User Manual for Workshop Reader-Writer Software Application
Contents
1. Track Density Bits per Character GE GE 1 IATA 210 7 bits per character 76 Alphanumeric 2 ABA 75 5 bits per character 37 Numeric 3 Thrift 210 5 bits per character 104 Numeric AAMVA The AAMVA format follows the same character formats as defined by the ISO Standards The maximum number of Data Characters for Tracks 1 amp 3 is different from the ISO format and Track 3 is alphanumeric following the same format as Track 1 The number of Data Characters shown does not include SS the ES or the LRC characters AAMVA maximum number Track Density Bits per Character oi Data Characters 1 IATA 210 7 bits per character 79 Alphanumeric 2 ABA 75 5 bits per character 37 Numeric 3 Thrift 210 7 bits per character 79 Alphanumeric 16 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer User The User format allows data to be written in a non standard format The data density and bits per character are defined in the Setup Window The bits per character include a parity bit See Setup section for additional information The SS amp ES characters density parity and BPC are selectable in the Setup Window for the User Card type Information written in this format may not be readable by ISO standard reading devices MagStripe readers as the User format chosen may not meet the ISO standards requirements RAW This is not a true Card Type This is a data decoding amp display format for2. initial card data The result of each comparison is shown in the Message box To finish the Compare process click on the End button to close the prompt window Erase This function can be used to erase data on the card tracks The Reader Writer must be set for the correct operating coercivity of the card s to be erased See the Setup section for information on selecting the writing coercivity Individual tracks can be selected from the pop up track selection window Select the track boxes to be erased close the window Another prompt window appears to prompt a card swipe Only the selected tracks are erased The non erased tracks retain their data The message box shows the results After erasing the Application Software prompts a swipe of another card for erasing To finish the Erase process click on the End button to close the prompt window Warning If the Reader Writer is set for Hi Co operation and a Lo Co card is swiped all data on the Lo Co stripe may be erased 20 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Sequential Write This function allows creation of a special sequential number field in the Track text boxes The sequential field can be one or more number characters The sequential number field can be the only characters written in the track or the sequential number can share the track with other fixed data numbers and or alpha characters in the track Any fixed data in the Track text boxes can be entered befo
3. card the coercivity of the magnetic stripe has no importance The read operation is the same for all card coercivities To read the card just written Click on the Read button and swipe the card The Track text boxes fill with the data read from the card tracks Empty card tracks have no data to be display and those text boxes are empty Cards can be swiped and read with no limit The Track box data is refreshed each time a card is swiped and there is no read error To end the reading process click the End button in the Please Swipe a Card window This concludes the Quick Start Section The basic functions of loading the Application Software application installing the Reader Writer card writing and card reading have been demonstrated The next sections contain the full User Manual for the Application Software Utility There is useful Magnetic Stripe information in the Appendix B 13 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Application Software Utility The Reader Writer and Application Software together provide the card reading amp writing functions most often needed for magnetic stripe use These functions amp operations are available from a single Application Software window Following is a summary of the Application Software functions Application Software Utility Functions Write Writes data to a card in the Card Type format Read Reads card data and displays the data in Track boxes Compare Compares multiple car
4. database operations 23 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The Usage file in this example was created using Notepad The Usage file has two functions it may contain the Card Type and card Setup format rules SETTING it must contain a data definition DATA The Card Type and card format SETTING parameters are the same Card Types as in the Application Software window and the same formatting parameters found in the Application Software Setup tabs The SETTING rules if used are used for all cards written In the example shown no SETTING rules are specified they are ignored by the Application Software database function because of the double forward slashes placed at the beginning of each line in the SETTING section If no SETTING rules are specified the Application Software database function uses the default ISO 7811 formatting norms The information data written to a card can has two sources There is a fixed data source and a variable data source The DATA definition in the Usage file specifies the fixed card data information and specifies the source of the variable card data information The Usage file DATA definition has three rows Each row specifies the data to be written on one track the first row specifies the data for track one the second row for track two and the third row for track three Each card is written as specified by the DATA definition each card written can have unique data written on the tracks becau
5. fbfc Trk2 fo fc fd Trk3 end 26 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The Excel csv Sample file has the following variable data fields EJ Microsoft Excel DBSample1 csv i Eile Edit view Insert Format Tools D Data H 00 fo e gt 0 12340 12341 12342 12343 12344 12345 12346 12347 12346 STANLEY 12349 M 4 gt gt DBSample1 Ready 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 250205 CAPS NUM This same file can be opened from Notepad as shown below E DBSample1 csv Notepad File Edit Format View Help PAVID 12340 999 250205 MICHAEL 12341 989 250205 JIMMY 12342 979 250205 ANDY 12343 969 250205 HOWARD 12344 959 250205 GEORGE 12345 949 250205 BILL 12346 939 250205 JAMES 12347 929 250205 TERRY 12348 919 250205 STANLEY 12349 909 250205 The filename extension csv means a comma separated values file As seen in Notepad above and like in the Excel example each row is one record of variable information written on one card Commas separate each row into columns Each row must have the same number of columns Most text editors can create view or edit a CSV file 27 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Reader Writer Technical Reference Introduction This section of the User Guide pertains to Reader Writer technical information Description The Reader Writer reads and writes magnetic stripe card
