14
Keyboard Manual
Magnetic Reader
The Magnetic Stripe Reader configuration parameters differ from
the Scanner Port mainly in that magnetic cards adhere to only one
standard defined by ANSI and ISO/IEC, while there are over a
dozen different symbologies for bar codes.
Each magnetic stripe can contain three distinct parallel tracks, each
0.110” (2.794mm) wide. Each track’s unique characteristics are
described below.
A
is defined by the card issuer and is for their exclusive use.
•
•
C-M
are reserved for use by ANSI Subcommittee X3B10.
•
N-Z
are available for use by individial card issuers.
B
developed by the International Air Transportation Association
(IATA) contains alphanumeric information for banking and fi-
nance. The standard sequence for format B is listed below.
•
Track 1
The recording density of Track 1 is defined as 210 bits per inch.
The character configuration (encoding) is 6 bits plus 1 parity (odd)
bit, which yields 64 unique
alphanumeric
and symbolic characters.
The maximum information content is 79 characters, with the format
defined by the Format Code letter:
%B987654321012300^UNITECH/JOE^0512896745280?
Following is track 1 output and an explanation of the components.
% B
PAN
^
CC
NAME
^
DATE SC
PVV
DD
? LRC
normally last name, then first name, separated by a “/”
mum record length
LRC
Longitudinal Redundency Check
- 1 check character
?
End Sentinel
- 1 character - always “?” for all tracks
DD
Discretionary Data
- additional characters to fill out maxi-
PVV
PIN Verification Value
- 0 to 5 digits
SC
Service Code
- 3 digits - defines transaction requirements
DATE
Expiration Date
- 4 digits - YYMM format
Separator
- 1 character - always “^” for Track 1
^
Cardholder Name
- 2 to 26 alphabetical characters -
NAME
Country Code
- 3 digits (only for MasterCard)
CC
Separator
- 1 character - always “^” for Track 1
^
Primary Account Number
- up to 19 digits
PAN
Format Code
- 1 alphabetical character - in this case, “B”
B
Start Sentinel
- 1 character - always “%” for Track 1
%
