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The magnetic stripe reader is a point-of-sale
(POS) device that interprets data encoded on a magnetic stripe card.
Millions of magnetic stripe and check reader devices are used worldwide,
mostly for security and financial transactions but also in financial
institutions, retail stores, telecommunication companies, kiosks,
gaming, transit companies, schools, clubs, and sports and recreation
facilities for identification and transportation purposes.
Magnetic stripe readers come in different models and sizes. A full-size
magnetic stripe reader has a built-in keyboard wedge interface that is
able to read credit card information directly into a PC's draft capture
program. They also come in various interface formats, such as RTTL,
RS-232, USB/keyboard, and keyboard wedge interfaces.
Magnetic stripe readers and cards are manufactured in accordance with
ISO specifications such as ISO 7810, ISO 7811, ISO 7812, ISO 7813, and
ISO 4909. These specifications delineate the physical properties of the
card, including size, flexibility, location of the magnetic stripe, and
magnetic characteristics.
Magnetic stripes, also called magstripes, come in two types:
high-coercivity and low-coercivity. High-coercivity magstripes are
harder to erase and are consequently appropriate for cards that are used
frequently and must be durable. Low-coercivity magstripes require less
magnetic energy to record and the card writers are cheaper than machines
that record high-coercivity magstripes. A card reader can read either
type of magstripe, but a high-coercivity card writer can write only
high-coercivity cards and a low-coercivity card writer cam write only
low-coercivity cards.
The magnetic stripe in most cards is contained in a plastic type of film
0.375 inches (9.52 mm) wide located 0.223 inches (5.66 mm) from the edge
of the card. The magnetic stripe contains three tracks. Each track is
0.110 inches (2.79 mm) wide, with tracks one and three typically
recorded at 210 bits per inch (8.3 kbit/m) and track two recorded at 75
bits per inch (3.0 kbit/m). Each track can contain either 7-bit
alphanumeric characters or 5-bit numeric characters.
Magnetic stripe readers are used in high-volume mass transit
applications, replacing paper tickets with either a directly applied
magnetic slurry or hot foil stripe. Slurry applied stripe cards are less
expensive to produce but are of lower quality. These cards would not
comply with the standards for making payments or other cards discussed
here.
Due to frequent use, cards suffer from damage. Consequently, the digital
recording on the stripe is in a very low-density format and is often
duplicated several times in case part of the stripe becomes damaged.
A magnetic stripe reader works on credit cards, badges, permits, tokens,
and passes by reading the magnetic tape on it. The information in the
magnetic tape may contain account or credit card information, as
appropriate. The tape is read by magnetic stripe readers in ATMs,
identification devices, and payment terminals and is then forwarded to
central data processing services.
A USB magnetic stripe reader can be programmed to rearrange, edit,
select, and validate data. They automatically distinguish between AAMVA
and CA DMV data formats and provide exceptional functionality and value
in the smallest possible package. They can read up to three tracks of
information with a single swipe in either direction in a standard-length
slot device that is easy to use.
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