Machine security system

A method comprising:

• detecting, by a microcontroller, insertion of a machine key in a key slot of a machine, wherein the machine key comprises of an embedded transponder;
• transmitting, by the microcontroller, an interrogation signal for charging the transponder;
• receiving, by the microcontroller, a response signal, wherein the response signal comprises an authentication code for authenticating the machine key;
• decoding, by the microcontroller, the authentication code;
• and
• authenticating, by the microcontroller, the machine key based on the decoded authentication code.

A system comprising:

• a microcontroller configured to:
• detect insertion of a machine key in a key slot of a machine, wherein the machine key comprises of an embedded transponder;
• generate an interrogation signal, wherein the interrogation signal comprises a digital signal approximation of a sinusoidal or another periodic waveform;
• transmit the interrogation signal;
• receive a response signal comprising a plurality of pulses, wherein the plurality of pulses represent an authentication code for authenticating the machine key, and wherein the response signal is a radio frequency signal;
• measure at least one of a pulse width, a pulse time period, and a cycle count for each of the plurality of pulses;
• and
• determine the authentication code by assigning logic levels to each of the plurality of pulses based on the measuring.