Can an RFID Tag Be Used to Light Up an LED?

By RFID Journal

  • TAGS
Ask The ExpertsCan an RFID Tag Be Used to Light Up an LED?
RFID Journal Staff asked 10 years ago

Is it possible to use the technology for this purpose?

—Name withheld

———

At one of our events in 2005, ThingMagic gave out a little device that captured energy from a reader and lit up light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to indicate the relative signal strength. A single illuminated LED indicated a weak signal, while all LEDs being lit signified a strong signal. So it is possible to obtain enough energy from a passive ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) reader to light up an LED. In order to use a tag to accomplish this task, the chip must have an output port enabling a user to connect the LED. Some chips have this capability, but many do not.

—Mark Roberti, Founder and Editor, RFID Journal

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