Wasn’t forgotten here. The rfid readers are capable of (and will be/are) running at 5v which means the logic voltage won’t be exceeding the TTL spec.
All we have to do is invert the logic, then interpret it from there 
I’m testing that theory right now.
Just in case, I’ve bought a bunch (20) of MAX3232 breakout boards to turn the rs232 on these to standard ttl.
For reference, this is the exact module - http://www.banggood.com/5Pcs-Serial-Port-Mini-RS232-To-TTL-Converter-Adapter-MAX3232CSE-p-965989.html
I haven’t had much luck translating the bytes by hand, as @buzz pointed out the other night the parity bits were wrong every time.
sigh, I triple checked with people before we bought these things. we had a choice of weigand and rs232 and everyone said ‘yep, 232 is easy as heck and we don’t have the pins on old snarcs to do weigand but we do to do rs232’
so whats changed?
Nothing in particular really, just the encoding these readers use is dumb.
I’m going to have another sit down with it tomorrow to try and figure it out.
All the rs232 converters have arrived. I’ll be trialling one this weekend.
So thanks to @pelrun tonight we’ve deciphered the output from these readers in a meaningful way.
The hex string the reader outputs is just the hex conversion of the decimal card ID. Without the RS232 converter inline the hex bytes we were recieving were wrong and so we discounted that possibility at the time.
Basically I forgot to check that option after adding the rs232 converter breakouts online because I was too busy focusing on a few aliexpress pages with the same model of RFID reader that had stated the format was ABA TK2.
Quick update,
As a quick side note, we still need some real PoE gear to get most of the Netrols outside of the green room working.
Yeah short term we need more PoE ports, we only have 12 on the switch and 5 are already in use.
Quad door is up (And now has an exit button. The door needs a little jiggle to open atm because it needs shaving again. @Hally ?)
Boneyard is up and running again with the new hardware. @Boo your PC in the creatorium has lost its network for now sorry 
As of this weekend, @Thermoelectric worked his magic and got PoE in the big shed going and last night PoE in the boneyard building.
The digital fabrication room doors are now swipe enabled, as is the Metal shop and the CNC shop.
Just got creatorium, wood shop and the old welding shop doors to go 
Wood Shop door is now live, please don’t lock the snib as it will prevent the door closing properly.
Quad door is also live, may not like the small tokens (Same issue as the metal shop sorry.)
Just need a door strike for the Creatorium installed and POE/box/reader for the old welding shop and we’re done with doors 
There are a few more boxes in the server room if you need them
I also need to go around and add exit buttons to a bunch.
Also gotta get the new ChemLab one in place.
Noticed in the wee small hours of last night the chem lab reader flashes a green light. This is situation normal?
If it’s consistant and the door isn’t unlocking, yeah.
There is a “heart beat” led on all units.
It’s there to say I’m working essentially and the code hasn’t locked up.
It’s sounding like its this led you have noticed.
The new RFID readers don’t have the ability to display this anymore. But the LED on the board should still be blinking away in its box.
