Why is encoding needed and what to encode. What is the difference between Hi-Co and Lo-Co strips.
One of the most common mistakes that clients make is an incorrect task for encoding the magnetic stripe of a plastic card. In this article we will tell you everything about the magnetic stripe to protect you from possible troubles.
Magnetic tape is a flexible tape coated with magnetic material for storing data. Most often, two types of tape are used - Hi-Co (high-coercivity) or Lo-Co (low-coercivity). The difference lies in how persistently the information is recorded. The Hi-Co strip will retain your data longer than the Lo-Co strip under the same conditions of use. The color of the tape can be any, depending on the manufacturer of the tape. The idea that Lo-Co is necessarily brown is a misconception.
The magnetic stripe on the card is a storage medium. As a rule, data is written to the card once and is not rewritten in the future.
The most common (standard) function of a magnetic stripe card is an ID. The customer number (also often the card number) is encoded onto the strip. Depending on how the software works, the number is used in the appropriate format.
For example, the popular R-Keeper program uses the format “card type=restaurant code=card number”. In this case, “card number” is a variable for 10,000 pcs. card will vary from 00001 to 10000, and the “card type” and “restaurant code” are constants, which should be reported to you by the company that installed the equipment.
Most often, the situation when setting up an encoding task comes down to clarifying this information with the software supplier. You need to take this seriously and try to get an answer in an official letter in order to relieve yourself of responsibility for an incorrect assignment.
Be careful! If the software supplier or your technical specialist has issued a task - “just duplicate the number from the person,” be wary and demand a clear answer.
Thanks to many years of experience in the field of plastic card manufacturing, our company has a multi-stage verification of the assigned task. The check is carried out at every stage: from the manager to the designer, from the designer to the production administrator, from the administrator to the operator - everywhere the task is analyzed, reconciled with previous tasks, after which each employee signs and accepts responsibility. As a result, the probability of error is reduced to zero.
(c) https://card-online.ru/articles
One of the most common mistakes that clients make is an incorrect task for encoding the magnetic stripe of a plastic card. In this article we will tell you everything about the magnetic stripe to protect you from possible troubles.
Magnetic tape is a flexible tape coated with magnetic material for storing data. Most often, two types of tape are used - Hi-Co (high-coercivity) or Lo-Co (low-coercivity). The difference lies in how persistently the information is recorded. The Hi-Co strip will retain your data longer than the Lo-Co strip under the same conditions of use. The color of the tape can be any, depending on the manufacturer of the tape. The idea that Lo-Co is necessarily brown is a misconception.
The magnetic stripe on the card is a storage medium. As a rule, data is written to the card once and is not rewritten in the future.
What to write down?
Recording (or encoding) is carried out according to the client’s instructions. The tasks that the card performs may be different and we cannot be 100% sure of a task that there is an error in it.The most common (standard) function of a magnetic stripe card is an ID. The customer number (also often the card number) is encoded onto the strip. Depending on how the software works, the number is used in the appropriate format.
For example, the popular R-Keeper program uses the format “card type=restaurant code=card number”. In this case, “card number” is a variable for 10,000 pcs. card will vary from 00001 to 10000, and the “card type” and “restaurant code” are constants, which should be reported to you by the company that installed the equipment.
Most often, the situation when setting up an encoding task comes down to clarifying this information with the software supplier. You need to take this seriously and try to get an answer in an official letter in order to relieve yourself of responsibility for an incorrect assignment.
Where to write?
You can record 3 lines or tracks on a magnetic tape. According to international standards, 76 characters, including Latin letters, can be written on the 1st track, only numbers and space on the 2nd and 3rd. As a rule, the number is recorded on the 2nd track.Setting the task
When placing an order, you sign the “original layout” of the plastic card, this is an annex to the contract, which reflects all the parameters of the order. Please note that the encoding task is written explicitly. For example, if you need to write down serial numbers on 5000 cards on the 2nd track that coincide with the numbers on the front side of the card (printing or embossing), the layout should say: “Encoding of the 2nd track of numbers is from 00001 to 05000. The encoding duplicates the number from the front side." It may seem that it is enough just to indicate the information - “the encoding duplicates the number from the person.” But as practice has shown, this often leads to an error. The personalization format on the face may differ from the encoding format and this is often not given importance. For example, it is embossed from 000 001 to 005 000, then on the strip, according to this task, it will be written from 000=001 to 005=000, where the "=" sign is always encoded instead of a space. And this, you see, is absolutely not what I would like to get. But nothing prevents us from using exactly this recording format XXX=XXX in the program, therefore, acting strictly according to the instructions, we will get a defect. Of course, in such cases, our specialists will always approach the task with caution and additional approval will be made. And this, unfortunately, is the time. Returning to our task... And what will come of the wording “Encoding of the 2nd track of numbers from 00001 to 05000”. Logically, everything is correct, but if 00001 is written on the card with number 01000, do not be surprised, everything is according to the instructions. There is no mention of matching numbers anywhere. This, of course, is an absurd example and such a situation will never happen, but you must understand that the more complex the task, the greater the likelihood of double reading.Be careful! If the software supplier or your technical specialist has issued a task - “just duplicate the number from the person,” be wary and demand a clear answer.
Thanks to many years of experience in the field of plastic card manufacturing, our company has a multi-stage verification of the assigned task. The check is carried out at every stage: from the manager to the designer, from the designer to the production administrator, from the administrator to the operator - everywhere the task is analyzed, reconciled with previous tasks, after which each employee signs and accepts responsibility. As a result, the probability of error is reduced to zero.
(c) https://card-online.ru/articles
