NFC Reader/Writer with Free SDK

• Standards: ISO 14443 Type A and B and ISO 18092, at 13.56 MHz.
• Interfaces: USB, RS232 or UART TTL; an OEM board without the housing is also available.
• Free SDK: Digital Logic's uFCoder library, with source-code examples and the API reference.
• Cards and tags: MIFARE, NTAG 21x, NTAG 4xx DNA and NXP JCOP Java Cards.
• Security: key-based authentication for MIFARE and DESFire cards, with an optional SAM slot to keep keys in a secure chip.

Software Development Tools and Documentation:

• SDK Projects: Includes a comprehensive Software Development Kit with cross-platform libraries, source code examples, and detailed API references
• API and COM Protocol Documentation: Offers extensive technical documentation, hardware manuals, installation guides, functional schemes, and a knowledge base for thorough understanding and integration
• Supported Programming Languages: Compatible with Java, JavaScript, Node.js, PHP, Lazarus, Borland Delphi, C, C++, Borland Builder C++, WxWidgets, Microsoft® Visual .NET family (C++.NET, C#.NET, VB.NET), Python, Arduino IDE
• Firmware Upgrades: Regular updates are available for free download, ensuring the device remains up-to-date with the latest advancements

Common Applications

Closed-loop payment systems

Access control

Inventory management

Public transport systems

Vending machines

Time & attendance

Customer loyalty systems

Free SDK

Digital Logic's free SDK projects include compiled software examples as well as source code, for trying the reader, integrating it into your system and setting up the hardware.

Ask about the SDK

Certificates & Standards

Certification

The uFR Classic CS device is certified by the following Directives:

• 2004/108/EC – The Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive
• 1999/5/EC – R&TTE Directive
• 2006/95/EC – Low Voltage Directive (LVD)
• 2013/35/EU – The Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) Directive
• 2011/65/EU – RoHS2 Directive

The following standards were applied:

• EMC: EN 55022:2010 + AC:2011, EN 55024:2010, EN 301 489-1 V1.9.2:2011, EN 301 489-3 V1.6.1:2013
• RF: EN 300 330-2 V1.6.1
• LVD: EN 60950-1:2006 + A1:2010 + A2:2013
• EMF: EN 50364:2010

Size & Weight

Model	Dimensions (mm)	Device (g)	Commercial Box Set (g)
µFR Classic CS	86 x 54 x 9	40	126
µFR Classic CS OEM	84 x 50 x 5	17	103

What the µFR Classic CS is

The µFR Classic CS is a card-size (86 × 54 mm) desktop NFC reader/writer made by Digital Logic Ltd (D-Logic) and supplied by Proud Tek as the encoding and testing tool that goes with our cards, tags and stickers. It works on 13.56 MHz and implements ISO/IEC 14443 A and B and ISO/IEC 18092, which covers the MIFARE Classic, Plus, DESFire and Ultralight families, NTAG 21x and NTAG 4xx DNA labels and the NXP JCOP Java Cards listed in the specification above. An OEM version without the housing (84 × 50 × 5 mm) is available for building into kiosks, printers or enclosures.

What sets it apart from a plain USB smart-card reader is the software model. The reader reaches the host through an FTDI USB chip and Digital Logic's own communication protocol, and your application calls the uFCoder library; with FTDI's Virtual COM Port driver the reader can also appear as a serial port. The manufacturer publishes the SDK with source-code examples, the API reference and firmware updates free of charge, and its examples cover Java, C, C++, C#, .NET, Python, PHP, JavaScript and Node.js, Delphi, Lazarus and the Arduino IDE. Two RGB LEDs and a speaker are built in and can be driven from your application, so a check-in desk or an encoding station can signal success or failure without a screen.

SDK reader or PC/SC reader?

Desktop NFC readers reach your software in one of two ways, and choosing the wrong one is the most common reason a reader comes back unused. The µFR Classic CS is the SDK route: your application links Digital Logic's uFCoder library and calls functions such as reading a MIFARE block, authenticating a DESFire application or writing an NDEF message, and the reader firmware runs the card-level exchange. That shortens development, but your software then depends on the manufacturer's library and protocol. Digital Logic also publishes a Windows PC/SC driver for the µFR series; PC/SC is not the reader's default interface.

