Issues scanning xSIID with proxmark3

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I recently got my flexUG4 with the proxmark3 easy and in my time experimenting with the proxmark3 I haven’t been able to get a consistent read of my xSIID. I’ve had no issues scanning it with the NFC Tools app on my iPhone but when I try with the proxmark3 I can almost never get a read. I’m able to get a fairly consistent read with the flexUG4 in the packaging though and with other NFC tags I have. I also have a debit card conversion implant and I get incredibly good read results with that every time.

I don’t think it’s a positioning issue since I’ve tried all sorts of positions and haven’t gotten any better results. I don’t really know what’s wrong with it but I’m hoping it’s some sort of configuration issue. Any help would be appreciated since I’m incredibly new to the proxmark3.

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I will admit that xSeries is a pain in the arse to get a good read with on the pm3.

I’m assuming that you are positioning correctly on the bottom of the mainboard, so we are all good there.

A couple of things to try:

1- Drop the results of a

hw tune

below, maybe there is an issue with your antenna, though I personally doubt this on HF.

2- If 1 is all good, do you have a repeater sticker [rsp] you could toss on the pm3? This can help widen up those specific angles you need to line up the xSeries antenna and pm3 antenna.

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[=] -------- LF Antenna ----------
[+] 125.00 kHz … 25.40 V
[+] 134.83 kHz … 16.68 V
[+] 120.00 kHz optimal… 26.67 V

+

[+] Approx. Q factor measurement
[+] Frequency bandwidth… 6.5
[+] Peak voltage… 7.8
[+] LF antenna… ok

[=] -------- HF Antenna ----------
[+] 13.56 MHz… 2.14 V

+

[+] Your HF antenna measurement shows
[+] low voltage that is consistent
[+] with the installation of a booster
[+] board. If you do not have a
[+] booster board installed, either
[+] your antenna is malfunctioning or
[+] you have a tag on the HF antenna.

+

[+] Approx. Q factor measurement
[!] HF antenna ( unusable )

[=] -------- LF tuning graph ------------
[+] Orange line - divisor 95 / 125.00 kHz
[+] Blue line - divisor 88 / 134.83 kHz

These are my results from the hw tune command. I’m not sure if the “[!] HF antenna ( unusable )” line is normal but that caught my eye. I do have the booster board on it too.

Also strangely enough I’ve tended to get better reads scanning my xSIID from the top of the pm3 but I can still occasionally get reads using the underside. It is a bit tricky to hold it in the right position when trying to scan from the top side of the pm3 though.

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This makes sense. I may be misremembering, but a booster board will mess with the results of a hw tune or hf tune.

This is not a problem on its own, save for in the example of troubleshooting.

(@Hamspiced or someone else, you’re invited to fact check me if I am truly misremembering. My pm3 is at home now.)

A trick hammy gave me for getting reads was to use a field extender [https://www.midwestgadgets.org/product-page/mixed-field-extenders-one-large-60mm-ant-and-one-small-27mm-ant] to position things more easily.

When programming my xMagic, sometimes I’ll tape the small end over my xMagic, and set the pm3 on the large end. This avoids having to reposition at all.

From the sounds of things though, you are getting expected behavior of an xSeries on a pm3, which, no offense to DT is “it works but you gotta place it really well and have to try a few times”.

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If you update to the latest firmware and client it will do some rudimentary detection of the booster board during tuning. It won’t solve the output measurements but it will at least acknowledge the possibility that the booster board is installed.

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