With this SIM Card Reader and Writer kit, you are free to experiment with your SIM cards and the information that is stored on them! You can back up stored SIM card data, recover deleted SMS’s and phone contacts, and even examine the last 10 phone numbers dialed!

Project Steps

Gather your Materials

Check to make sure you have all of the necessary parts to build the SIM card reader. You can find the list of parts under the extra guide data.

Insert the 1.0K Resistor

In the R8 location, insert the resistor with color code brown, black, and red.

Bend the leads of the resistor to make it easier to solder it in when you turn the circuit board over.

Solder the resistor in, and then clip the leads.

Insert the Protection Diode

In the location D1, insert the 1N4001 protection diode. Make sure that the end with the band is matched up with the band on the silkscreen image.

Just like the resistor, insert the diode and then bend the leads. This will make it easier to solder it in.

Turn the circuit board over, solder in the diode, and then clip the leads.

Insert the 5V Regulator

In location IC2, insert the 7805 5V regulator.

The regulator transforms the voltage from the battery’s 9V to the proper 5V that can be used by the reader.

Make sure that the flat side of the regulator is matched up with the flat side of the silkscreen image.

Place the leads in, solder it, and then clip the leads.

Insert the LED

In the location LED1, insert the LED. The shorter lead of the LED is the negative lead, and the longer lead is the positive.

Match the leads up with the (+) or the (-) on the silkscreened board.

Solder it in, and then clip the leads.

The 9V Battery Holder

Begin by threading the two battery holder wires through the hole in the corner and tie them in a knot. This helps to keep the wires from being pulled out.

The red wire is soldered into the (+) hole, while the black wire is soldered into the (-) hole.

Turn the PCB over and solder in the two power wires.

Test the Battery

Connect a 9V battery to the battery holder.

Your green LED should light up, which means that the 5V power supply is working well.

If it does not light up, check to make sure all of your solder joints are clean and secure. If they are, then test your battery with a multimeter and make sure that it is not lower than ~6V.

Once you have verified the power connection, disconnect the battery before completing the rest of the assembly.

Insert the Remaining 1.0K Resistors

In locations R2 and R7, insert the resistors with color code brown, black, red into their spots.

Remember, resistors are not polarized, so it does not matter which direction you place them in.

Solder the leads in, and clip them too.

Insert the Four 10K Resistors

Insert the resistors with color code brown, black, orange into locations R3, R4, R5, and R6.

Turn the circuit board over, solder the resistors in, and then clip the leads.

Insert the 1Meg Resistor and the zener diodes

The resistor with color code brown, black, green should be placed in location R1.

Solder this resistor in, and then clip the leads.

The zener diodes should be inserted into D2 and D3. Make sure the black stripe on the diode matches with the stripe on the silkscreened circuit board.

Insert the Crystal

In location X1, insert the 3.57 MHz crystal.

It does not matter which direction you insert the crystal. Solder it in, and clip the leads if necessary.

Insert the 18pF Ceramic Capacitors

In locations C2 and C3, insert the ceramic capacitors.

The direction that you insert these into the circuit board does not matter.

Insert the Electrolytic Capacitor

In location C4, insert the electrolytic capacitor. These are polarized, so make sure the long lead goes into the hole marked with a (+).

You can bend it over, just to keep it from protruding out so much.

Insert the 74HC04 Hex Inverter

In location IC1, insert the 74HC04 hex inverter chip.

You will need to bend the leads of the chip in slightly to make them fit into the circuit board.

Now, safely, slide the chip in so that the notch in the chip matches the notch in the silkscreen.

Push it in, and then solder the chip in.

Insert the other Ceramic Capacitor

In the location C1, insert the small yellow capacitor.

It does not matter which direction you insert the capacitor.

Insert the NPN Transistor

In location Q1, insert the PN2222 or 2N3904 transistor.

Make sure the flat side of the transistor matches up with the flat side of the silkscreened image.

Solder it in, and then clip the leads.

Inserting the SIM Card Holder

Begin by heating up one of the SIM holder’s pins and melting a tiny bit of solder onto it.

Now hold the SIM card holder in place while reheating the pin with the solder.

Slide the holder so that the pins align with the pads.

Remove the soldering iron to secure this connection. Now just solder the rest of the pins for the holder.

Attaching the DB-9 Connector

Sandwich the pins of the DB-9 Connector with the circuit board. Make sure you pay attention to which side has 5 pins and which has 4 pins.

Solder the leads securely to the board.

Finishing up!

Now you are finished. If you plan on utilizing an FTDI cable to connect to the board, solder in the 6-pin male header.

Begin by disconnecting the 9V battery. Slide the holder away from the green LED (refer to the OPEN lettering), and the holder will pop open.

Slide the SIM card in so that the contacts face up and the notched corner is on the bottom. Now connect the battery, and connect the DB-9 connector to the serial port.

Now you are connected to the computer!