How do Skylanders work? RFID tags, passive LEDs, and Arduino

RFID tags are a common technology - they're used in ID fobs, library books, and security and travel cards, among many other applications. They're also the technology used in games like "Skylanders" and "Disney Infinity" to recognise which model figure has been placed on the "portal" sensor attached to an XBox/Playstation.
What's interesting (and, as far as I'm aware, pretty unique) about the Skylanders "LightCore" models demonstrated in this video is that, in addition to enabling the RFID sensor to uniquely identify the model, they also use induction from the same electromagnetic field to power an LED - lighting up the model when it is brought in range of the RFID reader, but requiring no batteries or other connections. In this video, I test that technology by dismantling a Skylanders "Eruptor" model and successfully reading its tag (while simultaneously lighting its LED!) on an Arduino RFID reader.
More information at github.com/playfultechnology/...
Part of my Escape Room Tech Advent Calender for 2019!
For more projects, see / playfultech

[@bluelightstudios6191]

seeing a smashed apart eruptor like that broke my heart, as a kid I actually used to believe they were real and every time a limb or something fell of they would actually feel it and be in pain so basically you murdered eruptor in cold blood to see what was inside of him.

[@butter-for-fingers6199]

Tape

[@mistadude]

Glue

[@realdenzity2144]

@@mistadudePaper.

[@sonictheeagel7758]

@@realdenzity2144 cucumbers

[@Caseymicheal916]

@GalacticHypernova your younger cousin is definitely a future serial killer

[@the1stMoyatia]

That explains so much. You know, I've always been curious to see what the inside of a Skylander is like.

[@TrotskyandthePeople]

"...I took a skylander and I, aaah hit it with a hammer." I see you are playing the game just fine XD

[@Grenino]

“It’s crush hour”

[@brandoncriss0]

He must have been playing the Kaos boss battle in Trap team on nightmare mode

[@Link017]

1:00 NO WAY, bin a fan of the games for years now. And last week i finally completed my collection of the first game. But i never knew you could do that xP. thx for the party trick! Coold video mate!

[@ImperialLightandMagic]

I've often wondered how they lit up. I tried playing with uv thinking maybe uv was somehow internally "piped" to the glowing bits. Thanks to covid, my son dug his skylanders out yesterday and it piqued my interest again. Tried a giant on back of my phone and hey presto!!

[@TheKsbdude]

Looking forward to a video on what you find! Keep up the great work!

[@forrestegan]

3 years later…

[@welcometoseveneleven801]

I doubt you read this but can you make a video of the swap force skylanders work? How does the portal identify the combination

[@XtrlDex]

Is there a way to change the ID of the NFC chip? If so you could try changing its ID to a different skylander to see if it would allow you to use a different skylander.

[@bingbong7431]

that's what I'm thinking, you can get a programmable fob key and change the value to whatever you need, but the limiting factor is if anyone have a table of the skylanders ID tags; I can't find a list. EDIT: here's how kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3Pch4WmiK-Cbq8&ab_channel=AlecWindmiller

[@forrestegan]

No, the ID block is Read Only.

[@tbfrstudio5416]

No it cannot, but if you have the files of every ID of Skylanders you can use them with a NFC chip connected on your pc (for exemple with an Arduino) and put it on your portal, so it will normally work because the models of the Skylanders are directly in the games files. I didn't test it but it could works.

[@BryceAC]

Neat circuit! The advent calendar videos have been great! :)

[@pikator9153]

Eruptor's sacrifice will not be vine

[@herminioligan7722]

Wow this is so cool dude, I didn't know that you ould use the nfc of your phone to light them up

[@kozdroy]

Still waiting for a new video of how this system works and how we can apply it in practice.

[@TIMEPPF]

Do you know if the Swap Force figures have 2 of them, or just 1 in the base and if so, how it knows what the top part is?

[@Hevey45]

thanks this really helped me

[@philoc7063]

I tried my lightcore characters with my switch and it work lol, they lit up

[@ender01o66]

this is great, thx :D

[@jaxtvgaming228]

Can you make a tutorial on how to recreate the effect? I haven't found anything about how to code my own version of Skylanders, which I'd like to implement in a personal project of mine. Thanks!

[@thelineoffire1422]

@Playful Technology Using the same Arduino circuit is it possible to mimic the RFID reading and writing of one of the toys so it could actually function in the game?

