I also saw this video, and since I myself am from Russia, I was very interested in it, but the huge “ring” of the antenna negates all desire to use it in my hand.
As soon as it becomes possible to convert “it” into something more compact, I will definitely order the conversion for myself.
The desire to have an “implant for payment” does not leave me (in Russia, in general, everything is ambiguous with this topic)
I already have NExT installed and am using it to its fullest potential.
I will be looking forward to positive changes in this thread of the forum. I am sure that DT will be able to solve this problem
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It’s a very nice design. Unfortunately if we want a smaller form factor somebody is going to have to dissolve away that black gunk and get a look at the chip. May be a bare die, in which case there’s really not much we can do because of all the labor and low yield
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All hope is to remake the antenna in a more compact format
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i bid on some used swatches pay on ebay and if they are here i will try to take a look at the chip^
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If you are not aware, Potting compounds are often Polyurethane based so an acetone attack may be a good first choice, In saying that I have tried one before that Acetone failed on, so I assume that one was Silicone Elastomer based
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Apparently from some quick digging, there seems to be some kind of 5 transaction limit or monetary limit
I am very curious though
I’ve been wanting a mega purewrist, but this could be more achievable, and being able to change the card details would be a big plus
I can’t tell if it works in the states or not, let alone how to buy one… it’s unclear if ALL swatch’s have swatchpay and they just don’t explain it all all
Or it’s only marketed and sold within region lock
MY UNDERSTANDING
This would be the tokenization dealio.
Similar to Google pay, so, if for example if you were somewhere without cellular data ( due to coverage (unlikely) or you had no data on your account etc.) You could still use your google pay for ⁿ times until you reconnect to a network for new token issue…Make sense?
Either way, the Youtube Video shows the implant being used a good number of times
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I get the idea, I was just relaying what I saw from a little digging
I don’t think that would bother me… but it might others
TBH, I’d be surprised if it’s not a bare die… So I would be amazed if you manage to do something better than moving the board to the inside of the coil to reduce the thickness. Or maybe sanding the back of the PCB?
This is also the first time I see a passive RFID chip with tuning capacitors next to it.
@SimpleJack just purchased a SwatchPAY watch and some VIMPayGov2 cards. They’re shipping them to me now and I’ll explore payment conversions for these in the standard flex form factor.
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Thank you for that! Really appreciated 
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Dudes! I ordered this watch for myself! As soon as the courier brings the package, I will start experimenting with the antenna. I want to experiment with the shape of the antenna - instead of a circle, make it elongated (like a " flexM1 “Magic”)
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Just to consolidate information in one place. I talked with Amal. He said he’s received two SwatchPAY modules from people near/in Russia for the sake of conversions. He told them the encapsulation wouldn’t hold because the z-height of the carrier board was too thick for his biopolymer, but the customers decided to go through with it anyway. At least one of them failed within a couple months. That being said, if we want to have any chance of success we’ll need to remove the black potting compound and find a way to reattach the chip to a flex antenna.
I’m not optimistic because
- the potting compound usually means it’s a bare silicon die with either wire bonds or a flip-chip. Connecting to those is not really viable without an expensive wire bonding machine
- Amal and I are both incredulous that it’s true tokenization. It’s probably psuedo-tokenization like Digiseq that still expires.
@AlexG if you want to collaborate feel free to hit me up in this thread or on the Discord. I make the antennas for Vivokey so if one or both of us can figure out how to extract the chip we can work something out.
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Yesterday I received my Swatch PAY and immediately after linking the bank card I removed the NFC module from them (not as vandal as the guy in the video did)
I heated the glass with a hairdryer, and gently lifted it with a needle in two places at once. The glass separated, then I took off the hands and the dial - and took off the chip with the antenna (I can easily assemble this wonderful watch without an NFC module and give it to my daughter, she just learns the time by the clock)
I tried a separate module in the nearest store - it works fine.
I took a lot of macro photos for you for those who cannot buy a watch, but there are thoughts and considerations for further actions on the NFC module.
The diameter of the ring hints at the possibility of using it as a ring (for example, in rubber) in case it is not possible to convert it into an implant.
In the meantime, I put the module in a box from under the rings that my daughter gave me.
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pic.3
-Thoughts-
If it is not possible to breed a black compound (with a frameless chip inside), then you can try to physically reduce the dimensions of this module:
1). the board for the microcircuit has a one-sided divorce, so you can still try to reduce the thickness of the textolite itself by a fairly decent thickness (after all, here it was needed only for reliable soldering of the fatty wire antenna of the NFC )
2). cut off a part of the textolite along the edges (ends) of the board
3). unsolder the antenna from a thick wire, and try to replace the antenna with a more flexible one, and if possible, make it elongated (not round)
Calculate the wire length in a given NFC antenna.
- Cross section of the wire in the antenna: d=0.333 mm
- Average coil diameter: d= 25 mm
- Number of turns: 6
“С” - circumferential length = 1 turns
“L” - total wire length
“D” - diameter
“π” - Pi constant
“B” - number of turns
С = D * π
C = 25 * 3,14159 = 78,539 mm
C = 78,539 mm
L = С * B
L = 78,539 * 6
L = 471,23 mm
Total wire length ≃ 471 mm (with a cross section of 0.333 mm)
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Many thanks for the detailed research, I hope this information will contribute to the further development of events. Judging by the photo, the dimensions of the chip are very small
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Here’s something you might find interesting….
So I was poking around on swatch’s website looking at the models that have the swatch pay/magic pay feature. If you’re on the US site you can find some but they cannot be added to cart.
However, if you search “swatchpay”, one model DOES come up, “My Time” in the “New Gent” size. Now, none of the payment features are actually featured or advertised on the page, but it’s a transparent model to my surprise the pay hardware is present in the watch along with the markings denoting it as a contactless pay model, AND I was able to order it directly from Swatch here in the US.
The curiosity was too much to bear, I ordered it and it showed up today. Indeed, all the payment hardware is there. I can communicate with the watch through the swatchpay app, but of course I do not have any cards which are compatible.
I do know that they plan to bring the payment functionality to the US and Curve does have a US waiting list which I am on, and that Swatch does have a payment-capable model that is available for purchase in the US.
If anyone is willing to help me by acquiring an eligible prepaid card or setting up some type of account on my behalf I will be able to test the payment capability before disassembling for moving forward.
Here is compatible cards list Eligible Card Types
Many are prepaid, would be happy to pay someone to locate one and load it for me for testing purposes.
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Thank you, I could buy this watch and I was going to do it. Set up, connect a payment card and send to DT for research.
But now there is no way to do this, because we have a war going on.
I live in Ukraine, Odessa
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Oh dang, stay safe mate!
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