6. the three tracks The text boxes display data in raw binary using the hexadecimal number format Data read from a card is decoded into binary starting with the first binary one bit usually the first bit of a start sentinel All the bits in Hex are displayed and including approximately fifteen trailing zero bits at the end of the track data Writing to a card in this mode is not recommended except for special purposes When writing in this mode the data density and the number of leading zeros is controlled by the selections in the Setup Window Information written in this mode may not be readable by ISO standard reading devices MagStripe readers as the RAW format chosen may not meet the ISO standards requirements Setup Setup is used to specify the track formatting used when reading or writing Two fixed track parameters are the track locations and the data encoding method Track locations are track 1 at the top side near the card edge then track 2 and track 3 toward the middle The data encoding method is F 2F These cannot be changed The track longitudinal redundancy check LRC character is automatically calculated by the Application Software and added to the end of track data Listed below are format parameters that can be changed Reader Writer format selections include The Data density can be selected as either 75 or 210 bits per inch The Start Sentinel SS location from the card edge is selected The limited selectio
7. 25 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer MMM Sample database Usage file The at the beginning of a line specifies the line is a comment and line content is NOT used for database functions or operations SETTING This is the SETTING section In this example all the lines begin with so the content here is for your reference amp NOT used by the database When no settings are specified the CARDTYPE default is in all cases the ISO format Remove the from the lines amp change values only when a non ISO format is wanted Used only one of these lines to select a non ISO format ICARDTYPE USER ICARDTYPE AAMVA In the next 3 lines the ISO default BPI is shown Change settings only if needed The tracks can have any mix of 75 or 210 value Only 75 or 210 is a permitted value BPl1 210 BPl2 75 BPI3 210 Use the following settings ONLY when CARDTYPE USER is selected Adjust the parameters to specific values for the application The ISO CARDTYPE format setting is shown as the example Only a specific limited set of values are permitted Check the Application Software Setup window amp USER folder for the permitted values BPC1 7 BPC2 5 BPC3 5 PARITY1 ODD PARITY2 ODD PARITY3 ODD SS1 IISS2 IISS3 IES1 HES2 ES3 The DATA section defines the fields that apply to each track DATA Trk1 SLAM DUNK SPORTS EVENT fa
8. A 2 75 40 Numeric only 3 210 74 82 Alphanumeric A Includes ODD parity bit Includes Start Sentinel End Sentinel and LRC characters 36 of 36
9. ER JACK Center pin 24VDC In Ring Signal Ground Table 2 USB cable 1 The power jack ground is connected to the USB connector ground 32 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Maintenance The Reader Writer requires cleaning of the card slot on a regular interval The interval is approximate and should be after every 50 000 card swipes Regular cleaning insures oils and debris do not accumulate on the operating components Over time operation can cause a film to collect on the heads and other surfaces This film should be removed using cleaning cards These are available from magnetic stripe cleaning card sources Cleaning cards are about the same size as an ID1 credit card and have an absorbent surface on one or both sides The absorbent surface has an alcohol solvent that should remove any film The absorbent surface should be damp the surface should not be saturated Swipe the card five to ten times with the solvent side of the card toward the read and write heads and then again five to ten times with the solvent side opposite the heads The cleaning cards may not remove all the debris In the case of debris such as dust and card particles in the slot use an aerosol can product containing clean compressed air The clean air can be used to blow debris from the slot Direct the stream of air at a low angle into the slot and run the nozzle along the slot Direct the air in the direction of the card travel and t
10. N STATED THIS PRODUCT IS SOLD AS IS IN NO EVENT SHALL SUPPLIER BE LIABLE FOR CLAIMS BASED UPON BREACH OF EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF NEGLIGENCE OF ANY OTHER DAMAGES WHETHER DIRECT IMMEDIATE FORESEEABLE CONSEQUENTIAL OR SPECIAL OR FOR ANY EXPENSE INCURRED BY REASON OF THE USE OR MISUSE SALE OR FABRICATIONS OF PRODUCTS WHICH DO NOT CONFORM TO THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE CONTRACT The information contained herein is provided to the user as a convenience While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy Supplier assumes no responsibility for its use nor for any infringements or patents or other rights of third parties that may result from its use Supplier is not responsible for damages that might occur because of errors or omissions including any loss of profit or other commercial damage The specifications described herein were current at the time of publication but are subject to change at any time without prior notice USB Universal Serial Bus Specification is Copyright by Compaq Computer Corporation Intel Corporation Microsoft Corporation and NEC Corporation Windows Excel amp Notepad are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation 3 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Contents auteeie e e EEN 6 UIE GE 7 Installing Application Software ecccceeeeeceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaees 7 Installing Reader Writer cccccceeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeennaaees 7 Co
11. SB interface operates though serial COM ports like an RS232 device The USB communication uses a special USB RS232 driver included in the supplied CD Reader Writer is a Self Powered USB device and must be powered using the 24VDC power adaptor provided with Reader Writer The USB cable has two connectors at the cable s end One connector is for the PC USB connection and the other is for the power adaptor connection Connect the Reader Writer USB connector into the PC and insure it is fully seated Connect the power adapter output to the power adaptor connector on the USB cable Finally connect the power adaptor to the AC line power outlet When power is applied the LED is orange for a moment and then becomes green If the LED does not light check the power adaptor connections When the USB connection is recognized by the operating system for the first time a Found New Hardware message is given The operating system must install USB drivers in the PC The drivers provide the communication link between the PC and Reader Writer When the New Hardware Wizard window appears follow the wizard directions to install the USB RS232 drivers into the PC The drivers are available online as Signed drivers If an internet connection is available to the PC or the Reader Writer CD is available and installed in the CD drive then perform Install the software automatically Recommended selection Otherwise select the Install from a list or spec
