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1.A magnetic card:
An ISO standard magnetic card is a magnetic stripe on a plastic card and compliant with ISO 7810 & 7811 standards.
The maximum size is 85.90 x 54.18 x 0.84 mm. There are 3 tracks data on the magnetic stripe. Track1 has maximum 76 characters, Track2 has maximum 37 characters and Track3 has maximum 104 characters (excluding Start Sentinel, End Sentinel and LRC 3 characters). |
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2.F/2F- two frequency encoding technique:
A flux transition occurring between clocks signifies that the bit is a "one" and the absence of
a flux transition between clocking transitions signifies that the bit is a "zero". |
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3.HICO/LOCO:
Magnetic stripes are made of different magnetic materials which have different coercivities, e.g.
300, 2750, 3000, 4000 Oe (Oersted). A higher coercivity card is harder erased occasionally.
It also means you should use high magnetic field to encode a high coercivity card. |
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4.A chip card:
It is also called an IC Card. An ISO standard chip card is a contact metal disc on a plastic card and compliant with ISO 7810 & 7816 standards. The maximum size is the same 85.90 x 54.18 x 0.84 mm. The metal disc has 8 contacts to connect a chip under it to a reader or POS terminal. The chip has circuits, memories and even a microprocessor to store and process data. A chip card could be a smart card if it has a microprocessor inside, or be a memory card if it has memories but not microprocessor inside. You can’t tell them from their appearances until you get their specifications. |
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5.A smart card:
It is also called a CPU Card. A smart card has circuits, memories and a microprocessor inside to store and process data.
We usually use its processing ability to encrypt / decrypt data for higher security in a payment application. |
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6.A memory card:
A memory card has circuits and memories inside to store data. Some memory cards may have lower level security functions.
We usually use it to store data for an ID application or a prepaid application (e.g. phone cards). |
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7.A RF card:
A RF (radio frequency) card has circuits, memories and even a microprocessor like a chip card,
but it doesn’t have a contact disc and replace it with an antenna to exchange data with the reader.
It doesn’t have scratch and dirt problems like magnetic card or IC card. There are 2 kinds of RF cards:
Low Frequency: Operating frequency is about 125 KHz. They are usually used in an ID or access applications.
High Frequency: Operating frequency is about 13.56 MHz. ISO 14443 (contactless card or proximity card)
& ISO 15693 (vicinity card) are two open standards for it. We usually use it in a fast access
or fast payment applications. |
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8.Card reader interfaces:
TTL, UART, RS232, USB (HID or I/O direct control) |
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9.USB HID interface:
Human Interface Device, it is a USB device defined by Microsoft. The device’s firmware and driver have to follow
the standards of USB.org and Microsoft’s USB HID class. To install a HID device on a Windows system
(Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP, 2003 server) is an easy job. Not like most devices installation,
it needs no manufacturer’s driver because windows systems have HID driver built inside.
Most USB keyboard, mouse, joystick are HID devices. |
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10.PC/SC standard:
Personal Computer/ Smart Card standard, it is a group of smart card manufacturers (http://www.pcscworkgroup.com/).
They define smart cards’ and card readers’ hardware and software specifications, and Microsoft implemented
it into a set of Win32 API. The following picture is its architecture and specification sections: |
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The advantage is that the application software won’t be affected by the replacement of card readers, like most software in Windows systems. The disadvantage is that the standard lacks the flexibility to add customized functions like reading / writing magnetic cards, memory cards, SAM cards or I/O controls. |
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11.Card applications:
ID: ID, access control, member cards
Prepaid: phone cards, cards for rental devices (copy machines, wash machines)
Payment: credit cards, bank cards |
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12.Thin client FAQ (Please see the attached file) |
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