The ACR1281U is a dual-interface reader (IFD and PCD) that supports both contact and
contactless (PICC) smart cards.
FEATURES
• One standard ICC landing type card acceptor.
• ISO 7816 Parts 1-4 Compliant for Contact Smart Card Interface.
• The ACR1281U supports contact memory cards (refer to appendix A).
• ISO 14443 Parts 1-4 Compliant for Contactless Smart Card Interface.
• A built-in antenna for PICC contactless access applications.
• The ACR1281U supports the following Tag Types:
o MIFARE Classic. E.g. MIFARE 1K, 4K, MINI and Ultralight.
o ISO14443-4 Type A and B.
• T=CL emulation for MIFare 1K/4K PICCs. Multi-Blocks Transfer Mode is provided for
efficient PICC access.
• High Speed (424 kbps) Communication for PICCs. #Maximum 848 kbps.
• Intelligent Support for Hybrid Cards and Combi Cards.
• Extended APDU supported (max: 64k bytes)
• Energy saving modes for turning off the antenna field whenever the PICC is inactive, or no
PICC is found. It prevents the PICC from exposing to the field all the time.
• User-Controllable Peripherals. E.g. LED, Buzzer.
• Microsoft CCID Compliant for both ICC and PICC interface.
• PCSC Compliant for Contact and Contactless Interfaces.
• USB V2.0 Interface. (12M bps)
• Device Firmware Upgradeable through the USB Interface.
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TERMS
• IFD: Interface Device. A terminal, communication device, or machine to which the
integrated circuit(s) card is electrically connected during operation.
• PCD: Proximity Coupling Device. ISO 14443 Contactless Reader.
• ICC: Integrated Circuit(s) Card. Refer to a plastic card containing an integrated circuit,
which is compatible with ISO 7816.
• PICC: Proximity Integrated Circuit(s) Card. Contactless Cards operating without
mechanical contact to the IFD, using magnetic coupling.
• Combi-Card: A smart card that supports both ICC and PICC Interfaces. But only one
interface can be operating at any one time.
• Hybrid-Card: A smart card that consists of both ICC and PICC cards. Both ICC and PICC
cards can be operating at the same time.
• USB: Universal Serial Bus, a common device interface used in PC environment.
• CCID: The specifications for USB devices that interface with ICC or act as interfaces with
ICC/PICC.
• PCSC: Personal Computer Smart Card, a specification that can facilitate the interoperability
necessary to allow ICC/PICC technology to be effectively utilized in the PC environment.
• ISO 7816: A standard for contact smart cards (ICC).
• T=0: Character-oriented asynchronous half duplex transmission protocol for ICCs (ISO
7816).
• T=1: Block-oriented asynchronous half duplex transmission protocol for ICCs (ISO 7816).
• ISO 14443: A standard for contactless smart cards (PICC)
• T=CL: Block-oriented asynchronous half duplex transmission protocol for PICCs (ISO
14443).
• APDU: Application Protocol Data Unit.
• ATR: Answer-to-Reset. The transmission sent by an ICC to the reader (IFD) in response to
a RESET condition.
• ATS: Answer-to-Select. The transmission sent by a PICC Type A to the reader (PCD) in
response to a SELECT condition.
• ATQB: Answer-to-Request. The transmission sent by a PICC Type B to the reader (PCD)
in response to a REQUEST condition.
• Card Insertion Event: Either an ICC or a PICC is just appeared to the reader.
• Card Removal Event: Either an ICC or a PICC is removed from the reader.
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QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE ACR1281U READER
1. ACR1281U (with Contact Card Option)
2. ACR1281U (without Contact Card Option)
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3. ACR1281U ICC Interface
4. ACR1281U PICC Interface
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ACR1281U
Recommended ICAO E-Passport Placement
ICAO
E-Passport
• In case the E-Passport is not accessible, try to place the E-Passport above the reader by
5~10mm.
5~10mm
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5. ACR1281U Firmware Upgrade Procedures
5.1 Upgrade by “FW” Key
Step 1: Unplug the Reader
Step 2: Open Casing
Step 3: Press the “FW, and Hold it
Step 4: Plug the Reader into PC’s USB Port
Step 5: Release the “FW” key
Step 6: Run Firmware Upgrade Application for Firmware Upgrade
5.2 Upgrade by APDU command
Step 1: Plug the Reader into PC’s USB Port
Step 2: Run Firmware Upgrade Application for Firmware Upgrade
Step 3: Select the Reader Name and Connect, then Press “Load Patch” For firmware upgrade.
