Transplating a SmarTrip card

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Washington DC's Metro authority is so mired in bad contracts
that it's not yet created a key fob version of it's RFID, the SmarTrip
card. It's an ISO 14443 13.56 MHz contactless RFID in a thin card and so prone to
breaking it's not funny. Several have tried to modify the SmarTrip Card here and here,
but the several I've talked to haven't succeed (including me). We seem
to be having a problem with the antenna design. I noticed that Trossen Robotics
sells 13.56 MHz Mifare key fobs and I have purchased several of them to
try and transplant into. This is a half-step in the direction several
of us want to go. We'd like to be able to put this into clothing. 

How hard would it be to take a keyfob or one of the Clear Thin Lamination Disks apart to
remount a SmarTrip chip in it? I'm assuming that most of the chips are premounted so
this transplantation is not a regular occurrence. Anything I should keep
in mind?

As you can guess this is leading toward our goal but begs the question, is there an antenna what would work well to be sewn into clothing?  

I apologize if I seem naive, as I am as it concerns to RFID. I'm
actually and IT guy with a sparse amount of HAM background so although
I get the concepts mostly, RF workings don't entirely make sense to me
yet. Any assistance you can provide in this hack would be most useful. 

Rich

Edited by amal - 01 February 2009 at 9:56pm

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Wonderfullyrich Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 14 January 2009 Status: Offline Points: 1	Post Options Post Reply Quote Wonderfullyrich Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Transplating a SmarTrip card Posted: 15 January 2009 at 9:16am
	Washington DC's Metro authority is so mired in bad contracts that it's not yet created a key fob version of it's RFID, the SmarTrip card. It's an ISO 14443 13.56 MHz contactless RFID in a thin card and so prone to breaking it's not funny. Several have tried to modify the SmarTrip Card here and here, but the several I've talked to haven't succeed (including me). We seem to be having a problem with the antenna design. I noticed that Trossen Robotics sells 13.56 MHz Mifare key fobs and I have purchased several of them to try and transplant into. This is a half-step in the direction several of us want to go. We'd like to be able to put this into clothing. How hard would it be to take a keyfob or one of the Clear Thin Lamination Disks apart to remount a SmarTrip chip in it? I'm assuming that most of the chips are premounted so this transplantation is not a regular occurrence. Anything I should keep in mind? As you can guess this is leading toward our goal but begs the question, is there an antenna what would work well to be sewn into clothing? I apologize if I seem naive, as I am as it concerns to RFID. I'm actually and IT guy with a sparse amount of HAM background so although I get the concepts mostly, RF workings don't entirely make sense to me yet. Any assistance you can provide in this hack would be most useful. Rich Edited by amal - 01 February 2009 at 9:56pm

tinkerC Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 25 December 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 34	Post Options Post Reply Quote tinkerC Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 15 January 2009 at 11:07am
	Look at the antenna. That is what is needed to power the RFID tag, and it only works near a reader. I would assume that the reader's magnetic field isn't so strong, so that may be a possible front to work on.
	Geek Yep, that's me. I'm also a gearhead Geek