Hardware components and setup
The following is a list of the hardware components and the quantity of each needed to build the smart kitchen project:
Photons (2)
Li-Po batteries (2)
3-6V DC power supply (2)
RFID Reader module RFID-RC522 (1)
RFID tags (6)
Passive infrared (PIR) motion sensors (3)
Jumper wires (20)
Breadboards (2)
We will describe some of these components in detail, and explain the function they perform.
RFID reader module RC522-RFID and RFID tags
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, where two devices can transfer data between them using radio waves when they are near each other:
We use the RC522-RFID module from MIFARE (https://www.mifare.net/).
The RFID module needs to be powered by a 3.3V DC power source. It reads the tag ID numbers of the RFID tags near it, and passes them to the Photon to which it is connected. The tags are passive, and don't need any power supply...