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ACR1281U
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
1. The Reader Block Diagram
LED & Buzzer
Built-In
Antenna
PICC
Contactless Card
RC531
NFC Interface
Contactless Interface
Carrier = 13.56MHz
Chip
S
P
I
ISO7816 Interface
Host Controller
Contact Card
AT90SCR100H
ICC
USB CCID
USB
Firmware
Upgrade
PC
Operation
System
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2. Communication Flow Chart of ACR1281U
Host
ACR1281U
ACR1281U PCSC
ICC Interface
ISO 7816 Part1-4
ICC Interface
ACR1281U PCSC
PICC Interface
USB
Interface
(CCID)
PCSC Layer
T=CL &T=1
Emulation
ISO 14443 Part1-4
PICC Interface
Physical
Interface
ICC
And
PICC
ICC
(Landing Type
Acceptor)
PICC
(Built-In Antenna )
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ACR1281U
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION
1. USB Interface
The ACR1281U is connected to a computer through USB as specified in the USB Specification 2.0.
ACR1281U is working in Full speed mode, i.e. 12 Mbps.
Pin Signal Function
1 V
BUS
2 D3 D+
4 GND
+5V power supply for the reader (Max 200mA)
Differential signal transmits data between ACR1281U and PC.
Differential signal transmits data between ACR1281U and PC.
Reference voltage level for power supply
2. LED Indicator
The LEDs are used for showing the state of the contact and contactless interfaces. The Red LED is
used for showing PICC status and Green LED for ICC.
Reader States Red LED
1. No PICC Found or PICC present but
not activated.
PICC Indicator
A single pulse per ~ 5
seconds
Green LED
ICC Indicator
2. PICC is present and activated ON
3. PICC is operating Blinking
4. ICC is present and activated ON
5. ICC is absent or not activated OFF
6. ICC is operating Blinking
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3. Buzzer
A monotone buzzer is used to show the “Card Insertion” and “Card Removal” events.
Events Buzzer
1. The reader powered up and initialization success. Beep
2. Card Insertion Event (ICC or PICC) Beep
3. Card Removal Event (ICC or PICC) Beep
4. ICC Interface (Contact Smart Card)
A landing type Smart Card Acceptor is used for providing reliable operations. The minimum life
cycle of the acceptor is about 300K times of card insertion and removal.
5. PICC Interface (Contactless Smart Card)
A built-in antenna is used for communication between the PCD and PICC.
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ACR1281U
SOFTWARE DESCRIPTION
1. TAPDUDemoCard Demo App
This program is used to demonstrate the PCSC functions of the ACR1281U readers.
OperatingProcedures:
1) Place a PICC on the top of the ACR1281U reader.
2) Press “1. Select Reader” and select the “ACS ACR1281Dual Reader PICC 0”.
3) Select “T1” in the connection-protocol. Press “2. Connect” to establish a connection
between the card and reader.
4) Enter the APDU in text box “Message to the card”
5) Press “3. Transmit” to send the APDU to the card.
6) Press “4. Disconnect” to terminate the connection between the card and reader.
If you want to enjoy the silent environment, just set the CMD value to “87”.
To show the activation status of the
ICC interface.
1 = Enable; 0 =Disable
1 = Enable; 0 =Disable
PICC interface
1 = Enable; 0 =Disable
To make a beep whenever a card
insertion or removal event is
detected. (For both ICC and PICC)
1 = Enable; 0 =Disabled
To blink the LED whenever the card
(PICC or ICC) is being accessed.
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6. Automatic PICC Polling
Whenever the reader is connected to the PC, the PICC polling function will start the PICC scanning
to determine if a PICC is placed on / removed from the built-antenna.
We can send a command to disable the PICC polling function. The command is sent through the
PCSC Escape command interface. To meet the energy saving requirement, special modes are
provided for turning off the antenna field whenever the PICC is inactive, or no PICC is found.The
reader will consume less current in power saving mode.
Register 0x23: Automatic PICC Polling (Default value = 0x8F)
CMD Description Description
Bit 0 Auto PICC Polling 1 = Enable; 0 =Disable
Bit 1 Turn off Antenna Field if no
PICC found
Bit 2 Turn off Antenna Field if the
PICC is inactive.
Bit 3 Activate the PICC when
detected.
Bit 5 .. 4 PICC Poll Interval for PICC <Bit 5 – Bit 4>
Bit 6 RFU Bit 7 Enforce ISO14443A Part 4 1= Enable; 0= Disable.
• Enable Auto PICC Polling Function = { E0 00 00 23 01 8F}
• Disable Auto PICC Polling Function = { E0 00 00 23 01 8E}
• Read the existing status = { E0 00 00 23 00}; Response = {E1 00 00 00 01 “Status”}
Hints:
1. It is recommended to enable the option “Turn Off Antenna Field if the PICC is inactive”, so that
the “Inactive PICC” will not be exposed to the field all the time so as to prevent the PICC from
“warming up”.