If your software already talks PC/SC, through pyscard, WinSCard or libnfc, you need a PC/SC reader instead. We supply the ACR122U, and for PC/SC projects with a long production life the newer ACS readers ACR1252U and ACR1552U as well. The ACR122U page covers host setup on Windows, macOS and Linux, the commands PC/SC software sends, the cards it can and cannot read, and what changes on the two newer ACS models. If your tags are 134.2 kHz animal ear tags, see the R901 Bluetooth reader instead.

What the uFCoder SDK and firmware handle for you

Digital Logic lists these functions for the µFR Classic CS. They are the reason to choose an SDK reader: work that PC/SC software has to build from raw commands is a library call here. Check the API reference for the exact function and card before you design around one.

• MIFARE Classic: the full Classic command set, block or block-in-sector addressing, value-block operations, and the whole memory treated as one linear space.
• Keys: keys stored in the reader are write-only and cannot be read back, and can be applied by index or by scheme; an optional SAM slot moves them into a secure module.
• DESFire and other ISO 14443-4 cards: AES-128 in hardware for DESFire keys and files, and an APDU interface where the card supports ISO 14443-4.
• NFC tags: NDEF handling and parsing in the firmware; the SDK writes MIME, URI, vCard, SMS, phone and URL records and can format cards.
• Host integration: several readers on one host, and an optional asynchronous mode that sends each card's UID to the COM port when a card is present.
• Firmware: updates are free from Digital Logic's GitLab repository, and the manufacturer states that they keep backward compatibility with earlier versions.

Reader or encoder, and three ways it talks to your software

"Reader" and "encoder" describe the same desktop hardware doing two jobs. As a reader it reports what is already on a card, most often the UID for enrolment or verification. As an encoder it writes to the card: an NDEF record on an NTAG label, or keys, applications and files on a MIFARE or DESFire card. The µFR Classic CS does both, so the distinction is in your workflow, not the box. If your system only needs the UID, almost any 13.56 MHz desktop reader will do; if you personalise cards with keys and data, plan the encoding step and key handling before you pick a model.

However the reader is built, it reaches your application in one of three ways, and the mode decides how much software you write yourself:

• PC/SC and CCID. The reader is a standard smart-card reader and your software sends it APDUs; the ACR122U page shows what that involves.
• A proprietary SDK. Card operations are library calls, as described above; this is the µFR Classic CS's default.
• Keyboard-wedge (HID keyboard emulation). The reader types the card's UID into whatever text field has focus, as if typed on a keyboard. It needs no driver and no code, which suits legacy or web applications that only capture a number, but it is read-only: it cannot encode, authenticate or manage keys. Confirm a model offers this mode before relying on it; ACS documents it for the ACR1552U, which we supply, with CCID (PC/SC) output as the default setting.

So the reader follows the workflow. For reading UIDs at a reception desk, a keyboard-wedge or PC/SC reader is enough. For batch encoding of NDEF stickers or personalising secure cards, choose PC/SC or an SDK and pair the reader with sample cards of the exact chip. Where you would rather not run the encoding yourself, our RFID encoding service delivers the cards pre-encoded. Every piece is read back once it has been written, a data report goes out with the order, and where cards or tags carry printed numbers you get an Excel, CSV or XML file linking each UID to its number, so your reader is left for spot checks and later batches.

What the µFR Classic CS can and cannot read

The µFR Classic CS is a high-frequency reader. It reads and writes 13.56 MHz ISO 14443 Type A and B and ISO 18092 tags: the MIFARE, DESFire and NTAG chips in our RFID cards, NFC stickers and wristbands, plus the Java Cards used for PKI and payment-style applets. Digital Logic's specification lists neither FeliCa nor ISO 15693 for this model. It cannot read 125 kHz proximity chips such as EM4100, EM4305, T5577 or HITAG 2, 134.2 kHz animal tags or 860–960 MHz UHF EPC Gen2 labels; each needs a reader built for that band. If your project mixes frequencies, say so when you ask for a quote: we can suggest a reader for each tag type, or a combi card that carries an LF or UHF chip beside the 13.56 MHz one.

