Contactless card reader antenna design

RadioCAD are HID Global's preferred partner for contactless card reader antenna design. Tim has designed a large number of contactless card reader antennas for a number of HID's customers.

Tim has also produced a 'how to' guide to contactless card reader antenna design that you can download {here}.

Simple HF printed antennas can be manufactured on two layers (unshielded) or four layer (shielded) PCBs. Shielded antennas are useful where there is a lot of E-field interference.

Dual band antennas, such as the one seen right, can be designed on 8-layer PCBs. 7-layers are needed for the large number of turns required for 125 KHz operation. The HF 13.56 MHz coil occupies the remaining layer.

Tim has extensive experience in designing and tuning antennas to fit in small places close to metal enclosure walls where eddy currents make it difficult to get a decent read-range.

It's possible to add electronics to the antenna PCB, switching components and even keyboards and displays where space is tight.