Antenna Swapping?

[ODaily]

Just ordered a xAC v2.

I don’t need it for anything, just wanna play with it. However, I don’t really like the flat antenna. Especially as it has no case / housing.

If I want to replace the antenna, can I select one (assuming I can find / build it ) with one of the same inductance and be good to go?

I might pull the original xAC antenna off and measure it, just for kicks.

[BioBeehive]

I suggested the same thing on the dangerous things beta on Facebook. Im gonna see what I can do with it. I want to do the same thing for it car mod

PCB board, for car door lock

Hey y’all I’m working on a PCB board and I need the dimensions and/or schematic for the new EM access controller, does anyone have one that they could take a picture of with a ruler or somebody that has the specs preferably in millimeters but I can convert anyway

[ODaily]

I was casually flipping through mouser the other day. They’ve got a lot of antennas. Just need to know what I’m looking for and see if there’s anything I like in that range.

[BioBeehive]

This is the spec for the v2 antenna

Antenna specifics: 125kHz 543.2μH 7.93Ω

If you can find something close to that it should work just fine

[Compgeek]

@ODaily

If I want to replace the antenna, can I select one (assuming I can find / build it ) with one of the same inductance and be good to go?

To my understanding, yes. However the chances of finding one are pretty low, antenna swapping usually results in poor performance due to the mismatched inductance.

If you’re happy to wind one yourself and have a device to measure the inductance as you go, you should have great success.

I haven’t measured the V1 antenna, but i doubt you’ll be that lucky.

[Pilgrimsmaster]

@Compgeek

If you’re happy to wind one yourself and have a device to measure the inductance as you go, you should have great success.

You are too modest @Compgeek , if you’re not going to link it, I will

DIY LF antenna for Proxmark 3 Easy

Hey everyone! This post isn’t a tutorial, but theres a lot of things you’ll be able to take away from this if you’re wanting to build you own. Figured if I’m already making one, I may as well share my journey and write it up for those playing along at home! Thanks to @TomHarkness for getting me on the right track with this - without further ado, let’s get this project started! [IMG_0126] Supplies acquired! @TomHarkness suggested 9mm ferrite rod and 0.25mm enamel wire as a place to start, wi…

[ODaily]

@Compgeek

I haven’t measured the V1 antenna, but i doubt you’ll be that lucky.

695 uH
3.0 Ohms

Just throwing that out there for the next poor lost soul.

[Pilgrimsmaster]

Thats great info @ODaily
I will try and find somewhere for that in the forum

[ODaily]

There’s alot of random places on the forum containging various specs for xAC both ver 1 and 2. Might be worth making a thread to consolidate all we know regarding specs.

@Compgeek

However the chances of finding one are pretty low, antenna swapping usually results in poor performance due to the mismatched inductance.

Unfortuneatly, you seem to be correct. I’ve done some digging and found very little. The couple I did find that were ifffy close, are entirely the wrong unit otherwise.

[Pilgrimsmaster]

My thoughts exactly, I have some stuff to do, then I’ll throw something together in the projects category

[amal]

@ODaily

Might be worth making a thread to consolidate all we know regarding specs.

The product pages should be that place. The specs for v2 came from the product page because I realized that people might want to do exactly this… so anything new that comes up, I’ll post to the product page as the definitive repo for that product.

[Pilgrimsmaster]

Thats cool and easy, is it worth also having access to the xAC V1 info?

@ODaily

@Compgeek

I haven’t measured the V1 antenna, but i doubt you’ll be that lucky.

695 uH
3.0 Ohms

9-15V
11mA idle
48mA when reading

etc

[amal]

@ODaily

695 uH
3.0 Ohms

So in this case, you’d have to lower the capacitance of the board to match the higher inductance of the v1 antenna. You could mod the board or possibly add a cap in series.

[ODaily]

@amal

@ODaily

Might be worth making a thread to consolidate all we know regarding specs.

The product pages should be that place.

Yeah, but there’s also other stuff that kinda all goes together. Like the V2 product page doesn’t list the 3rd jumper, and there’s this product sheet that Compgeek found.

xEM access controller V2

I’ve got you! I sourced my v2s from a different supplier before Amal added it to the store. I’m not sure what instructions the DT ones ship with, but I got this in broken English and investigated what it meant with a multimeter. I found it can simplify wiring slightly if it’s being used in an application with a common power supply (diy locks) but otherwise it’s more trouble than it’s worth. [image]

There’s a bunch of advice on setup too. Best practices with diodes and relays, etc.

I DID finally score a wildly overpriced Logitech C920 Webcam. I originally intended to make a series of videos for the V1. Maybe I can put something together when it gets here and collect all that into a single reference post.