Dynamic magnetic stripe as the main element of an electronic card
The Cardberry electronic card is a very simple idea on the one hand, and an extremely complex project for implementation on the other. The concept is to put together all the discount cards in the application and use them with one single Cardberry e-card. Simple, isn't it? In fact, everything turned out differently.
Stage number 1. Opportunity Analysis
A little background. The idea to unload the wallet came to us in 2013. We began by doing a thorough study of all possible types, formats and mechanisms of operation of plastic cards for various purposes. We went deep into the technical field - what is the information recorded on a magnetic tape? What standards are involved? What tracks (tracks) of the magnetic strip are used in this process?
Instead of endless piles of paperwork, the staff desks were littered with piles of discount cards. All together, it was decided not to use them for their intended purpose until Cardberry starts its triumphal march.
An experienced specialist in radio electronics from MIPT was involved in this large-scale work. As a result of joint work, we were able to establish that three information tracks are used in magnetic cards. During the development of the optimal strategy, a basic decision was made - the first prototype of the Cardberry e-card will use two of them. From that moment began the active development of the prototype model.
Stage number 2. Through hardship to the stars
We began by defining the basic mechanisms that should ensure the functioning of the Cardberry electronic card. It was supposed to be not just a card, but a compact device with electronic stuffing. And size obviously plays a role here. At this stage, we had to face a seemingly unsolvable task - to fit all these elements with a thickness of 0.6 mm.
The first thing to think about was a battery. Thickness is a key aspect, while it should have some capacity sufficient for long-term card operation. We found a battery with a thickness of 0.55-0.67mm and a capacity of up to 80 mAh. We thought that another charger with wires in the bag was useless. In addition, an electronic card must become an indispensable assistant on whom you can always rely. Recharging does not exactly fit this description. In the photo below are 2 battery options with capacities up to 60mAh and 80 mAh.
The next problem point concerned the elements used in the control scheme. Cardberry electronic card is a device that can not work around the clock. At a minimum, to save the theoretically long-lasting charge with which we wanted to supply it. So, without the button "On / Off" we can not do. We also planned to make two types of cards - with and without a screen. The screen is designed to display a barcode for maps where the barcode is applied. The screen was created by technology electronic paper, e-ink. Separately for us have developed a screen with segments for a bar code. On the photo screen and cable.
Another sore point is the interaction of the smartphone with the map. While it was not at all clear how the user would emulate the selected discount card on the Cardberry electronic card. It was supposed to be used directly at the store's checkout, which means that the recording process should be quick. In this regard, to all of the above elements, it was necessary to "shove" another kind of receiving device that could communicate with the smartphone in a timely manner.
Having determined the list of tasks that need to be solved, we took up the development of each of them separately.
Stage number 3. Mysterious Emulation Technology
Its development has become the main stumbling block of the entire Cardberry project. Engineers had one simple question: how will the process of emulation of a discount card to a Cardberry electronic card take place?
In theory, everything looked quite obvious. We even managed to find a suitable patent 25 years ago. But at that time it remained unfulfilled due to the imperfection of technical capabilities. Nevertheless, long exposure is only useful for strong drinks: today this patent has turned out to be unrealizable and irrelevant. We decided to look for our own solutions to this difficult task.
To its development, we have attracted several more qualified engineers involved in protecting ATMs from unauthorized copying of magnetic strips of customer cards (protection from skimers). The landmark was found - it was necessary to create a dynamic magnetic strip. Very soon, the specialists were able to easily emulate one of the two tracks needed. But here, too, all participants in the process faced a number of difficulties:
• As soon as it came to the second track, a strong induction of the magnetic field was detected. This promised the entire work of the card serious interference or false information at the output.
• Power usage. The emulation process required a lot of energy. For the life of the card and the operation of the smartphone, this was unacceptable for obvious reasons.
• The nature of the signal. We were faced with the fact that the signal was uneven throughout the track. To avoid mistakes, it was necessary to make it stable and uniform.
• Transmission speed. The signal format and its characteristics directly influenced the data transfer rate. It was vital to make it as high as possible.
• Materials used. The whole work of technology depended on their properties, and we tried in vain to find a suitable solution.
