Homebuilt: How to assemble

an electronic door lock

Saraju P. Mohanty, Duotong Yang, and Anim

Andrew
Amarsingh
Ong

W
e have ma-
chines to brew
our coffee, turn
on the air condi-
tioner, and wash
our laundry. Why
then, do we not have machines to
lock and unlock our front doors
automatically? This thought per-
vaded my mind as I had to unlock
not one, not two, but three doors
multiple times per day at my stu-
dent dorm.
When I moved to a campus apart-
ment, the lock situation changed for
the worsemy slick radio-frequency
identification (RFID) card was re-
placed with a large, bulky metal key.
It ripped holes in my pocket, made
noise, scratched whatever else it
came in contact with, and was not
fun to use in the dark. And with a
deadbolt, I had to use the key when
entering and exiting. Using a key
was tedious and inconvenient and
could be easily automated.
The lock I imagined needed these
features:
unlock when either I or my
roommates walk up to it
automatically lock a deadbolt
when the door closes
report all access granted/
denied and door open events
k
oc
to the Internet. hic
st
p
ra
be operable by the school hous- yg
db
se
ing administration lice
n
ge
ma
sei
Hou

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MPOT.2015.2428751

Date of publication: 8 September 2015

0278-6648/152015IEEE IEEE Potentials September/October 2015 n 43
be operable manually with a key
from the outside and fingers
from the inside (no push to
exit button).
A benefit of building your own
door lock actuator is that you get
to choose whatever triggers it. This
means you can create as many key-
cards as you want in whatever form
you wish. You can then hide these
keycards in clever places. You can
also enable and disable keycards
at will. Compare this to a metal key
that, if lost, cannot be disabled. In-
stead, I would be charged a US$50
key replacement fee, my roommates
would have to have their keys re-
placed, and the lock core itself would
have to be replaced.
The design phase
All engineering starts with design. In
this case, the most important deci-
sion to make is what the input
device will be.
My circuit needed two inputs:
an authenticator
a door open/closed detector (only
necessary for the deadbolt).
The authenticator could be any-
thing. I saw builds online where
people used 12-button keypads,
QWERTY keyboards, secret knock se-
quences, text messages, and Hack-a-
days RGB light-emitting diode (LED)
pad. The most fascinating one to me
was the single-button entry system
in which you have to input Morse
code-like sequences by pressing your
doorbell a number of times and then
fig1 The first prototype using Arduino, Parallax, and HID RFID
readers along with a servo motor to pull the handle.
44 n S e p t e m b e r / O c t ober 2015 IEEE Potentials
wait. It was discreet (nothing showing
on the outside) and relatively cheap.
The circuit was also interesting be-
cause on the other side of the doorbell
you receive an amplitude-shift-keyed
signal, which you have to rectify and
regulate to logic levels for the micro-
controller. Ultimately, I chose none of
the above because they were just not
as quick and easy as holding an RFID
card to a reader.
Having settled on RFID, I didnt
have many choices. I read about ac-
tive RFID, where each user carries
a radio-frequency tag with a bat-
tery, but I read that this was expen-
sive and I could not find a place to
purchase tags and base stations.
The modern-day equivalent to ac-
tive RFID is called Bluetooth 4.0
Low Energy (BLE). It detects whether
two radios are in a 50-ft range. By
choosing between BLE Class 1, 2, or
3, you can trade off between range
and transmission power. Bluetooth
is what commercial smart locks use
today. The user does nothing but
walk up to the door. However, there
was no BLE in the fall of 2010.
My first proximity detection de-
vice (Fig. 1) was a Parallax RFID
reader (model 28140) that read stan-
dard EM4100 tags. However, there
were a few problems.
1) My roommate and I had to carry
special RFID tags in our wallets
instead of using our student IDs.
2) The baud rate of the RFID reader
was hardcoded at an extremely
slow 2,400 baud, so there would
fig2 Prototype 4s RFID reader was placed at waist height so
that it could read through the wall, straight into my pocket.
be a delay between reading and
unlocking.
3) The read distance was 3 in
maximum.
4) There were all kinds of tutori-
als online about how to fake
these tags.
These restrictions eventually led
me to change the RFID reader to
an HID Thinline II that I bought on
eBay. Now my roommate and I could