2. The longer the PICC Poll Interval, the more efficient of energy saving. However, the response
time of PICC Polling will become longer.
about 60mA, while the Idle Current Consumption in Non-Power Saving mode is about 130mA.
#Idle Current Consumption = PICC is not activated.
3. The reader will activate the ISO14443A-4 mode of the “ISO14443A-4 compliant PICC”
automatically. Type B PICC will not be affected by this option.
4. The JCOP30 card comes with two modes: ISO14443A-3 (MIFARE 1K) and ISO14443A-4
modes. The application has to decide which mode should be selected once the PICC is activated.
The Idle Current Consumption in Power Saving Mode is
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7. PICC Polling for specific PICC Types
The PICC polling function can be configured to detect “ISO14443 Type A PICCs” or “ISO14443
Type B PICCs” or both.
• ISO 14443 Type A PICCs Only = { E0 00 00 20 01 01}
• ISO 14443 Type B PICCs Only = { E0 00 00 20 01 02 }
• ISO 14443 Type A and B PICCs = { E0 00 00 20 01 03} #default setting
• Read the existing status = { E0 00 00 20 00}; Response = {E1 00 00 00 01 “Status”}
Hints:
1. It is recommended to specific the PICC types in the application so as to speed up the card
detection process.
8. Auto PPS (Communication Speed Change)
Whenever a PICC is recognized, the reader will try to change the communication speed between
the PCD and PICC defined by the Maximum Connection Speed. If the card does not support the
proposed connection speed, the reader will try to connect the card with a slower speed setting.
1. Normally, the application should know the maximum connection speed of the PICCs being used.
#The environment also affects the maximum achievable speed. The reader just uses the proposed
communication speed to talk with the PICC. The PICC will become inaccessible if the PICC or
environment does not meet the requirement of the proposed communication speed.
2. The reader supports different speed between sending and receiving.
9. Antenna Field ON/OFF
This command is used for turning on/off the antenna field.
• Enable the Antenna Field = {E0 00 00 25 01 01}
• Disable the Antenna Field = {E0 00 00 25 01 00}
• Read the existing status = {E0 00 00 25 00}; Response = {E1 00 00 00 01 “Status”}
Hints:
1. Make sure the Auto PICC Polling is disabled first before turning off the antenna field.
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10. Request Command Test
This command is used for sending REQA/REQB by the reader to test antenna field and the
response.
only TD1 is following.
Lower nibble N is the number of historical
bytes (HistByte 0 to HistByte N-1)
only TD2 is following.
Lower nibble 0 means T = 0
TD3 following.
Lower nibble 1 means T = 1
80 T1 Category indicator byte, 80 means A status
indicator may be present in an optional
COMPACT-TLV data object
4F Application identifier Presence Indicator
Tk
0C Length
RID Registered Application Provider Identifier
(RID) # A0 00 00 03 06
SS Byte for standard
C0 .. C1
Bytes for card name
00 00 00 00 RFU RFU # 00 00 00 00
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1.2 ATR format for ISO 14443 Part 4 PICCs.
Byte
Value
(Hex)
Designation Description
0 3B Initial Header
1 8N T0 Higher nibble 8 means: no TA1, TB1, TC1
only TD1 is following.
Lower nibble N is the number of historical
bytes (HistByte 0 to HistByte N-1)
2 80 TD1 Higher nibble 8 means: no TA2, TB2, TC2
only TD2 is following.
Lower nibble 0 means T = 0
3 01 TD2 Higher nibble 0 means no TA3, TB3, TC3,
TD3 following.
Lower nibble 1 means T = 1
to
3 + N
XX T1 4
XX
XX
XX
Tk
Historical Bytes:
ISO14443A:
The historical bytes from ATS response. Refer
to the ISO14443-4 specification.
ISO14443B:
Byte1-4 Byte5-7 Byte8
Application
Data from
ATQB
Protocol Info
Byte from
ATQB
Higher
nibble=MBLI
from
ATTRIB
command
Lower nibble
(RFU)=0
4+N UU TCK Exclusive-oring of all the bytes T0 to Tk
E.g 1. ATR for DESFire = { 3B 81 80 01 80 80 } // 6 bytes of ATR
Hint: Use the APDU “FF CA 01 00 00” to distinguish the ISO14443A-4 and ISO14443B-4 PICCs,
and retrieve the full ATS if available. ISO14443A-3 or ISO14443B-3/4 PICCs do have ATS
returned.