micro SD card (only copy the content inside the downloaded folder and not the folder itself).
Remove the micro SD card from your computer and insert it into the Raspberry Pi.
Connect to the Raspberry Pi:
- Monitor using the HDMI cable
- Mouse and keyboard
- Power cable
Power up the Raspberry Pi and install the full version of Raspbian.
After reboot, select menu →Preferences → Raspberry Pi configuration, then select tab Interfaces and enable: SSH, SPI, and VNC.
If you prefer to connect remotely to the Raspberry Pi perform the following steps:
On the Raspberry open the terminal and use the following codes:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install realvnc-vnc-server realvnc-vnc-viewer
To get the raspberry Pi ip address (for example 192.168.1.20), type in the terminal: ifconfig
Reboot the Raspberry Pi:
sudo reboot
On your computer download the VNC viewer: https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/download/viewer/ and follow the instructions.
Once installed use the Raspberry Pi IP address as well as username and password to log into your Raspberry.
3. Installation of RFID software
Once your Raspberry Pi has finished rebooting, open the terminal and check if spi_bcm2835 is listed:
