Summary of Arduino Lock Bar…sorta
This article details the construction of a custom RFID-secured bar, highlighting the author's learning journey and partial success with code. The project involves building a wooden frame to house the electronics and integrating an Arduino system for locking mechanisms.
Parts used in the Arduino Lock Bar:
- Arduino uno
- RFID reader
- RFID shield
- RFID tags
- Servo motor
- 1/8 inch wood sheet
- 1/2 inch wood sheet
- Suitcase or trunk case
This project was tough but nothing worth doing is easy and i am ver proud that i was able to accomplish what i did. To know that my skills are further than they once were is a reward on their own…….but how did i get to where i am now? unfortunately i couldn’t get it to work in its entirety and this is also my first one so have mercy jk…sorta.

Step 1: Supplys
First off i had to get supplys…
(Arduino uno)- compliments of my teacher (RFID reader)- Spark fun (RFID sheild)- Spark fun (RFID tags)- Spark fun (Servo motor)- Spark fun ( 1 half sheet of 1/8 inch) – lowes ( 1 half sheet of 1/2 inch) – lowes (suitcase/ trunk)
I ordered my tech parts from Spark fun.com (awesome site) with regular shipping it should take a week to arrive at your house.
Step 2:

while those parts were on the way i went out and bought my 1/8 and 1/2 inch board along with the case im going to put it all in. For the wood dont worry about getting alot, half sheets should be enough for 3 projects, luckliy we are only doing one. as for my suit case i lucked out hard and found one on sale at walmart.
With half my supplys gathered i drew up plans.
Step 3:
i went on to instructables and got inspiration from a project on travel bars. i thought yeah i want to make a bar then put a lock i can only get into.
i based my rfid part of the project of another instructables project that had code and a file for a 3d print casing for the arduino. i down loaded that and had them printed while i waited for the other peices.
1 week goes by and my spark fun peices came….time to build.
i desided to work on the body( the bar) first then the brain( rfid)… (probably will reverse that next time)
Step 4: Lets Build a Frame

i used the 1/2 inch to make wall frames to brace the 1/8 peices that run across
after i made the walls i worked my way up, making the cubby for ice and then the place holder for the bottles and cups…this will also make the base for the lock
Step 5: Rfid

after that was put down i made a small cubbie for sodas at the top. enough for about 15.
with that done lets work on the rfid.
i decided to sacrifice my bread board and placed everything on it for easy access and movement
unfortunaly for 3 days tried to make the code register my rfid as well as move the servo but with time running thin i had to choose one or the other so i chose servo movement (otherwise the whole point is null)
time to mount the servo, rfid, and final touches.
Step 6:

i had to use various peices to make my own gear that fit the servo and worked to fit it right so that it would work.
Step 7: Final

Source: Arduino Lock Bar…sorta
- How did I get my tech parts?
I ordered them from Sparkfun.com with regular shipping. - Can I buy the wood at a hardware store?
Yes, the author purchased half sheets of 1/8 and 1/2 inch board at Lowes. - Does the author have experience with this project?
No, this was their first project and they could not get it to work in its entirety. - What inspired the design of the bar?
The author found inspiration on Instructables from a travel bar project. - Where did the author find the suitcase case?
The author found one on sale at Walmart. - Did the author successfully program the RFID code?
No, the author chose to focus on servo movement instead of registering the RFID due to time constraints. - What material was used to make the wall frames?
The author used the 1/2 inch wood to make wall frames to brace the 1/8 inch pieces. - How many sodas can the top cubby hold?
The top cubby is designed to hold about 15 sodas.