12. USER MANUAL Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer amp Utility Application Operation Guide cE FE UL 80058507 001 A July 30 2007 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer FCC WARNING STATEMENT This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device pursuant to Part 15 of FCC Rules These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user is required to correct the interference at his expense FCC COMPLIANCE STATEMENT This reader complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules Operation of this reader is subject to the following conditions this reader may not cause harmful interference and this reader must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation CE STANDARDS An independent laboratory performed testing for compliance to CE requirements The unit under test was found compliant to Class A 2 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer LIMITED WARRANTY The supplier warrants to the original purchaser for a period of 12 months from the date of invoice t
13. X 1 o0 o0j 1 9 9 Y 1101110 10 0 SEI J Z SES SES EA WI CES K We LEE JS le L Ke 1 ifofi i3 M Ee FE JEE 14 gt 07 N Wel Ca Ea E aa 28 O DEL 1 These characters are for hardware control purposes only 2 This character is reserved for optional additional graphic symbols 3 These characters have the following meanings Position 0 5 Represents start sentinel 1 15 Represents end sentinel 3 14 Represents field separator 4 These characters are reserved for additional national characters when required They are not to be used internationally 35 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Track 2 and 3 allowed characters Table 2 Numeric Character Set Bits P ba b b by Row Character 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 ololololi 1 1 olololilo 2 2 1lololili 3 3 ololilolo 4 4 1 o0 1 0 1 5 5 ee les 6 6 o0ololi 1ili 7 7 olilololo 8 8 OI RRE GREEN 9 9 1 BE OI le Ste 0 olilolilil 11 SP fe ht lee JEE EE lt o0olili oli 13 8 Gas 1 lo 14 gt OO 15 a These characters are for hardware control purposes only 1 2 Start sentinel 3 Field separator 4 End sentinel AAMVA Table 2 AAMVA Card Format Track Density Bits Total Character Set Start End Field bpi Char Characters Sentinel Sentinel Separator 1 210 82 Alphanumeric
14. click OK Each subsequent time the Application Software is RUN a dialog box shown below opens to request the password The password is required each time the application is RUN e Password Dialog Enter Password 4 6 characters Enter Password OK Cancel The Application Software checks the communication link with the Reader Writer both before the password window and after During this process the Connecting the unit window is displayed The Application Software window appears when the communication link is verified If there is an error check the Reader Writer LED for a Green power on condition and verify the communication connections 9 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Please wait Notice The Connecting the unit Please wait notice may appear several times as the Application Software establishes communication with Reader Writer There is a delay between the Connecting notice closing amp the application window appearing El Reader Writer Utility Software V2 4G 070807 File Port Message Card Type Reader uriter Version 2 36 676726 Iso Track 7 BPC 210 BPI wn Track2 5 BPC 75 BPI Track 5 BPC 210 BPl Write Read Compare Erase Seg Write Write Erom File Read To File Database Setup Exit Application Low Coersivity Default Setting Active The initial Application Software Window is shown above with the firmware version shown in the Me
15. cters for Information Exchange Bits Per Inch Roughly the RS232 communication in bits per second The resistance of a magnetic field to change in Oersted California Drivers License format Trademark name for the MagStripe Reading amp Writing product The Personal Computer to which the Reader Writer is attached Inches Per Second International Standards Organization Hexadecimal base 16 numbering system Light Emitting Diode Longitudinal Redundancy Check a form of error check character Magnetic Stripe Reader Personal Computer see Host An assembled Circuit Board Reference Standard for serial asynchronous communication The card path opening for passing a card through an Reader Writer The operation of moving a card through the Reader Writer slot Universal Serial Bus a high speed connection to the host AAMVA Best Practices Guidelines for the Use of Magnetic Stripes ISO 7810 1995 Identification Cards Physical characteristics ISO IEC 7811 2 1995 Identification Cards Part 2 Magnetic stripe ISO IEC 7811 3 1995 Identification Cards Part 3 Embossed characters ID 1 cards ISO IEC 7811 4 1995 Identification Cards Part 4 Location of read only Tracks 1 amp 2 ISO IEC 7811 5 1995 Identification Cards Part 5 Location of read write Track 3 ISO IEC 7811 6 1996 Identification Cards Part 6 Magnetic stripe High coercivity 29 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Specifications Environmental This product is to be used in an i
16. ds to a single reference card Erase Erases the selected tracks of data on a card Sequential Write Writes both fixed and or sequential data to a card Write from File Writes to each card the next record from a pre formatted data file Read to File Reads a card amp saves the card data as a record into a data file Database Write Writes cards from a database CSV file amp Usage file Card Type Provides card format selection based on Setup menu or Standard ISO Selects 7811 ISO Standard card format AAMVA Selects AAMVA standard based on ISO Standards USER Selects the card format from settings in Setup USER tab RAW Reads amp writes data and displays in a Hexadecimal format Setup Provides selections amp settings of USER or RAW formats Leading Zero Sets number of leading zeros before the Start Sentinel BPI Setting Selects individual track data density 75 or 210 bits inch Set Coercivityt Sets the writing coercivity to High or Low for all tracks Start Sentinel Selects the Start Sentinel character for the individual tracks End Sentinel Selects the End Sentinel character for the individual tracks Bits Character Selects the number of bits per character for individual tracks Parity Selects character parity bit logic for individual tracks Default Resets the parameters amp settings to the standard norms These functions are not supported when the AMC protocol is selected t Low Coercivity units cann
