Long-range RFID Vicinity Sensor Christmas Escape Room Puzzle Tutorial using PN5180 and ESP32

RFID ("Radio Frequency Identification") technology is widely-used in all sorts of applications - ID cards, inventory tracking, pet microchips - and it's also the "magic" behind escape room interactions where a door opens (or any other action) after players position a series of items in the correct positions to solve a puzzle. Each item has an embedded RFID tag with a unique ID, and when tags of the correct ID are positioned in front of an array of sensors, a relay is triggered which powers the desired output. Now, if we want players to suspend their disbelief that they are not really positioning props embedded with RFID cards but actually placing objects with some mystical power, we need those RFID tags to be detected as smoothly and seamlessly as possible. The sorts of RFID sensors typically used in an escape room are based on the ISO14443 protocol for proximity sensors, which require tags need to be positioned accurately within only a few centimetres of the sensor (as if holding up an ID card to a security-controlled door access panel) - and this can limit the player's experience. In this video, I'll demonstrate how you can use a PN5180 sensor that uses ISO15693 vicinity sensors instead: these work in almost exactly the same way as a regular RFID proximity sensor - by detecting passive tags that can be embedded in props - but have a significantly greater detection range. The setup shown can reliably detect tags up to around 20cm-30cm from each sensor, they do not have to be axis-aligned, and you can build it yourself for around $30. Timings --- 00:00:00-00:02:06 Introduction 00:02:07-00:06:09 Hardware Overview 00:06:10-00:09:01 Demonstration with Debug Output 00:09:02-00:17:42 Hardware In Detail 00:17:43-00:29:14 Wiring 00:29:15-01:03:37 Arduino IDE Code Listing 01:03:38-01:05:51 Wrapup Hardware Used --- ESP32. I'm using an ESP32 board with a 38-pin NodeMCU-32s pinout, such as https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mvK... . ESP32 dev boards come in many varieties with different pin layouts. If you are using a 36-pin board, such as https://www.banggood.com/custlink/Gv3... , please be sure to use the appropriate pins! PN5180 RFID Sensors: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32840... RJ45 Breakout Board https://www.banggood.com/custlink/33D... MP3 Player https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mGm... 5V Relay Module https://www.banggood.com/custlink/mmG... (Sorry - I don't have a link to the particular Christmas lights I'm using - they came down from the loft!) Code & Wiring Downloads --- If you'd like to support me making more video tutorials explaining how to use tech in escape rooms and other playful settings, please check out my Patreon at   / playfultech  , where you can also find code downloads, wiring diagrams, and additional resources for this and all my other tech projects.