IDTECH MINIMAG User Manual
TM
MINIMAG
Magnetic Stripe Reader
Keyboard Wedge
User’s Manual
Agency Approved
Table of Contents
Specifications for subpart B of part 15 of FCC rule for a Class A
computing device.
Limited Warranty
ID TECH warrants this product to be in good working order for a
period of one year from the date of purchase. If this product is not in
good working order as warranted above, or should this product fail to
be in good working order at any time during the warranty period, repair
or replacement shall be provided by ID TECH.
This warranty does not cover incidental or consequential damages
incurred by consumer misuse, or modification of said product. For
limited warranty service during the warranty period, please contact ID
TECH to obtain an RMA number and instructions for returning the
product.
©2004 ID T echnologies, Inc. The information contained herein is
provided to the user as a convenience. While every effort has been
made to ensure accuracy, ID TECH is not responsible for damages
that might occur because of errors or omissions, including any loss of
profit or other commercial damage. The specifications described herein
were current at the time of publication, but are subject to change at
any time without prior notice.
ID TECH is a registered trademark of ID Technologies, Inc. MiniMag
and Value through Innovation are trademarks of ID Technologies, Inc.
Section 1. Introduction
Description 1
Section 2. Installation
Host Connections 2
Section 3. Configuration
Default Settings 3
Configuration Setup Steps 4
General Selections 5
Change to Default Settings 6
Review Settings 6
Message Formatting Selections 8
Magnetic Track Selections 9
Section 4. Data Editing
Functions 12
Fields 13
Formulas 14
Setup Commands 15
Search Command 16
Send Command 19
Section 5. Operation
Operating Procedure 21
Section 6. Troubleshooting
General Procedures 22
Keyboard Interface Problems 23
Appendix A. Default Settings
Default Settings T able 24
Appendix B. Function Codes
Function Codes T able 25
Appendix C. Non-Printable ASCII Characters
ASCII Characters Table 26
Appendix D. Magnetic Stripe Standard Data Formats
ISO Credit Card 27
California Driver’s License 28
AAMVA Driver’s License 29
Appendix E. USB/Keyboard Interface
Installation 31
Operation 32
Section 1
Section 2
INTRODUCTION
Description
The MiniMag™ compact magnetic stripe reader can read 1, 2, or 3
tracks of magnetic stripe information. In addition, it has full data editing
capabilities.
When connected to the host computer as a keyboard wedge, the
MiniMag is completely compatible with the host’s software. The
decoded data appears to the host as if it were entered manually by the
operator through the keyboard.
This unit is fully programmable through the keyboard. The data can be
formatted with preamble/postamble and terminator characters to match
the format expected by the host.
Power, when the reader is configured as a keyboard wedge, is obtained from the host. The MiniMag is fully compatible with ID TECH’s
VersaMag II magnetic stripe reader.
INSTALLATION
Host Connections
The MiniMag reader is connected between the keyboard input port of the
host computer and the keyboard itself using a “Y” adapter cable.
The “Y” cable has a 5-pin DIN male connector on one end, and a 6-pin
mini-DIN female on the other.
The supplied adapter cable has a 5-pin DIN female connector on one end,
and a 6-pin mini-DIN male connector on the other end. The adapter cable
is used in all installations on one end of the “Y” cable or the other. This
converts the available cable ends for use on either PS/2-style 6-pin miniDIN keyboards, or AT-style 5-pin DIN keyboards.
To connect the reader to the host, turn the power off and disconnect the
keyboard from the computer. Insert the male end of the “Y” cable into
the keyboard port. Then connect the keyboard to the female end of the
“Y” connector. This “wedges” the reader between the host and the
keyboard.
Manually-entered data from the keyboard passes through the unit to the
host, leaving the keyboard fully functional at all times.
Magnetic data “swiped” into the unit is transmitted to the host keyboard
port, where it appears to the host as coming directly from the keyboard.
This makes the reader, as a data source, completely transparent to the
host’s application software. In other words, if it is expecting data from
the keyboard, that same data can be entered via the MiniMag and make
no difference to the host.
Since the host computer’s application software is expecting data to be
input in a particular order and format, the reader’s output can be configured to simulate the keyboard-entered data stream by adding terminating
characters and special preamble and/or postamble character strings to
scanned data.
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Section 3
CONFIGURATION
correct command, but before unplugging the reader, your selections
for that command will remain programmed until you change them or
reset all commands to default.
The MiniMag reader must be appropriately configured to your application. Configuration settings enable the reader to work with the host
system. These settings are programmed into the reader through the
keyboard. Once programmed, these configuration settings are stored in
the reader’s non-volatile memory (so they are not affected by the
cycling of power).
Default Settings
The MiniMag reader is shipped from the factory with the default
settings already programmed. In the following sections, the default
settings are shown in boldface. For a table of default settings, see
Appendix A. In order to modify these settings, the host computer and
keyboard must be IBM PC/AT compatible.