17. ds were read The Reading amp Writing File Operation files are kept in the default file folder To From Files which is a sub folder in the Program Files folder The To From Files can be moved and accessed from other folders The files have a file extension that matches the Card Type used to create the original file Card Type is defined in the upper right hand menu box on the software main window The card type cannot be mixed the card type must be consistent within a file Read To File Selecting this function generates a Windows Explorer window to open an existing data file or create a new data file If an existing file is selected the previous data is maintained and the new card data is appended as cards are swiped After a file selection is made a second window opens to prompt the swipe of acard The reading result is shown in the Message box for each swipe If there is a read error the card data is not saved swipe the card again to enter the card data into the file Write From File This functions Writes data from a named file to a card The card data is in a file records created by the Read To File operation as described above The Write To File function prompts the user to open an existing data file When a file is selected the user is prompted to swipe a card or sequence of cards each card is written with the next data record from the file The Message box shows the writing result for each card If there is a wri
18. es with proper maintenance 30 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Interface The communication parameters port settings are fixed for both USB amp RS232 operation The parameters are Baud rate 9600 Data bits 8 Parity None Stop bit 1 RS 232 A 6 0 cable with DB 9 female connector with a 2 1 mm center positive power Jack molded into the DB 9 housing The following is signal pin out of the connector DB 9F RS 232 connector PIN Signal Direction 1 Not Used 2 TXD Out 3 RXD In 4 Not Used 5 Signal Ground 6 Not used 7 CTS In 8 RTS Out 9 Not used CASE Chassis ground Connected to the die cast cover POWER JACK Center pin 24VDC In Ring Signal Ground Table 1 RS 232 cable Pin Outs 31 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer USB RS232 The USB interface uses PC compatible communication drivers which emulate an RS232 COM port operation through a USB serial connection This approach allows the application to use the more available USB connections through a virtual COM port A 6 0 cable with a Serial A Plug and a 2 1 mm center positive power Jack molded into a pigtail of the cable The following is the signal pin out of the connector USB connector PIN Signal Direction 1 USB 5V In 2 Data In out 3 Data In out 4 Ground CASE Chassis ground Connected to cover POW
19. hat this product is in good working order and free from defects in material and workmanship under normal use and service The Supplier s obligation under this warranty is limited to at its option replacing repairing or giving credit for any product which has within the warranty period been returned to the factory of origin transportation charges and insurance prepaid and which is after examination disclosed to Supplier s satisfaction to be thus defective The expense of removal and reinstallation of any item or items of equipment is not included in this warranty No person firm or corporation is authorized to assume for Supplier any other liabilities in connection with the sales of any product In no event shall Supplier be liable for any special incidental or consequential damages to Purchaser or any third party caused by any defective item of equipment whether that defect is warranted against or not Purchaser s sole and exclusive remedy for defective equipment which does not conform to the requirements of sales is to have such equipment replaced or repaired by Supplier For limited warranty service during the warranty period please contact Supplier to obtain a Return Material Authorization RMA number amp instructions for returning the product THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE THERE ARE NO OTHER WARRANTIES OR GUARANTEES EXPRESS OR IMPLIED OTHER THAN THOSE HEREI
20. he csv file has 10 rows therefore ten cards can be written Each card is written with variable data from one of the ten rows starting with row one 24 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The data written on the first card is shown The number in brackets indicates the card track number 1 SLAM DUNK SPORTS EVENT DAVID 12340999 2 12340 999 250205 3 nothing is written on track three Using only track 1 as the example the SLAM DUNK SPORTING EVENT is a fixed card data field DAVID is a variable field from the database file as defined by fa meaning field a the next is a fixed field and 12340999 is two variable fields from the database file as defined by fbfc The next card written has the same fixed field data and new variable field data based on row two in the csv file Defined in row two is the name MICHAEL and the card number amp validation number is 12341989 The data in track 2 is a variable and remains the same for all cards because it is defined as the same in the database file See the example here for the second card written 1 SLAM DUNK SPORTS EVENT MICHAEL 1 2341989 2 12341 989 250205 3 nothing is written on track three The database Usage file is shown on the following page This file can be copied from the CD and then modified for other database applications This file is also located on the hard drive in the Reader Writer software folder
21. hen in the opposite direction Inspect the slot by looking down its length with a good backlight to see if all debris is removed The metal housing can be cleaned with a mild detergent applied to a soft cloth that is rung almost dry Detergent should not be allowed to enter the card slot Warning There are no serviceable components inside the Reader Writer Opening the Reader Writer voids the warranty Tampering with the write head or tachometer assemblies may change the Reader Writer calibration for ISO standards operation 33 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Appendix A Outline drawings 34 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Appendix B Card Formats ISO Table 1 ISO Card Format Trac Densit Bits Total Character Set Start End Field k y bpi Char Characters Sentinel Sentinel Separat kk or 210 7 79 Alphanumeric A 2 75 5 40 Numeric only 3 210 5 107 Numeric only Includes ODD parity bit Includes Start Sentinel End Sentinel and LRC characters Track 1 allowed characters Table 1 Alphanumeric Character Set be 0 0 1 1 bs 0 1 0 1 ba bs be b LS o 1 2 3 o oj 0o 0 o SP 0 ell P olololili HH 1 A Q olol lilol2 f0 2 B R ololilil3 8 3 C S ol1ilolol4 4 D T olilolil5 I od 5 E U oli ilolela 6 F V Or ae etal eee 7 G W 1 lololols 8 H
