Cheapest Bidirectional NFC With Android Phone

androidnfcRF

I'm trying to build a handheld device which can communicate bidirectionally with an NFC-enabled Android phone. Generally, the phone will send some arbitrary command, and the handheld would then respond with some data.

The cheapest NFC chip I've found is this one from ST.

Can this chip be used to implement bidirectional communication? If not, what features/standards do I need to be looking for in an NFC chip?

Still trying to wrap my head around the technology. The words MiFare and Felica keep coming up, but the chips seem to be more expensive, and I'm not sure if they are necessary.

Best Answer

You can rig something that seems to communicate both ways with this EEPROM but that would mean writing the EEPROM, then polling for return data. And since an EEPROM can only be written so many times, this is likely not what you want.

I think you are looking for something like the AMS AS3953A. From the datasheet,

"It is designed to create a fast data link between an ISO 14443A reader device (PCD) and a microcontroller."

And:

Having a NFC Forum compatible tag interface allows the AS3953A to be used in an application where a standard NFC enabled phone is used as a PCD.

This is available in single quantities from Digikey for a pretty good price.

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