How to Clone RFID Cards? Step-by-Step Educational Guide

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems rely on electromagnetic fields to communicate between a reader and a transponder tag. In this project, the IndusBoard Coin development board acts as the central processing unit, communicating with the MFRC522 RFID reader/writer module over the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) protocol. When a source RFID card is placed near the MFRC522 module's antenna, the reader generates an alternating magnetic field that powers the card's internal microchip via inductive coupling. The card then transmits its unique identifier (UID) and data blocks back to the reader through load modulation. The IndusBoard Coin captures this incoming data stream, processing the radio signals captured by the hardware. Once the valid data from the original card is successfully read and stored in the microcontroller's memory, the operational state of the IndusBoard is shifted. By substituting the original card with a blank RFID card and reprogramming the MFRC522 to write mode, the IndusBoard transmits the stored UID and memory block data back out through the antenna, permanently overwriting the writable sectors of the blank card. Through this write cycle, the blank card becomes an identical functional duplicate, replicating the exact radio signature required to trigger compatible access control systems.