22. ific location advanced option For the advanced option Application Software must be installed first to have the drivers on the PC hard drive Ifthe Software Application is not already installed stop here and install as instructed above The Reader Writer Application Software is available on the supplied CD Found New Hardware Wizard Welcome to the Found New Hardware Wizard This wizard helps you install software for USB lt gt Serial If your hardware came with an installation CD lt 3 or floppy disk insert it now What do you want the wizard to do Install the software automatically Recommended Install from a list or specific location Advanced Click Next to continue 8 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The New Found Hardware Wizard appears a second time to install a second driver Repeat the same process again to install the second driver When both drivers are installed the process is complete The USB communication interface is ready for operation when the Found New Hardware bubble appears with the following notice i Found New Hardware Your new hardware is installed and ready to use Using the Application Software In the Programs tab of the Windows START button double click the Reader Writer Software Utility v2 4G to RUN the application The Password Dialog Box appears the first time the installed application is RUN Select a password confirm it and
23. l the Application Software functions The Third Section is the Technical Guide for the Reader Writer This section provides the product specification and related information The Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer is ROHS compliant 6 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Quick Start This Quick Start section covers Reader Writer installation and the Application Software installation An example is given to introduce the Application Software amp Reader Writer operation The example guides an operator through the process of writing a few characters onto a magnetic stripe card and then through the process of reading the card to see the written data Installing Application Software The Application Software runs on Windows 95 98 2000 ME amp XP for Reader Writer with an RS232 or USB communication interface All the software is provided on the supplied CD Install the Application Software on a PC by running the Setup file located on the CD An installation wizard will appear follow the directions amp process in the wizard The result is a Reader Writer Software Utility v2 4G menu item added to the Programs menu in the Windows START menu A file folder is added to the Program Files folder on the local hard drive This folder contains the software application and support files for Reading and Writing cards Installing Reader Writer Reader Writer is used in an indoor environment Locate the Reader Writer where it is co
24. mmunication Interface geesde ee 7 Using the Application Software cccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaees 9 Writing on a Card Quick Start eeeogreeretesdereegesdeeeeg ege ege 11 Reading a Card Quick Grat 13 Application Software Utility EE 14 Application Software WiINdoW sccicsiccssscct cc cchccigeeitisicccctasigueibueigacbenigeeubtes 14 e ER E 16 ENEE 16 SC UL EE 17 EEN 19 Le EE 20 ele 20 EAS eege Egeter gege 20 Slee LEINEN EE 21 Read amp Writing File Operations ENEE 22 PICA MKOM mil EE 22 Write Front EE 22 Database Application ssgcxcccessiescrte sl ca cctigecedecnsrguce cepa caddvasetesedadeceievasecaneteiiee 23 Reader Writer Technical Reference unn 28 tee e EE 28 Ride pee ee eee ee ce ere ence Cre ery re Stet ener 28 Terms amp Related documents sesssssnenereeeseeeerrrnnrrrnseerrnnrnnnnnesrerennnn 29 ele ee ln EE 30 aw EN Eeer 31 Ee 32 ep eet Genee eege degen 33 Appendix A Outline drawings EE 34 Appendix B Card Formats ENEE 35 Ee E 35 EE EE 36 4 of 36 MagStripe Reader Writer 5 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Introduction Reader Writer is a personal computer peripheral device for reading and writing magnetic stripe card data The Application Software is the companion software product which provides operation of Reader Writer through a Personal Computer The MagSt
25. must be in contact with the magnetic heads The heads are on the side with the logo labels The card must be held so the stripe is down and facing toward the logo when swiped through the slot from right to left The card must be registered held to the reference surface at the bottom of the card slot The card must be swiped through the slot without tipping or stopping and moved with one steady movement all the way through the slot The operation is unidirectional the operation is only in the forward direction starting from the card slot s tapered end The Reader Writer does not function with cards swiped in the reverse direction The Message text box at the top of the Application Software window shows Write 1 OKP If three cards were swiped all three have the same written data and the Message text box shows Write 3 OKP End the card writing process by click the End button in the Please Swipe a Card window Note The Reader Writer has two magnetic heads one is for writing and the other is for reading The Reader Writer performs a read after write operation when writing cards When a card is swiped the card passes over the write head first and then the read head This read after write feature is how the Reader Writer determines a Write OK or a Write Error condition Reading a Card Quick Start When the Read button is clicked and a card is swiped through the card slot the Reader Writer reads all tracks When reading a
26. n of SS characters for each track The limited selection of End Sentinels ES characters for each track The number of bits per character can be selected from 4 BPC to 7 BPC The character parity bit logic selection O 0 OO OO In addition to the formatting selections selection of writing Lo Co or Hi Co type cards is provided Click the Setup button for the Setup window Two folder tabs are available There are default buttons in each tab window these default buttons force the format settings in the window to be reset to the standardized ISO settings See Appendix B for additional technical information Note Always use the Default Setup settings unless there is a known specific and understood reason for not using the default settings 17 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Fi Set Up User Type Leading Zeros BPI Setting 210 BPI 61 Track 1 BPI 20 v 75 BPI 22 Track 2 BPI 75 Track 3BPI 20 v IT High Coercivity gt This Setting does not affect Low Co only unit This Setting applies to all card types ISO AAMVA USER and RAW OK Default Cancel Format Tab View Parity Od si ss Fa Parity Od si ss Es Parity Od si ss me ss ES This setting applies to USER type only OK Default Cancel User Tab View 18 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The Format tab view provides settings for card types ISO AAMVA USER amp RAW Data Density The data i
