Here you’ll find Instructions on how to build, program and deploy a RFID Bird Feeder or ‘Freader’ from a kit.

Please note this section is specifically tailored to building a Freader from a kit supplied by us to ornithological professionals. If building a Freader from our open-source resources, please note any construction variations mentioned in the GitHub repository notes.

There are six distinct stages to building a complete Freader system, which can take up to five hours depending on experience. Each individual Freader consists of an electronic circuit board (which you will solder yourself) and a RFID PIT Tag reading coil that can be attached to a standard bird feeder. In addition, a central Freader Hub that collects and stores data from the Freaders is built from a Raspberry Pi 3A+ mini computer that acts as a programmer and WiFi server. A system can consist of one or many Freaders, but every system will need the Freader Hub to collect readings from the Freaders.

These instructions will take you through the technical bits step-by-step. To get started you’ll will need a Freader kit along with the complete set of additional parts and tools listed below.

Soldering can seem daunting, but it is straightforward with a little practice. For those with no soldering experience, we recommend viewing training videos on YouTube and also purchasing a practice soldering board (example here) before moving on to the assembly of the Freader board. You should also familiarise yourself will the health and safety risks of soldering, take adequate precautions to protect yourself and never breath in solder fumes.