RFID Cloner Studio

🎓 Learning Project - Beginner-friendly GUI for duplicating 13.56MHz RFID tags using Arduino + MFRC522.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This tool is for educational purposes only. Only clone cards you own or have permission to duplicate.

Features

• Step-by-step wizard interface
• Hardware self-test on startup
• Read UID from source RFID card
• Write UID to Chinese "Magic" cards (CUID/Gen1a)
• Real-time status logging

Hardware Requirements

• Arduino Uno or Nano
• MFRC522 RFID Reader Module
• 13.56MHz RFID cards (Magic/CUID cards for writing)

Wiring Diagram

MFRC522  →  Arduino Uno/Nano
───────────────────────────────
SDA (SS)  →  Pin 10
SCK       →  Pin 13
MOSI      →  Pin 11
MISO      →  Pin 12
IRQ       →  (not connected)
GND       →  GND
RST       →  Pin 9
3.3V      →  3.3V ⚠️ (NOT 5V!)

Installation

1. Firmware (Arduino)

cd firmware
# Using PlatformIO CLI
pio run --target upload

# Or open in PlatformIO IDE and upload

2. Desktop App (Python)

cd app
pip install -r requirements.txt
python main.py

Usage

1. Connect - Select COM port and connect to Arduino
2. Read - Tap your original RFID card on the reader
3. Write - Tap a blank Magic card to clone the UID

Project Structure

rfid-cloner-studio/
├── firmware/           # Arduino/PlatformIO code
│   ├── src/
│   │   └── main.cpp    # MFRC522 communication logic
│   └── platformio.ini  # Build configuration
├── app/                # Python GUI application
│   ├── main.py         # CustomTkinter interface
│   └── requirements.txt
└── README.md

Serial Protocol

Command	Response	Description
CHECK_HW	{"status":"READY"}	Hardware self-test
READ_UID	{"status":"UID_READ","message":"AABBCCDD|MIFARE 1K"}	Read card UID
WRITE_UID:AABBCCDD	{"status":"SUCCESS"}	Write UID to magic card

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
"HW_FAILURE" on connect	Check wiring, ensure 3.3V power
"ERROR_LOCKED" on write	Card is not a Magic/CUID card
No COM ports found	Install Arduino drivers

License

MIT License - See LICENSE

Contributing

This is a learning project! Feel free to:

• Open issues for bugs or questions
• Submit PRs with improvements
• Fork and customize for your needs