27. ndoor environment Operating temperature Shipping Storage Electrical Supply Voltage Power Consummation Power Adaptor Interface amp Cable Mechanical Dimensions H X W X L General Construction Media thickness Media length Cable Color Performance Supports Formats Media Densities Media Coercivity Media Speed Write encoding Reading Durability MTBF Card Swipes Agency Approvals FCC Class A CE Class A 0 C to 50 C 5 to 95 relative humidity non Condensing 40 C to 70 C 5 to 95 relative humidity non Condensing 10 C to 60 C 5 to 95 relative humidity non Condensing 24VDC 10 lt 2 Amps Triple track reading amp writing High Coercivity External switched power 24V 2 5 Amp regulated 2 1mm power jack center Positive RS232C 6 0 cable DB 9 female connector with a 2 1 mm power jack in the DB 9 housing USB 6 0 cable Serial A Plug with a 2 1 mm power jack ina pigtail extension to the cable 2 64 X 2 52 X 8 03 6 7cm X 6 4cm X 20 4cm Die cast metal housing Zamac or molded plastic 0 007 to 0 045 or 0 020 to 0 065 special order 3 38 maximum for reading after writing operation Beige or Black ISO 7811 amp AAMVA 75 bpi 210 bpi 250 to 4200 Oersted Read 5 55 IPS Write 5 35 IPS Meets or exceeds ISO 7811 requirement for new cards Low Amplitude gt 30 210 bpi gt 40 75 bpi 160 000 POH for a fully configured unit 1 000 000 swip
28. nvenient to operate and protected from dust and liquids For right handed persons swiping a card is most convenient from right to left Position the Reader Writer so the flared card entrance is on the right A 24VDC power adaptor is provided The adaptor input voltage range is 100 to 240VAC and can be used in most countries The line power plug may need to be adapted to the power outlet connector Remove the power adaptor from the packing box Wait to connect the power adaptor until all the other connections are made The communication type can be RS232 or USB RS232 Proceed to the Communication Interface section corresponding to the interface of your Reader Writer unit Communication Interface RS232 The Reader Writer has a communication cable with a DE 9 connector that fits most computer serial RS232 COM port connectors An adaptor not supplied can be used to adapt to a DE 25 connector if necessary See the Specifications Interface Section for port settings Connect the DE 9 connector to the PC and insure it is fully seated Connect the power adaptor output to the power connector on the back of the DE 9 housing Finally connect the power adaptor to the AC line power outlet When power is applied the LED on the Reader Writer is orange for a moment and then becomes green If the LED does not light check the connections and the availability of power from the power outlet 7 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer USB RS232 The U
29. ot be set to Hi Coercivity operation This document assumes the user has basic knowledge of magnetic stripe track densities data formats character formats and the like Basic magnetic stripe information is given in Appendix B Application Software Window The Application Software operates from this window There are several areas boxes within the window Above each box is a descriptive label Starting from the top left the Message box provides a result of the last operation The information in the Message box shown below is the result of opening the connection to a Reader Writer and it shows the firmware version number amp date The Card Type box on the right indicates the current selected data format for reading or writing a magnetic stripe This is the only box with a pull down menu More information is provided in a following section The next three boxes 14 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer are text boxes there is one for each track Either the text boxes provide a display of the data characters to be written to a stripe or the data read from a stripe depending on the current function being performed If there is no data in a text box then that corresponding track is not active during the operation There are ten function buttons along the bottom Each of the functions is explained separately in the following sections El Reader Writer Utility Software V2 4G 070807 File Port Message Card Type Reader Writer Ve
30. re default setting is for Lo Co magnetic stripe cards For Hi Co magnetic stripe cards click the Setup button in the lower right corner of the Application Software window Then click the High Coercivity check box See the example with the Hi Co box checked Do not change any other selection Click OK to return to the Application Software window There are two sample cards provided with the Reader Writer One is a Lo Co type and the other is a Hi Co type Either one or the other can be used The coercivity in the Setup window must be set to match the card type used Leading Zeros BPI Setting 210 BPI 61 Track 1 BPI 20 75 BPI 22 Track 2 BPI 75 D Track 2 DH oun e M High Coercivity This Setting applies to all card types ISO AAMVA USER and RAW OK Default Cancel Click the Write button The Write Card window appears as shown on the previous page Caution When the Please Swipe a Card window has a yellow background color and when a card is swiped through the slot the Reader Writer changes data on the magnetic stripe When there is no data in a Track text box then that specific track is not written and any data already on that track is not changed or erased 12 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Swipe a card at a moderate rate through the card slot A moderate rate is equivalent to moving a card from the entrance to the exit in about 1 2 second When swiping a card the magnetic stripe
31. re or after the sequential number field is entered Typically the fixed data is entered first and then the sequential number field is added to the fixed data The same sequential number can be in one track or the same number can be in all three tracks Only one sequential number field is allowed per track The sequential number field s must allow the minimum number of sequential digit spaces as needed for the number of digits to be sequenced As an example the number 150 must have a sequential number field of three characters minimum or more The number of digits in the sequential number fields can be different for each track The sequential number field operates with numbers only Click the Seq Write Button Establish the sequential number field by positioning the curser at the sequential number field starting location and click The sequential field can start at any location within the data if any The Application Software prompts the user to enter the sequential field digit indicators x by typing any printable character on the keyboard The Application Software inserts the x characters which represent each numerical digit in the sequential field This process can be used on one track or can be repeated for each track When the field selection is completed close the prompt box and another prompt box is opened for selection of the starting initial value of the sequential number and selection of the number of cards to be written Inse