The solution to all these problems associated with only one emulation technology has become our daily work for the next 5 months. After this time, endless attempts to find a solution led us to the first encouraging results. Engineers found several workable emulation options and chose the most optimal one. It turned out to be a technology that uses magnetic field quenching on adjacent map tracks. On its basis, the first prototype of the Cardberry electronic card was developed, sent for testing and testing. The photo shows the previous prototypes and one of the working variants of the dynamic magnetic strip.
Stage number 4. Starting over
But we also had to give up this technology. The main reasons are: the bulkiness of a dynamic magnetic strip, a poor-quality signal and the subsequent impossibility of mass production. From this point on, we had to start developing emulation technology from the very beginning. And in parallel, work was already being done on the remaining issues that had arisen in the course of the project implementation.
And some of them have been effectively resolved. Bluetooth was selected as the emulation channel. First, we found a microprocessor with a built-in Bluetooth Low Energy module, then it was possible to consider a more expensive but practical option with adaptive Bluetooth that supports older smartphones.
Meanwhile, the company decided to look for a new emulation method: simpler, energy efficient and, most importantly, efficient. At the same time, the project reached the penultimate stage of development: programmers set about creating a Cardberry application for iOS and Android.
Stage number 5. Solution found
And the solution is really found. It corresponds to all the tasks set earlier and provides a stable emulation of discount cards to the Cardberry electronic card.
After all the components have been found, it remains for us to solve the last puzzle - to pack all the elements into the plastic card case. There already exists one beaten track, namely the technology of creating smart cards. However, in our case, the mechanism of sintering layers under pressure and at high temperatures was impossible for technical reasons.
To solve this problem, we turned to specialists in Russia and abroad, but it was only realized in China. Experts of the Middle Kingdom found the optimal technology for assembling the map.
There are still many nuances ahead that will have to be worked on, for example, barcode emulation and work with bank plastic cards. But the most important thing has already been done: the Cardberry project has come close to its completion, and ahead of us is the first test batch of unique Cardberry electronic cards.
Make a pre-order with a 50% discount, you can today. Available card with LED at a price of 1200rub-50% = 600 rubles :) More information about the project you can find on the site cardberry.com
* All photos are the property of Cardberry. The layout used InstaCollage application.
Stage number 1. Opportunity Analysis
A little background. The idea to unload the wallet came to us in 2013. We began by doing a thorough study of all possible types, formats and mechanisms of operation of plastic cards for various purposes. We went deep into the technical field - what is the information recorded on a magnetic tape? What standards are involved? What tracks (tracks) of the magnetic strip are used in this process?
Instead of endless piles of paperwork, the staff desks were littered with piles of discount cards. All together, it was decided not to use them for their intended purpose until Cardberry starts its triumphal march.
An experienced specialist in radio electronics from MIPT was involved in this large-scale work. As a result of joint work, we were able to establish that three information tracks are used in magnetic cards. During the development of the optimal strategy, a basic decision was made - the first prototype of the Cardberry e-card will use two of them. From that moment began the active development of the prototype model.
Stage number 2. Through hardship to the stars
We began by defining the basic mechanisms that should ensure the functioning of the Cardberry electronic card. It was supposed to be not just a card, but a compact device with electronic stuffing. And size obviously plays a role here. At this stage, we had to face a seemingly unsolvable task - to fit all these elements with a thickness of 0.6 mm.
The first thing to think about was a battery. Thickness is a key aspect, while it should have some capacity sufficient for long-term card operation. We found a battery with a thickness of 0.55-0.67mm and a capacity of up to 80 mAh. We thought that another charger with wires in the bag was useless. In addition, an electronic card must become an indispensable assistant on whom you can always rely. Recharging does not exactly fit this description. In the photo below are 2 battery options with capacities up to 60mAh and 80 mAh.
The next problem point concerned the elements used in the control scheme. Cardberry electronic card is a device that can not work around the clock. At a minimum, to save the theoretically long-lasting charge with which we wanted to supply it. So, without the button "On / Off" we can not do. We also planned to make two types of cards - with and without a screen. The screen is designed to display a barcode for maps where the barcode is applied. The screen was created by technology electronic paper, e-ink. Separately for us have developed a screen with segments for a bar code. On the photo screen and cable.
