will RFID reader affect RF transmitter/receiver?

[peeeej]

Microcontroller lords out there pls help

 

I'm planning to install an RFID module to an arduino, then every time an RFID tag is read, I want the data (card serial number) to be passed to another arduino thru wireless means. I was thinking of using an RF transmitter/reciever combo for that. But I was wondering if the RFID would affect the transfer of data because it is also an RF device. Is there going to be a bad effect? or malfunction?

[Mira Yurizaki]

If the wireless transmitter that you want to use to talk to the other Arduino board is the same frequency as what the RFID uses, then it's going to cause problems. Otherwise it shouldn't, though you should inhibit the RFID reader while transmitting data to the other board just in case.

 

EDIT:

Just in case the second part is confusing... Pretend the RFID is a red light and the radio for the other board is an orange light. They're distinct enough in color but since orange contains a red light component, the RFID may respond and if it sends stuff back, the orange receiver may think there's some data (even though it's garbage) coming to it.

[BigBenEco]

Usually no. A RFID usually is just a short pulse of wireless power that a tag will pick up and then echo a unique frequency back to the controller (think of it like the uC is asking "Marco" and then the tab replies "Polo" and the uC is listening for the voice to try and figure out who the tag is). I would imagine that the RFID would be UHF Gen2 compliant. I also imagine your using a passive tag. If you could list out the parts that would be helpful. However, most RFID readers that are made and used my hobbyists are those that are in the range of the 125 kHz zone, while on the other hand RF transceiver/receiver combo kits are often in the 310's Mhz or the 430's Mhz range, so they usually should be just fine. Note to mention most of these kits use a chip to modulate the signal much like that of FM radios, so even if the radio was set to an odd number multiple of the trigger frequency for the RFID tags, enough to cause a resonance effect within the tag, at most the tag will get double the voltage but given how low the voltage these tags work with and often thanks to how they are made can tolerate these higher voltages, the tags will not be damaged by the radio, and while it may echo back a signal, the signal would be too low, and even then, the FM like nature of the radios will ensure that interference is to be unlikely. So rest assure it should work just fine!