32. riginal data on the track if any is replace by the new data An individual track can be changed without effecting data on the other tracks However if the Track text box is empty the Application Software does not erase the original data if any in that track Read This function reads data from the magnetic stripe on a card including SS amp ES when it is swiped through the slot The read data is shown in the track text boxes There is a prompt window opened to inform the user to swipe a card for reading The Message box shows the result for each card swipe either the card was read OK or there was a reading ERROR The count of the number of cards read is shown There is no limit on card swipes each card is read and the card data shown To finish the Read process click on the End button to close the prompt window Compare This function compares card data from one card with data read from other cards The initial data is read from a card and saved in the track text boxes Comparisons of data read from subsequent cards are made with the initial data saved in the text boxes A comparison is made each time a card is swiped This function is useful for checking cards to a standard card When the Compare button is clicked the user is prompted to swipe the card having the initial comparison data After the initial data is read the prompt changes and the user is prompted to swipe cards these cards are read and their data compared with the first
33. ripe cards must meet the ISO 7811 standards for an ID1 card typical credit card Cards are manually swiped through the slot to perform a reading and or writing operation Data can be written and read verified with one swipe The Reader Writer supports magnetic stripe track formats defined either by an established industry standard or by a user customer defined data format All formats use F 2F data bit encoding writing and either 210 or 75 bits per inch BPI data densities The Reader Writer can read and write both High coercivity and Low coercivity Hi Co amp Lo Co magnetic stripes The enclosure is a die cast metal housing that provides weight and stability for excellent performance There are two communication interfaces either RS232 or USB available through an attached six foot cable A separate power adaptor is required to supply the power needed for writing cards There are three Sections to this document The First Section provides Quick Start information covering Reader Writer installation and installation of Utility Application software The Application Software operates with both RS232 unit and USB units and provides easy to use commands for performing all read and write functions A simple example of the Application Software operation is given in this section The example performs the two most basic operations writing and then reading on a Lo Co or Hi Co magnetic stripe card The Second Section provides operation details for al
34. rsion 2 3G 676726 Iso v Tracki 7 BPC 210 BPI wm Track2 5 BPC 75 BPI wm Track 5 BPC 210 BPI wm Write Read Compare Erase Seg Write Write From File Read To File Database Setup Exit Application Low Coersivity Default Setting Active 15 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Message Box The Message Box always displays the result of the last action Mostly it indicates a successful read or a successful write operation after swiping a card through the slot When the operation can be performed on more than one card the result message provides a count of successful card operations Card Type This provides a selection of reading and writing track formats Track formats are the combination of the track density bits per character selection of Start amp End Sentinels and other parameters The Card Type pull down menu has four selections ISO AAMVA USER amp RAW Each explained below The settings for each type are available in the Setup window See the Setup section amp Appendix B for more information ISO The ISO format follows the requirements given in ISO Standard 7811 6 and earlier versions Density is in bits per inch Bits per character include a parity bit The number of Data Characters given does not include the Start Sentinel SS the End Sentinel ES or the Longitudinal Redundancy Character LRC The SS ES amp LRC are automatically inserted into the data when writing to the card tracks
35. rt the values and click OK The initial starting value is automatically inserted into the sequential field the balance of the field is filled with the zero digits The Application Software prompts the user to swipe and write the first card After each swipe the Application Software displays the result If write operation is successful the Application Software increments the sequential number and prompts for writing the next card If there is a failure the Application Software gives a warning and prompts for writing the same number Other data in the track fields if any is not altered When the Number of cards to be written value is reached the Sequential Write process is ended Close the Sequential Write Complete window 21 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Read amp Writing File Operations The Read amp Write File operations provide a means to read cards saving the read track data to a file and using the same file to write the same information to a new set of cards The cards read are a data source for the opened file One card or a sequence of cards can be read Each card read creates a separate record within the file The records are added to the file in the sequence they are read The number of records added to the file equals the number of successfully read cards When writing from the file each card is written with the data from one of the records starting from the first data record and written in the same order as car
36. s encoded on the magnetic stripe as a string of binary bits The physical length of each bit on the stripe is the data density specified in Bits per Inch BPI There are two data densities for magnetic stripe cards 210 BPI or 75 BPI Leading Zeros This is the number of zero value binary bits preceding the Start Sentinel SS These zeros are used for synchronizing the reading circuits and bit decoding algorithm These zeros are required The number of zeros required is based on the data density and the ISO required distance of the SS from the edge of the card High Coercivity This is a check box in the Format window The Reader Writer writes on HI Co or Lo Co magnetic stripes This box selects the coercivity the Reader Writer is to use The default is Lo Co If the card coercivity is not known use Lo Co first and if there is a consistent write error then switch to the Hi Co setting A Lo Co Only Reader Writer Unit cannot be set into Hi Co operation The User Type tab view provides settings that apply only to the card type USER Start Sentinel Characters This character marks the beginning of the track data field This character is preceded by leading zero bits End Sentinel Characters This character marks the end of the track data field There is a Longitudinal Redundancy Check character LRC following the end sentinel The LRC is used for error checking the data bits The LRC is calculated by the Application Software and added automaticall