just press our school IDs against the
door. The tag-reading process was
much faster with the Wiegand in-
terface. In fact, with a second RFID
reader, I had nothing to do with the
first two tags. I ended up using them
as secret lockout tags that you had
to present to the card reader in the
right order to open the door.
The HID Thinline II was nice, but
it did not solve the small 3-in read
distance issue. We still had to press
our tags to the door. I solved the
read distance problem by setting up
an eBay alert for the ultimate RFID
readerthe HID Maxiprox (Fig. 2),
for use with parking lots. It retails
for US$400 but has a read distance
of 24 in, which allowed me to read
through the wall. If placed correctly,
this meant I would not even have
to take my wallet out of my pocket.
You could not believe my excitement
when I scored this industrial equi-
ment for US$13 at an eBay junkyard
sale. You may still find long-range
RFID readers online, albeit not by
HID. And if you use Bluetooth, you
can avoid this search entirely.
 The other necessary input de-
vice is something to tell the micro-
controller when the door is open or
closed. The easiest way to accom-
plish this is with a magnetic reed
switch or an infrared LED and de-
tector. I used a reed switch. How-
ever, if you want a sexy one-piece
design, aim for an accelerometer or
other motion sensor and measure
the difference in motion for when
the door is opened versus when it
is closed.
The microcontroller
I had four prototypes of this lock
and used an Arduino in prototypes
13. Unfortunately, when I wanted
to connect an Arduino to the Inter-
net, it was a major pain. The ATme-
ga328 does not have enough static
random-access memory (SRAM) to
store even one Ethernet packet.
Further, I needed a web-hosting ser-
vice and a database to hold my
entry and exit logs.
In prototype 4, I switched to a
more Internet-friendly microcon-
trollerthe Electric Imp (Fig. 3). Al-
though the pin count was lower, a
wireless local area network was now
possible, and the lock was now re-
programmable through the Internet.
The only disadvantage to using the
Electric Imp is that if the user does
not specifically program for it, the
lock does not work when the Inter-
net connection is down. Make sure
you choose a strong password for
your Electric Imp account.
The output device
The most important part of an elec-
tronic door lock is the lock. Fortunate-
ly, I never had to actually engineer a
lock, just actuators for the lock.
My first prototype used a bottom-
of-the-line HS-311 servo motor tied
to the mortise lock with very strong
plastic string under a lot of tension. I
Ultimately, I chose none of the above
because they were just not as quick and easy as
holding an RFID card to a reader.
used string because I was under the
restriction of not drilling through
the door. I had to disassemble the
mortise lock a little, but eventually I
tied the servo down enough so that it
would not budge.
I saw a video of an X10 dead-
bolt online. It used an iPhone app
and X10 plug-in relay modules sol-
dered to a Morning Industry dead-
bolt remote. The X10 relays would
activate the remote, and the door
would unlock.
I really liked this idea, so I de-
cided to shop for a remote control
deadbolt. The lowest-priced RF
deadbolt I found was a Morning In-
dustry RF-01SN. At the time of this
writing, it is still selling on Amazon
for US$104 including shipping. I
used this lock in prototypes 3 and
4. When I received the lock, I did
not use the cylinderonly the rear
piece: the actuator. This was so that
my schools staff could still enter
with their keys.
If I were to tackle this same prob-
lem today, I would not buy a lock
actuatorI would use my schools
three-dimensional printer to make
my own actuator. This would be much
more satisfying and better electrically
since there would be no Faraday cage
around the lock. I could make it my
own and engrave my name on it too.
Solenoids
I actually did this project at home in
San Francisco as well. Surprise! Or
maybe not. At home, there were
actually two doors and hence two
keys to suffer through, so there was
even more benefit to be realized.
One aspect I really didnt like
about residences versus commercial
buildings was that residences are
cheap and buzz with low-voltage ac
when you press the door open but-
ton. In commercial buildings, with
their high-tech access systems, the
relay and solenoid will click open
elegantly with dc, making it more
pleasant and easier to open the door
since the solenoid pin doesnt vibrate
back and forth.

