RFID-Based Multi-Module Campus Management System

A desktop-based RFID-enabled campus management system that integrates attendance tracking, library management, and cafeteria billing into a single application.

The project combines embedded systems, wireless communication, database management, GUI development, and document generation to simulate a lightweight campus ERP.

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Features

Attendance Module

• RFID-based student identification
• Automatic Check-In / Check-Out
• Calculates total time spent on campus
• Duplicate check-in prevention
• Export attendance records to Excel

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Library Module

• RFID-based student identification
• Book Issue / Return system
• Shows currently issued (unreturned) books
• Export records to Excel

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Cafeteria Module

• RFID-based ordering
• Multiple items per student
• Automatic bill calculation
• Individual PDF bill generation
• Bulk bill generation for all students
• Export cafeteria records to Excel

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Technologies Used

Component	Technology
Programming Language	Python
GUI	Tkinter
Database	SQLite
Serial Communication	PySerial
Data Processing	Pandas
PDF Generation	ReportLab
Microcontroller	ESP32
RFID Reader	MFRC522
Firmware	Arduino IDE

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Hardware Requirements

• ESP32 Development Board
• MFRC522 RFID Reader
• RFID Cards / Tags
• Buzzer
• Jumper Wires
• Breadboard (optional)
• USB Cable
• Computer running Python 3.x

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Software Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Arduino IDE
• ESP32 Board Package installed in Arduino IDE

Python libraries are listed in requirements.txt.

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Hardware Connections

Connect the MFRC522 to the ESP32 as follows:

MFRC522 Pin	ESP32 Pin
SDA (SS)	GPIO 5
SCK	GPIO 18
MOSI	GPIO 23
MISO	GPIO 19
RST	GPIO 22
3.3V	3.3V
GND	GND

Buzzer connection:

Buzzer Pin	ESP32
Positive	GPIO 2
Negative	GND

These connections match the provided firmware (rfid_detector.ino).

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Project Structure

RFID-Campus-Management-System
│
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── .gitignore
├── requirements.txt
│
├── app/
│   ├── gui.py
│   └── database.py
│
├── firmware/
│   └── rfid_detector.ino
│
├── db/
├── bills/
└── exports/

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Installation

Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/<username>/RFID-Campus-Management-System.git

Install dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Initialize the database

python app/database.py

Upload the firmware to the ESP32 using Arduino IDE.

Run the application

python app/gui.py

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Configuration

COM Port

Inside gui.py, modify

ESP_PORT = "COM5"

to match the COM port assigned to your ESP32.

Example

ESP_PORT = "COM7"

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Bill Storage Location

The current implementation stores generated bills in a user-defined folder.

It is recommended to replace any hardcoded path with

os.path.join(os.getcwd(), "bills")

This ensures generated PDF bills are saved inside the repository's bills/ folder regardless of the operating system.

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Export Location

Attendance, library, and cafeteria records are exported as Excel files.

For portability, it is recommended to save exported files relative to the project directory, for example:

exports/
    attendance.xlsx
    library.xlsx
    cafeteria.xlsx

instead of using absolute Windows paths.

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Database

The application creates four SQLite tables automatically.

Table	Purpose
students	Student information and RFID UID mapping
attendance	Check-In / Check-Out records
library_records	Book Issue / Return history
cafeteria_records	Food orders and billing

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System Workflow

RFID Card
     │
     ▼
MFRC522 Reader
     │
     ▼
ESP32
     │
Bluetooth Serial
     │
     ▼
Python Application
     │
SQLite Database
     │
     ▼
GUI / Excel / PDF Reports

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Future Improvements

• Wi-Fi communication
• MQTT support
• Cloud database
• Multi-device synchronization
• Authentication system
• Analytics dashboard
• Mobile application
• Email bill delivery

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.