Readers ready for next-generation cards

Uptake of the EMV (Europay-Mastercard-VISA) working party's standards for interoperability of chip card-based payment systems is growing.

Uptake of the EMV (Europay-Mastercard-VISA) working party's standards for interoperability of chip card-based payment systems is growing.

This will soon mean that vending and ticketing machines, as well as a huge legacy of existing EFTPOS terminals will become outdated and will need to be replaced or upgraded.

The shrewd designer of any new cashless payment device now has to balance compatibility with the new recommendations with providing support for the billions of magnetic-stripe credit and debit cards in circulation.

For new designs, a hybrid mag-stripe and ISO chip card reader is the ideal solution.

Although many current reader components aren't yet EMV compatible, KDE's KDR9600 series is available now in EMV versions.

These products (some with TTL, some with RS232 interface) have a bezel giving a smooth and well-finished outward appearance with little additional design effort.

The chip card contacts are appropriate for intensive use and are rated good for 350,000 cycles (card in, transaction completed, card out) while the magnetic head is good for 500,000 cycles.

While the card is in the reader, a card brake retains the card until the transaction is finished.

Although KDE is best known for its ATM-ready rugged magnetic card readers, its KDR9600 series is a future-proof component for all indoor, sheltered or vending cashless systems.

KDE is promoted and supported in the UK by ASP Infotec and its motorised card readers can be found in stores in every High Street in the UK.

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