37. s when the cards are swiped through a card slot The housing encloses the read head and the write head Both are mounted to a rail assembly The rail assembly contains the card vertically and has a reference surface which aligns the magnetic stripe with the heads for track locations The heads are precision mounted to meet the ISO Standards requirements Adjacent to the write head is an optical encoder which provides timing signals for writing to cards at data densities of 210 and 75 Bits per Inch BPI The encoder has a rubber roller that is moved by the card when the card moves past the write head The metal housing has an operation LED The LED is a single lens capable of generating three colors red orange and green See the operation section for the description of operations associated with the color The card slot has a write head and a read head The space between the two heads allows for writing data to the magnetic stripe and then reading the data in a single card swipe This is an advantage for checking the integrity of the data being written 28 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Terms amp Related documents AAMVA Lo Co card Hi Co card ASCII BPI BAUD Coercivity CDL Reader Writer Host IPS ISO Hex LED LRC MSR PC PCA RS232 Slot Swipe USB American Association or Motor Vehicle Administrators low coercivity magnetic stripe card high coercivity magnetic stripe card American Standard Chara
38. se the variable data is being sourced from the database file The Data Usage file Fixed data is defined and directly used from the Usage file as character fields written to a card the fields cannot contain characters not allowed for the defined track format In other words tracks written with five bits per character can use only Appendix B Table 2 characters likewise tracks written with seven bits per character can use the character set in Appendix B Table 1 Variable data written to the cards is specified by two characters that define the Data Columns in the Database file The two characters have a fixed format The first character is a lower case f followed by a second Column letter a through z The variable names correspond to the column letter in an Excel csv file The Data Column variable data and the Usage file fixed track data can be mixed in the Usage file DATA definition An example database is provided with the Application Software Utility files That example is used here to show the format The example does not define the SETTING rules the rules are shown and are ignored by the Application Software Database Application any line in the User file that starts with two forward slash characters is ignored When no SETTING rules are defined ISO Standard parameters are the default The DATA definition specifies the data to write on the three tracks When there is no data specified for a track the track is not written T
39. ssage text box The latest version may not match the version in the screen above 10 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Writing on a Card Quick Start The Application Software window has a separate text box for each magnetic stripe track Track 1 Track 2 amp Track 3 Above each box a label shows the track number and the encoding format Characters that are to be written on the magnetic stripe are entered into the text boxes In this example the card is written with the ISO standard format The chart below shows the number of characters that can be written on each track of an ISO formatted card Entering more characters than allowed for the track or entering alpha characters into a numeric characters only track causes an error Track Number of Characters amp Type 1 76 Alphanumeric Characters 2 37 Numeric Characters 3 104 Numeric Characters Enter some characters to be written on the card into the track text boxes For example enter your name in the Track 1 box then tab down to the Track 2 box and enter the numbers 0 through 9 and finally enter a string of number 3 s in the Track 3 box See the example window below Write Card Message Reader Writer Version 2 36 676726 Track 7 BPC 210 BPI Track 5 BPC 75 BPI Track 5 BPC 210 BPI re ee eae E a E a Low Coersivity Default Setting Active 11 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer The Application Softwa
40. te error the current data record is used until the record is successfully written to a card Cards are written until the last record is used When the last data record is written a prompt informs the user the writing process is finished 22 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Database Application The Application Software does not provide direct access to industry standard data base applications The word database is used here for the convenience of describing the the Application Software function amp operation which emulates a database process The Application Software Database Application provides a method for writing on cards using data from two files The two files are the Database file which is a csv type file and the Usage file which is a txt type file The csv file can be an extracted or exported file from a standard database application Both files are used together and are required for the Database Application card writing process Both files must have the same filename and both files must be located in the same file folder The Database file shown in the example is an Excel csv file type The file was created using Excel the Excel file was saved as a csv type Any application program that can be used to create the rows and columns of information to be written to cards can be used to produce the Application Software Database file The final database file must be saved as a csv type file for the Application Software
41. y when writing to a card There are trailing zeros following the LRC Bits per Character The bits per character can be selected from 4 BPC to 7 BPC The standards are 5 BPC for numeric characters including the parity bit or 7 BPC for alphanumeric characters including the parity bit See Appendix B for the character tables Parity The character parity bit logic can be selected The default and standard selection for 5 and 7 bit characters is Odd parity The parity bit for each character is added by the Application Software as the character is written on the card For 4 or 6 BPC characters parity must be None Write This function writes data to the magnetic stripe when the card is swiped through the slot The Application Software writes the data in the track text boxes together with standard or user defined SS ES and LRC each time a card is swiped through the slot A prompt window opens to inform the user to swipe a card for writing The Message box at the top of the Application Software window shows the result for each card swipe either the card was written OK or an ERROR was the result The Message box also gives the count of the cards that have been swiped and written with no errors For sequentially changing numbers see Sequential Write below To finish the Write process click on the End button to close the prompt window 19 of 36 Magnetic Stripe Reader amp Writer Caution When a magnetic stripe track is written the o
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search