If you have a different keyboard, you must use an AT-compatible
keyboard to first change the configuration settings, and changing the
default terminal type last. After changing terminal type, you must then
connect the reader to the appropriate computer. (Most keyboards on
PCs with 5 pin DIN and 6 pin MiniDIN connectors are AT compatible.)
To enter the setup mode and change the configuration via keystroke
entry, specific syntax is used. Each setup command starts with /e/d/fx
where “x” is a different lower case character for each command. The
e,d,and f characters must also be lower case. This initial character
string is followed by a space and some option selection characters for
some commands. Selections for each group take effect when you
press enter.
When entering keyboard commands, type no more than two characters
per second. After entering each group, wait one second before moving
to the next group. All commands are case sensitive, so use lower case
for all commands. One beep indicates an accepted command, and two
beeps indicate an incorrect command. If you make a mistake in
entering a command, you must re-enter the entire command. Do not
use backspace and retype the character.
Configuration Setup Steps
1. On an AT-compatible computer, enter any edit mode. (When
running Windows, the Notepad accessory will work fine.)
2. Enter your commands as needed. Refer to the selections available to you on the following pages. In each instance, you will enter
GROUP SETUP MODE by typing /e/d/fx, followed by the variable
syntax. (The “x” will be different every time, depending on the
group setting you wish to make.)
3. Enter a SPACE <space>.
4. Enter the code for the selection you have made.
5. When finished, exit the group’s setup mode by entering <ENTER> (the ENTER key).
EXAMPLE:
To set the beep volume to HIGH, enter:
If you unplug the MiniMag while you are in the middle of a command
and have not pressed enter, your custom configuration for that command will not be saved. If, however, you press ENTER after a
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/e/d/fa<space>b2<ENTER>
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General Selections
This group of configuration settings define the basic operating parameters of the scanner.
b3=2 for 10 ms intercharacter delay
b3=3 for 20 ms intercharacter delay
b3=4 for 25 ms intercharacter delay
b3=5 for 50 ms intercharacter delay
Syntax: /e/d/fa<space>b1b2b3<ENTER> where...
Terminal Type Selections
The MiniMag can be programmed to interface to a number of different
terminal types. The terminal types supported are:
b1=0 for PC-AT
b1=1 for PS/2 Models 25 and 30
b1=2 for PS/2 Model 50
b1=3 for PS/2 Model 70
b1=4 for Macintosh
Beep Volume
The beep volume can be adjusted to two different levels, or turned off
entirely .
b2=0 for beep volume off
b2=1 for beep volume low
b2=2 for beep volume high
Intercharacter Delay
EXAMPLE
To set the terminal type to PC-AT, the beep to high, and the
intercharacter delay to 5 milliseconds, enter:
/e/d/fa<space>021<ENTER>
Note: Two beeps will be heard if entered numbers are outside the
allowable range.
Change To Default Settings
This command, /e/d/fn, returns all settings for all groups to their
default values. Data Editing will be turned off, and the formulas
will be retained.
Syntax: /e/d/fn<ENTER>
Review Settings
This command, /e/d/fo, activates the review settings command. This
will send the resident settings for the general group to the host computer, allowing you to review them. The firmware version number is
also shown.
This is the time period the reader will wait before sending the next
successive character. Certain terminals and computers require an
intercharacter delay to simulate their keyboard’s intercharacter delay.
b3=0 for 2 ms intercharacter delay
b3=1 for 5 ms intercharacter delay
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Syntax: /e/d/fo<ENTER>
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Reading and Decoding Settings
Message Formatting Selections
This command will turn the MiniMag on or off, and set the decoding directions. If the reader is disabled, no data will be sent to the
host.
Syntax: /e/d/fu<space>b1b2<ENTER> where...
MSR Reading Settings
b1=0 MSR Reading Disabled
b1=1 MSR Reading Enabled
Decoding Method Settings
The MiniMag can support three kinds of decoding directions. With
the bi-directional method, the user can swipe the card in either
direction and still read the data on the magnetic stripe. Otherwise,
the card can only be swiped in one direction to read the card.
b2=1 Decoding in both directions
b2=2 Moving stripe along head in direction of encoding
b2=3 Moving stripe along head against direction of encoding
Terminator Setting
Terminator characters are used to end a string of data in some applications.
Syntax: /e/d/fb<space>b1<ENTER>where...
b1 = 0 for <ENTER>
b1 = 1 for <ENTER>
b1 = 2 for <ENTER>
b1 = 3 for none
Preamble Setting
Characters can be added to the beginning of a string of data. These
can be special characters for identifying a specific reading station, to
format a message header expected by the receiving host, or any other
character string. Up to nine ASCII characters can be defined.
Syntax: /e/d/fc<space>string<ENTER>(length is 0 to 9)
Postamble Selection
The postamble serves the same purpose as the preamble, except it is
added to the end of a string of data (after any terminator characters).
Syntax: /e/d/fd<space>string<ENTER>(length is 0 to 9)
Note: /e/d/fc or /e/d/fd without parameters will go back to default: no
preamble and postamble.
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