[@samobakan1008]

This is what I was thinking, have you found anything yet?

[@jeffgoin]

Look at that. You *DO* rock!

[@realdenzity2144]

" took a skylander.... and I hit it with a hammer" I'm crying.

[@szaszafaja]

Can we have that hi res photo please? I'd love to see how the led not draining or interfering with the nfc stuff. My guess is a hi speed low voltage drop rectifier and some tank caps.

[@PlayfulTechnology]

Link is in the description, together with the BOM of parts I've identified so far.

[@szaszafaja]

@@PlayfulTechnology My initial guess was correct, its a high speed full bridge rectifier made with 2 dual diodes (BAT54S) some smoothing caps and a current limiting resistor. This pcb is actually designed for 2 leds, hence the 2 resistors. There must be some sort of blob chip or bare silicon to deal with the nfc part because that can not be seen on the photo, maybe its on the bottom side of the pcb or embedded in the antenna. My guess is that the 2 test points close to the diodes are the rectified dc, ant the other 2 are the incoming signal from the antenna. It should be pretty easy to make this circuit the only important bit is to use very low voltage drop shottkys. You can dissolve those blue tags you have in aceton to safely get the internals out if you want to have a crack on it.

[@szaszafaja]

I just noticed that black square on the left next to the pcb on the antenna, that is the nfc chip.

[@szaszafaja]

Regarding the rectifier, I might be wrong actually, it can be a voltage doubler as well, I can't quite see the traces properly....

[@RealRaven6229]

I know this video is old but how would I go about making this exact mechanism without an existing skylander? I want to make a toy that lights up as one of my school projects.

[@seamistseamist]

would it be possible to make hot head with lightcore hands?

[@dirkgeppert4602]

Hi and great work! I find this amazing for RFID-Puzzles: for identifying, if a specific object is correctly placed or needed for the puzzles at all... Imagine the astonishment, when the eyes of a little maya-figurine start lighting up, when placed on its pedestal... :D Anyway.. I'm really insterested in that circuit and how it is connected to a "regular" RFID-tag. From the linked picture I really can't figure it out. Maybe you or anyone else here could "enlighten" me? ;)

[@chahtanerf9676]

The creation crystals have LEDs also

[@leiflevon8955]

Does the Trap Team employ an inductive function too?

[@archyzone]

are you able to modify skylander data whit arduino? i would like up the Power of my Skylanders.

[@dezanimatesstuff9736]

They work with magic

[@JOHNWICK-hn3ng]

شكرا

[@recorpse9698]

ok so where is the high resolution picture?

[@Crushkai]

Is there any way to get to the chip WITHOUT obliterating the skylander?

[@PlayfulTechnology]

No, I don't think so - they're sealed inside during the manufacturing process (guess they have to be to make the toy pass safety tests for kids that might chew it etc. :) )

[@ender01o66]

well, technically yes, just take the clear base underneath it off, so you won't damage the figure

[@mustafakucukturkmen2363]

Cool

[@jried1051]

This is a good video except for Murdering Eruptor.

[@darrenjowett8032]

Any update?

[@skygamer155]

Chick the link in the description

[@Taardis]

1:41

[@ethiceu5035]

Would it be possible to turn a Phone into a working portal of power?

[@mrhenry404]

i always thought it was magic

[@sonictheeagel7758]

:o

[@Mintiac]

Time to smash my Tree Rex with a hammer

[@truegaylancer7474]

A long time ago some idiot did it for me without my permission

[@Mintiac]

@@truegaylancer7474 update: I smashed it and it was interesting to say the least

[@truegaylancer7474]

@@Mintiac ok, if I were you I wouldn’t have smashed it but that’s cool, you dod you, I am figuring a epic way to fix Skylanders that RFID break by copying data twice with maxlander onto a th8ng of some sort then onto the figure

[@Mintiac]

@@truegaylancer7474 tree rexes are worth 10 pennies I had 2 anyway

[@truegaylancer7474]

@@Mintiac ok fair enough, where I am, Skylanders are like treasure for. A. Person liek me, tree Rex is soemthing has to come oversea

[@rhydian7332]

You NOT ok

[@CreatoRaptoR]

Looking forward to a video on what you find! Keep up the great work!