4 ms·

How did you make a reader like that back then? I'm assuming that these days, and such device would use a generic microcontroller, with most of the interesting

How did you make a reader like that back then? I'm assuming that these days, and such device would use a generic microcontroller, with most of the interesting logic in the software. (Insert snarky joke about it also requiring Electron and 16GB of RAM.)

egberts1 3y ago
Some of us remember the good ol’ reel-to-reel audio tape from Sony, ones with BIG capstan pinch rollers and tiny read multi-head. That’s the primary set of part for this card reader as it came from the AKAI M-7 reel-to-reel tape deck that my dad vet sent from Thailand (that I ripped apart). The rest is machining the new box to hold together the mechanicals and gears. It was big, something like 13”x8”x18”. Then came the hacking part, which included plenty of social engineering to obtain its data format and then garage-based pattern construction of data bits. Then came an Intel MCS-48 (8048) …. old, old, but big ICs approach with ADC capability. Featured it at a Pacific Oil and Gas Conference booth, sold that day in its entirety,
- egberts1 3y ago
  Oh, and had added a RS-232-C and a Radio Shack Tandy Model ][ (with 8" floppy drive), and fed it into the G/L part of Tandy General Ledger program. The computer was that selling tippingpoint with this vaunted homemade peripheral part.
bityard 3y ago
IIRC, a credit card magstripe can be read with a regular cassette tape head. Which were, if not quite ubiquitous yet, common enough in the late 80's/early 90's. Converting the analog pulses to the card's 16-digit (or whatever) number was almost certainly done with discrete logic at first. I'm not sure what OP means about creating the "original" credit card reader, unless he was working for one the credit card companies rolling out the technology. (Doesn't make any sense to me that they would put magstripes on their cards without selling the readers to merchants too.)
- egberts1 3y ago
  Original as in first one to put magstrip reader on the gas pump on Florin Road, Sacramento, California 1981. Philips started making compact tape recorder heads in 1963. Magstrip on credit card has been around since 1969 (American Express) and on bank ATM card since 1971. I got my First Interstate ATM card in 1977 and got to hacking then. Also, we sold accompanied magnetic cards then as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_card#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_card#History

egberts1 3y ago

Some of us remember the good ol’ reel-to-reel audio tape from Sony, ones with BIG capstan pinch rollers and tiny read multi-head. That’s the primary set of part for this card reader as it came from the AKAI M-7 reel-to-reel tape deck that my dad vet sent from Thailand (that I ripped apart). The rest is machining the new box to hold together the mechanicals and gears. It was big, something like 13”x8”x18”. Then came the hacking part, which included plenty of social engineering to obtain its data format and then garage-based pattern construction of data bits. Then came an Intel MCS-48 (8048) …. old, old, but big ICs approach with ADC capability. Featured it at a Pacific Oil and Gas Conference booth, sold that day in its entirety,

egberts1 3y ago
Oh, and had added a RS-232-C and a Radio Shack Tandy Model ][ (with 8" floppy drive), and fed it into the G/L part of Tandy General Ledger program. The computer was that selling tippingpoint with this vaunted homemade peripheral part.

bityard 3y ago

IIRC, a credit card magstripe can be read with a regular cassette tape head. Which were, if not quite ubiquitous yet, common enough in the late 80's/early 90's. Converting the analog pulses to the card's 16-digit (or whatever) number was almost certainly done with discrete logic at first. I'm not sure what OP means about creating the "original" credit card reader, unless he was working for one the credit card companies rolling out the technology. (Doesn't make any sense to me that they would put magstripes on their cards without selling the readers to merchants too.)

egberts1 3y ago
Original as in first one to put magstrip reader on the gas pump on Florin Road, Sacramento, California 1981. Philips started making compact tape recorder heads in 1963. Magstrip on credit card has been around since 1969 (American Express) and on bank ATM card since 1971. I got my First Interstate ATM card in 1977 and got to hacking then. Also, we sold accompanied magnetic cards then as well. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_card#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_card#History