This project is an interdisciplinary effort involving the Biology Department and the Department of Electrical and Computer engineering at Lafayette College.  The main goal was to develop a low-frequency (LF) radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader that could cover larger areas than existing readers. Our solution is a switched-antenna reader that can support up to 12 antennas, allowing foraging areas on the ground and multi-station feeders to be monitored effectively.

This page provides design files and software for the design, representing the culmination of a 2-year effort involving both Lafayette faculty and undergraduate student research.

Software and design files are provided below under the terms of the MIT License:

Version 0.95 (Latest)

Technical Description (pdf)
Hardware Design Files
Firmware Files (MPLABX Project)
Bluetooth App (Android) Source Code
Bluetooth App (Android) Binary

Project Contributors

Mike Butler (Professor, Biology)
Daniel Carroll (Student Researcher, ECE)
Leah Diamantides (Student Researcher, ECE)
Kwanho C. Ki (Student Researcher, Biology)
Jon Wallace (Professor, ECE)

Acknowledgement

We would like to thank Dr. Eli Bridge for providing hardware and software support.  His design and encouragement were instrumental in developing our own design.