Just Barran
Published © CC BY-NC-SA

DIY Fingerprint Login for Any Computer (XIAO + Arduino +...

You rest your finger on the sensor. The light will come on, and if it is the correct finger, it types in your password for you.

IntermediateFull instructions provided1 hour2,812
DIY Fingerprint Login for Any Computer (XIAO + Arduino +...

Things used in this project

Hardware components

Seeed Studio Seeed XIAO
×1
SparkFun GT521F32
×1
SparkFun qwiic cable
×1
m3 scew
×1

Software apps and online services

Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE

Hand tools and fabrication machines

3D Printer (generic)
3D Printer (generic)
Soldering iron (generic)
Soldering iron (generic)

Story

Read more

Custom parts and enclosures

Housing

For the housing, I jumped over to fusion 360. I wanted it to have a small footprint and be simple. So two parts, a base to hold everything and a simple cover on top. I designed the bottom so the xiao can slide into place; the cover would lock in with an opening in the back for the USB C connector. And I added some standoffs to hold the fingerprint sensor with some m3 screws. This would allow enough space for the wires to pass. I rounded all the edges and sent this to the 3d printer. 3D files: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4970187 It came out better than I expected. Testing the fit, I realised the side clips were a bit too out, and I had to use some sandpaper to bring them down.

Schematics

Circuit Diagram

I followed the wiring guide from Sparkfun.

https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/fingerprint-scanner-gt-521fxx-hookup-guide/all

This sensor required a pair of these Qwiic cables, also sold by Sparkfun. I would link them in the description. You can also do like me and cut one of the double end ones in half and solder headers on both ends. Note that the colours of the wire are not standard. So black does not mean ground.

The connector on the right is for the capacitive sensor. It lets the microcontroller know a finger is on the sensor. The other side is for the data lines. You can also solder a USB cable to the underside and connect the sensor directly to the computer, which I thought was pretty cool.

You can download and see your fingerprint, among other things—definitely something for a future project.

Code

Github

https://github.com/justbarran/Just-a-Fingerprint-Scanner-GT-521FXX

Github

https://github.com/justbarran/FingerPrint-PC-Login

Credits

Just Barran

Just Barran

3 projects • 3 followers
My name is Christian Barran and I am an Electrical and Computer Engineer from TTO. I specialised in Electronic and Computer Systems.
Thanks to Nicholas Hosein.

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