fig3 Prototype 4 with the Electric Imp, MAX232 level-shifter,

Morning Industry RF remote control, and other supporting fig4 Presenting to you...something that will change your life for years
circuitry, all inside the RFID reader. to come. Your very own house key.

IEEE Potentials September/October 2015 n 45
 Internet logging
I wanted to have all entries and
No, No exits logged on a server that any of
my roommates could view. For this,
5) Deadbolt I used the Xively, the data-logging
Unlocked, Door service made specifically for Inter-
Yes, No Closed.
5 s Passed? net-of-Things applications. Their
Deadbolt SM
Door Open? value proposition is that your appli-
Yes *,Yes cation can be made very scalable.
4) Deadbolt Alternatively, I could have used a
Unlocked and Yes, No more traditional MySQL database to
No
Door Open. Yes,Yes
Door Open? store the logs. This is what I did at
digitalWrite(UnlockPin, Low) first, but using the Xively API was
3) Locking
2) Unlocking much easier than writing custom
Deadbolt.
No,* Deadbolt. SQL queries and opening PHPMyAd-
2 s Passed?
*,Yes 2 s Passed? No,*
Door Open? min to view my database contents.
Door Open?
digitalWrite(lockPin, LOW) I wrote a small front-end using
accessGrand = 0
digitalWrite(UnlockPin, HIGH) plain HTML at first. The page liter-
1) Deadbolt
Yes, No Locked, Door ally had two lines saying Last card
Closed Yes, No scan and Door last opened with
Access Granted?
Yes, Yes Door Open? no styling. It was completely static.
Gotta start somewhere.
No, No I then added some Javascript to the
page to subscribe to Xively Webhooks
and update the webpage in real time
6) Deadbolt as the door opened and closed. I used
Locked, Door the timeago Javascript plugin to cre-
Open.
ate the dynamic text that reads 12
hours ago. I then imported the open-
source CHAPS timeline Javascript
fig5 A state machine that covers all permutations and all valid transitions.
module to list entry and exit events
(Fig. 6). After styling the font and back-
I wanted the elegant dc click, so I State machine grounds with CSS, I added some but-
used a multimeter to figure out the Its one thing to make imaginary state tons at the bottom of the page to finish
house wiring. I actually slowly de- machines in logic design class, but off the minimal, but dynamic, front
stroyed the multimeter in the pro- its another to actually diagram one end. Throughout the entire session,
cess because I was trying to run con- and translate it into real code. All lock I had the Chrome Developer Console
tinuity tests on a live 24-Vac circuit firmware was essentially inside the displayed to diagnose any Javascript
(33 V peak). I didnt know the mul- state machine that tracked the posi- exceptions and errors.
timeter was being destroyed when tion of the deadbolt and whether the
it was buzzing, but it told me what I door was opened or closed. Conclusion
needed to know. Never run continu- To make your own state ma- I made a working electronic door
ity measurements on a live circuit. chine, start by listing all the states lock prototype that satisfied all of my
I rewired my house by disconnect- and the conditions to move to the criteria, and it eliminated the horrid
ing the transformer supplying the next state. Then draw transitions pain of using metal keys. Along the
way, I learned about
the Electric Imp platform
Its one thing to make imaginary state machines in ac household wiring
logic design class but its another to actually how to use a REST application

diagram one and translate it into real code. program interface with JSON
redundancy technology (e.g.,
Arduino watchdog timer)
24 Vac and connected the solenoid from one state to another based on bit-shifting the readings from the
instead to my 5-Vdc circuit. Now I the conditions. RFID reader
had the nice click. I used LucidChart to make my a real state machine.
When I rewired my home door lock, diagram (Fig. 5). You can use Mi- More pictures, a demonstration,
I gift-wrapped the RFID cards and crosoft PowerPoint or Microsoft Vi- and a video of the entire process may
presented them to my family (Fig. 4). sio as well. be found at http://goo.gl/6QJtHP.

46 n S e p t e m b e r / O c t ober 2015 IEEE Potentials

 Bonus tips
For people who want to start a proj-
ect and dont know what to do or
dont have enough motivation, here

03
are some ideas.

Access Granted: Andrew Ong

Identify a need for yourself or
for others. You can make a proj-

02:00
ect because it is cool, but then it

Unlocked
becomes artwork. You want to

Saturday, 15 February 2014

make something that is like insu-
lin to diabetics, not luxuries like

01:00
sugar cookies. Remove the pain,
and you will be both motivated
Door Last Opened

and rewarded.
Take shortcuts. With limited time
12 h Ago

and effort, you must choose what

00:00
you want to learn and what you
want to outsource. Do you want to
learn how to make pancakes from
flour and raw ingredients, or do
23:00

fig6 My front-end with a little bit of styling and the zoomable CHAPS timeline. Complete with live-updating with the Xively API.
you just want pancakes? Hard-
ware platforms like LittleBits allow
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31 d you to assemble a working circuit

that connects to the Internet with-
14 d
22:00

in 10 s. The tradeoff is that you

learn almost nothing. The same
5d

applies for MIT App Inventor for

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24 h

Android applications.
Access Denied:

21:00
Last 24 h

Remove features. A product with

a bare minimum of functionality is
12 h
Unlocked

called a minimum viable product.

Access Granted:

At this point, you can claim an

6h
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accomplishment and build more if

20:00

Show Last:
Access Granted: Andrew Ong

you wish. Dont be stuck with a

huge feature list and no product.
Do not let commercial competi-
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tion discourage you. If your pri-

19:00

mary goal is to sell the product,

looking at the competition might
Access Granted: Andrew Ong

actually discourage you because

you are not the first mover. Even if
18:00
Last Card Scan:

you build something exactly the

Unlocked
12 h Ago

same as your competitor, you can

market it at a different time in a
different way and therefore claim
a different audience. If your pri-
17:00

mary goal is to learn, you can pick

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Access Granted:

any project regardless of how

Friday, 14 February 2014

many times it has been solved.

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16:00
Access Granted:

About the author

Andrew Ong (i.am.andrew.ong@gmail.
com) is a recent electrical engineering
graduate from the University of Califor-
15:00

nia, Riverside. He was formerly

employed at Raytheon. He loves having
his mind bent with radical new tech-
nology like Soylent and Bitcoin. 

IEEE Potentials September/October 2015 n 47