Another sore point is the interaction of the smartphone with the map. While it was not at all clear how the user would emulate the selected discount card on the Cardberry electronic card. It was supposed to be used directly at the store's checkout, which means that the recording process should be quick. In this regard, to all of the above elements, it was necessary to "shove" another kind of receiving device that could communicate with the smartphone in a timely manner.
Having determined the list of tasks that need to be solved, we took up the development of each of them separately.
Stage number 3. Mysterious Emulation Technology
Its development has become the main stumbling block of the entire Cardberry project. Engineers had one simple question: how will the process of emulation of a discount card to a Cardberry electronic card take place?
In theory, everything looked quite obvious. We even managed to find a suitable patent 25 years ago. But at that time it remained unfulfilled due to the imperfection of technical capabilities. Nevertheless, long exposure is only useful for strong drinks: today this patent has turned out to be unrealizable and irrelevant. We decided to look for our own solutions to this difficult task.
To its development, we have attracted several more qualified engineers involved in protecting ATMs from unauthorized copying of magnetic strips of customer cards (protection from skimers). The landmark was found - it was necessary to create a dynamic magnetic strip. Very soon, the specialists were able to easily emulate one of the two tracks needed. But here, too, all participants in the process faced a number of difficulties:
• As soon as it came to the second track, a strong induction of the magnetic field was detected. This promised the entire work of the card serious interference or false information at the output.
• Power usage. The emulation process required a lot of energy. For the life of the card and the operation of the smartphone, this was unacceptable for obvious reasons.
• The nature of the signal. We were faced with the fact that the signal was uneven throughout the track. To avoid mistakes, it was necessary to make it stable and uniform.
• Transmission speed. The signal format and its characteristics directly influenced the data transfer rate. It was vital to make it as high as possible.
• Materials used. The whole work of technology depended on their properties, and we tried in vain to find a suitable solution.
The solution to all these problems associated with only one emulation technology has become our daily work for the next 5 months. After this time, endless attempts to find a solution led us to the first encouraging results. Engineers found several workable emulation options and chose the most optimal one. It turned out to be a technology that uses magnetic field quenching on adjacent map tracks. On its basis, the first prototype of the Cardberry electronic card was developed, sent for testing and testing. The photo shows the previous prototypes and one of the working variants of the dynamic magnetic strip.
Stage number 4. Starting over
But we also had to give up this technology. The main reasons are: the bulkiness of a dynamic magnetic strip, a poor-quality signal and the subsequent impossibility of mass production. From this point on, we had to start developing emulation technology from the very beginning. And in parallel, work was already being done on the remaining issues that had arisen in the course of the project implementation.
And some of them have been effectively resolved. Bluetooth was selected as the emulation channel. First, we found a microprocessor with a built-in Bluetooth Low Energy module, then it was possible to consider a more expensive but practical option with adaptive Bluetooth that supports older smartphones.
Meanwhile, the company decided to look for a new emulation method: simpler, energy efficient and, most importantly, efficient. At the same time, the project reached the penultimate stage of development: programmers set about creating a Cardberry application for iOS and Android.
Stage number 5. Solution found
And the solution is really found. It corresponds to all the tasks set earlier and provides a stable emulation of discount cards to the Cardberry electronic card.
After all the components have been found, it remains for us to solve the last puzzle - to pack all the elements into the plastic card case. There already exists one beaten track, namely the technology of creating smart cards. However, in our case, the mechanism of sintering layers under pressure and at high temperatures was impossible for technical reasons.
To solve this problem, we turned to specialists in Russia and abroad, but it was only realized in China. Experts of the Middle Kingdom found the optimal technology for assembling the map.
There are still many nuances ahead that will have to be worked on, for example, barcode emulation and work with bank plastic cards. But the most important thing has already been done: the Cardberry project has come close to its completion, and ahead of us is the first test batch of unique Cardberry electronic cards.
Make a pre-order with a 50% discount, you can today. Available card with LED at a price of 1200rub-50% = 600 rubles :) More information about the project you can find on the site cardberry.com
* All photos are the property of Cardberry. The layout used InstaCollage application.
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/228421/
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