DALE logoDALE
← DALE Experiments

EXPERIMENT 06 • BUILD SOMETHING

🔐 RFID Access Granted

RFID → Compare → RGB + MP3

Build on what you already know and add one more DALE idea to the project.

Intermediate~20–30 minutes

What You'll Build

A small access terminal. Present an RFID card/tag; DALE checks its UID and gives visible and spoken feedback when the authorized card is recognized.

What You'll Need

  • DALE with ESP32-S3
  • RC522 RFID reader
  • RFID card or tag
  • RGB LED
  • YX5300/Catalex MP3 module
  • Speaker + microSD card
  • “Access Granted” MP3
  • Jumper wires
RC522 RFID reader with RFID card and key tag
RC522 RFID reader with RFID card and key tag

What You'll Learn

  • How RFID identifies a card using a UID.
  • How DALE detects a new card event.
  • How identification becomes a decision.
  • How one event can trigger multiple outputs.
  • How visual logic coordinates light and sound.

Wire It

Use DALE's configured RC522 software-SPI pins and the configured MP3 UART pins. Connect the RGB LED to the outputs selected for your project.

RC522 → DALE RFID module pins
YX5300/Catalex → DALE MP3 UART pins + speaker
RGB LED → configured RGB output pins

Use the module voltages shown by DALE and your hardware documentation; do not assume every module signal is interchangeable.

Prepare the Pieces

1. Read your card

Open the RFID Lab, scan the card you want to authorize, and record its UID exactly as DALE reports it.

2. Test the sound

Use the MP3 Lab to verify the “Access Granted” track and volume.

3. Test the RGB

Confirm the color you want for the granted indication.

Build complicated projects from known-good pieces. DALE's Labs let you prove the RFID reader, audio and RGB separately before Logic Builder ties them together.

Build It in Logic Builder

Add the appropriate RFID UID/new-card logic, compare the scanned identification with your authorized value, and use the TRUE result to trigger the RGB and MP3 PLAYER blocks. Configure the MP3 block for your “Access Granted” track.

Scan the authorized card. The visual indication and audio response should happen from the same accepted event.

What Just Happened?

The RFID reader supplied identity data. Your logic decided whether that identity matched the value you chose. The result then coordinated two different output systems. This is the same input → decision → action pattern from Experiment 05, now using identification instead of distance.

BUILD IT VISUALLY. SEE THE REAL CODE.

Show Me The Code

Follow the generated RFID value through the comparison and into the RGB and MP3 actions. Notice that DALE's generated sketch includes the standalone RC522 and YX5300 behavior needed by the project.

Try This Next

Add an Access Denied response for a non-matching card—perhaps a different RGB color and a different MP3 track. Now the project can respond differently to two outcomes.

← Ultrasonic Distance AlarmNext: Build a Sequence Controller →