One more distinction matters for NTAG projects: a phone with NFC can read and write NTAG 21x labels through apps, so for a handful of tags you may not need a desktop reader at all. A desktop reader earns its place when you encode tags in batches, need to lock or password-protect them consistently, work with MIFARE or DESFire keys that should never sit on a phone, or want a station that runs unattended.

Typical encoding and testing jobs

1. Writing NDEF records to NTAG labels. A URL, text, vCard or app-launch record is written to each sticker or wristband, optionally followed by a lock or password so the content cannot be changed. The SDK includes NDEF read and write functions, so the same job scales from ten samples to a production run.
2. Personalising MIFARE Classic, Plus and DESFire cards. Keys are changed from the factory defaults, applications and files are created, and member or access data is written before the cards are issued. Doing this on your own desk keeps the keys inside your organisation.
3. Reading UIDs for enrolment. Many access, membership and cashless systems only need the card's UID at enrolment. A desktop reader on the reception PC captures it into the system in a fraction of a second.
4. Loading and testing JCOP applets: check the reader interface, driver, loader and APDU requirements against the Java Card configuration. Validate installation and the applet’s operations together.
5. Prototyping on Raspberry Pi, Arduino and ESP32. The specification above lists Linux, Android, Arduino and ESP32 among the supported platforms, so the reader is used for single-board and microcontroller prototypes; for a microcontroller it is usually ordered with the UART TTL interface rather than USB.
6. Checking a sample batch before a volume order. Reading the chip type, memory size and lock state of the samples we send confirms that the stock matches your specification before you commit to quantity.

Interfaces and options: USB, RS232, UART TTL, RF Booster and SAM

• USB is the standard interface and powers the reader from the port; it is the right choice for a PC, Mac, Android device or Raspberry Pi.
• RS232 suits industrial PCs, PLCs and kiosk controllers that still expose a serial port; confirm the exact baud-rate range for your controller.
• UART TTL is for embedded designs where the reader board or OEM module connects directly to a microcontroller.
• RF Booster is an optional RF signal booster listed by Digital Logic, which publishes no read distance for it; test it with your own tags if you need more range than the standard 2 to 8 cm.
• SAM slot is optional and holds a Secure Access Module so that MIFARE or DESFire keys are kept in a secure chip rather than in your application.

Before you order

1. List each tag's exact chip and protocol, then check it against the reader's supported-card list. The 13.56 MHz frequency alone is insufficient: ISO 14443, ISO 15693 and FeliCa are different protocols. 125 kHz and UHF tags need different reader hardware.
2. Decide whether your software needs PC/SC or an SDK, then confirm the available reader model, lifecycle status, drivers and supported card operations.
3. Choose the interface: USB for computers, RS232 for industrial serial ports, UART TTL for embedded boards, and the OEM board version if the reader disappears into an enclosure.
4. Check the operating system and programming language your team will use against the supported list in the SDK.
5. Tell us whether you need the RF Booster or a SAM slot; these are ordered with the reader.
6. Order sample cards or tags of the exact chip you plan to deploy together with the reader, so the first test uses the real stock.
7. Digital Logic periodically updates the µFR reader line; if you are starting a new design, ask which current model we can supply.

What Proud Tek supplies

Proud Tek supplies three kinds of reader to go with our cards, tags, stickers and wristbands: the µFR Classic CS and its OEM version; the ACR122U and ACS's newer ACR1252U and ACR1552U; and the R901 for animal ID. The RFID readers category links the reader pages. We are the supplier, not the manufacturer: the SDK, documentation, drivers and firmware come from Digital Logic for the µFR and from ACS for the ACS readers, and we do not write or support your application software. We do not supply access-control panels, locks or door controllers, and we do not duplicate credentials for systems that belong to someone else. Tags and cards ordered with a reader, such as MIFARE DESFire cards or NFC stickers, can be quoted pre-encoded or numbered; ask for a sample when you request a quote.