4 ms·
Track 1 is encoded as 7-bit digits, track 2 as 5-bit digits. So the data is only redundant after it is decoded, not in its binary form during the swipe.
by eliteraspberrie 13y ago
Track 1 is encoded as 7-bit digits, track 2 as 5-bit digits. So the data is only redundant after it is decoded, not in its binary form during the swipe.
- SeanLuke 13y agoRegardless, this means the article is correct, right? By reading both tracks, Square can verify the correctness of the number it read. It doesn't matter what the "encoding" is: the number exists on both tracks. What is your complaint then?
- antiterra 13y agoBut if the original device didn't pull data from both tracks, this is an improvement: it allows for charging a card if you manage to get a successful read from either track. Quick service restaurants want as much of a lunch rush throughput as possible, they care about lost seconds. Also, if the reader manages to grab two error free tracks, it could compare them for accuracy.