10 MS240/241 Manual
Magnetic Reader
The Magnetic Stripe Reader configuration parameters differ from
bar codes 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 individual 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 digitsPAN
Format Code -
1 alphabetical character - in this case, “B”
B
Start Sentinel - 1 character - always “%” for Track 1%
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