Hi everyone,
I’m excited to share V2.0 of my NFC Tag Readers. This project is inspired by Adonno’s Tag Reader. I have first created an original version of Adonno’s Tag Reader, and afterwards also added some hardware optimizations for better long-term stability.
I believe that great smart home automation should be more than just functional — it should be engaging, beautiful, and a bit of an art form.
Hardware Optimizations (The “Pro” Build)
Inspired by Adonno’s classic design, I’ve made several tweaks for long-term stability:
- Buzzer Driver: Added an S8050 NPN transistor. This resolves the common 1.4V voltage drop issue, delivering a crisp, professional “beep” every time.
- Voltage Shifting: Integrated a 1N4148 diode for precise voltage shifting to protect the GPIO while ensuring reliable triggering.
Music Transfer: “Music Follow Me”
Building upon the standard Home Assistant tag automations, I’ve modified it to use Music Assistant (MA) the music_assistant.transfer_queue service.
- Seamless Queue Transfer: When a tag is scanned in a new room, the system checks if a story or playlist is already active. Using Jinja2 templates, it transfers the entire queue and current playback position to the new media player. No more restarting chapters from the beginning!
Crafted NFC Cards: Amiibo & Audiobooks
The physical cards are a major part of the experience:
- Cards Printing: I used a Canon TS705 with a PVC tray for printing some of the cards. Also, I reused those non-printable cards by printing onto adhesive paper and paste to the cards.
- Dual-Purpose: Idea of using the cards both as an Nintendo Amiibo as well as a Home Assistant trigger. One card works for both the Nintendo Switch and the smart home!
- The “Master Key”
: I also created a special card for my daughter. It’s her magical physical shortcut—whatever automation she dreams up, I map it to this card! - Of course some other funny “Ruler Only” cards for myself (if you know HunterxHunter…).
Full Documentation and YAML: 
https://github.com/cofw2005/ha-tag-reader
I hope you’ll like my project. Happy building! 
Sneak Peek
I’ve already started working on my next project: A custom, DIY Media Player based on ESP32-S3-DevkitC-1 and PCM5102A DAC boards, designed to work seamlessly with these NFC readers.
