1 Topic by rleroy (edited by rleroy 2010-01-05 05:09:26)

  • Registered: 2009-12-08
  • Posts: 10

Topic: Addition of details to PN53X-Chip page

Hi guys,

I think that it could be a great addition to add some details to the table located at the following page: http://www.libnfc.org/documentation/har … n53x-chip. A table that looks something like the following:
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/1671/table1.jpg

When I initially bought my SCL3711 (PN533), I thought they were doing ISO14443 Type B card emulation, but after some research, I noticed that they don't. NXP makes a clear distinction between Reader/Writer mode and card emulation mode, but the table on the www.libnfc.org site does not. Indeed, PN53x readers in reader/writer mode supports ISO14443A/B, but in card emulation mode, they only support ISO14443A.

You can find the official NXP documentation that backs what I am saying at the following location, on page #6: http://www.nxp.com/acrobat_download/lit … 016165.pdf

If I knew this detail at the beginning, that would have saved me a lot of time and about a hundred dollar smile

Anyways, keep up the good job guys and happy new year! smile I can't wait for the new PN5xx chips smile

  • roel
  • Administrator
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  • Registered: 2009-02-18
  • Posts: 151

Re: Addition of details to PN53X-Chip page

You are totally right. But I guess you can better blame NXP than us wink

I suspect it has something to do with the licenses. The NXP chip can emulate their own MIFARE but not a -B card, but since they corporate with Sony, it does support FeliCa though. It seems to look like something Patent/License related. If I look to the register/raw settings, I come to the conclusion that the chip actually CAN emulate a -B card. But... it means you have to do everything in low-level and probably walk into lot's of side-problems like timings again.

The best way to emulate a -B card, is using the proxmark. Besides this you could try to use the ISO14443 (layer4), since A or B does not matter here. The E-passport for example could work on both modulations, it just uses the layer on top of this and sends APDU's. Most PayPass/Visa readers are A / B compatible.

Well, for what it's worth, I hope this helps wink

  • Registered: 2009-12-08
  • Posts: 10

Re: Addition of details to PN53X-Chip page

I don't blame you ... I blame me for being a compulsive buyer, and NXP for being NXP smile

Seriously, you are totally right regarding Felica/NXP and ISO14443 Type B, it's a license problem. Gerald Madlmayr explains it well on his blog at http://blogs.forum.nokia.com/blog/geral … e-b-felica

So, is there no Type-B in the World of NFC you might ask? Good question. For a physical layer perspective - no. This is due to take fact, that NFC (ISO 18092!) was invented jointly by NXP and Sony and therefore only their needs are covered in this standard. As the specification of the integration of NFC-Technology (which covers ISO 18092 as well as ISO 14443 in active and passive mode) into devices is driven by the NFC-Forum, it is likely that also Type-B will be support by “NFC-Forum-Compliant” devices.



The best way to emulate a -B card, is using the proxmark

You are totally right for now, until NXP massively produces a chip that supports 14443b emulation. Then libnfc will be easier to play with... Uploading new firmwares to the proxmark every time you perform a check is a painful process.


Besides this you could try to use the ISO14443 (layer4), since A or B does not matter here. The E-passport for example could work on both modulations, it just uses the layer on top of this and sends APDU's. Most PayPass/Visa readers are A / B compatible.

Excellent point, I will try that ... Most readers today support ISO14443A/B. If I can reach ISO14443 layer 4 through Type A, I would feel like I lost a lot of time playing with Type B ... smile