Since I didn't have an RS232 port I bought a converter to switch it to USB from RS232. On that website above they have example software which works somewhat with my card reader. I am able to scan my university card, bank card and so on but every time I try to scan my charlie ticket card(boston train card) it gives me an error.
Having that software unable to read the charlie ticket card I thought that SS might be better but for some reason SS is not detecting the device. I have the device connected to (COM1) port if that helps a bit. When I run the SS program it just keeps waiting for a card to be swapped and nothing happens.
I would really appreciate if someone can help me out. I'm using windows xp SP3.
Thanks
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The reader you purchased cannot read CharlieCards and any other cards that use a non-standard encoding (such as the NYC Transit MetroCard). If you want to read such cards, you will need to either create a reader according to http://stripesnoop.sourceforge.net/hardware/hardware.html or wait a couple months until I start shipping a new type of reader that can read these cards. The reader I'm creating will connect via USB and come with its own software that improves on the ideas in Stripe Snoop. I can add you to a mailing list to be notified when the reader and software is available if you send me your e-mail through my contact form: http://ossguy.com/?page_id=6
Which version of Stripe Snoop are you using? Only the version in CVS has the ability to read data from serial readers. I haven't tested it myself (I don't have any serial readers), but it should theoretically work. You will have to compile it from source, though. Even if you do get it working with the CVS version, it still won't read CharlieCards. That is a limitation of the reader, not the software.
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It's mostly clear, although I would really like to swipe a CharlieCard myself to understand exactly how the data is stored on it. If you want to send me one so I can try it, I can give you my mailing address.
Can you describe the error you get when you swipe the CharlieCard using the software that came with your reader? I'm interested to know what it says. The exact error text would be appreciated.
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I'm really sorry for taking so long to reply to you. What inspired me to read up on magnetic cards and RFID tags is actually this presentation and I wanted to replicate their data to understand how the charlie cards work. The Mag reader/writer that I bought is actually the one that they recommend, (slide 20 for $139 USD). I can't believe that the MIT boys recommended the wrong device :(.
Since I don't have that type of connector and SS doesn't work with USB connections it means that I'll be happy to sign up for a news letter for your device.
If you need some charlie tickets I'd be happy to give you 3 of them with 1 dollar value on each. Just send me your address and I'll try to mail them out to you on Dec 22nd.
Thanks for all of your help
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You're right, the MIT guys do appear to recommend the reader from Spark Fun Electronics in their document. However, they seem to assume the MSR206 in the rest of that section. From what I have read about the MSR206, it also reads only standard tracks out of the box, but the MIT guys did mention that they wrote custom GPLed software to use with the MSR206. Unfortunately, I can't find the software they mention anywhere. Does anyone know where I might find it?
Interestingly, the Makstripe, which they also mention, appears to read raw bits and more, including the speed at which the card was swiped. See the screenshots at http://makstripe.com/makstusbe.php3 . So it would be possible to make software to read and write raw bits using the Makstripe, which is probably what the MIT guys did. Perhaps the same thing can be done with the MSR206 and maybe even the Spark Fun Electronics (SFE) reader/writer with the appropriate software. The default software for the SFE reader/writer probably can't do it, though. And Stripe Snoop definitely can't either.
If you want to get your SFE reader working, your best bet may be to find the GPLed software the MIT guys were talking about. You might try e-mailing one of them directly. I think they're out of any legal trouble thanks to the EFF so they should be able to help you out.
I will e-mail you directly about the other parts of your message.
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They really need an Edit button on these forums ><. The error that I received when using the example software on the site is just a display of the word "Error" every time I slid the charlie ticket.
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Thanks for letting me know. It's not a particularly verbose error message, but it seems to confirm that the software cannot read magstripes with non-standard encodings. It's still possible that the reader can do it, but it would need different software if it could.
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hello,
I bought a Magcard reader/writer from sparkfun, here is the model: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8634
Since I didn't have an RS232 port I bought a converter to switch it to USB from RS232. On that website above they have example software which works somewhat with my card reader. I am able to scan my university card, bank card and so on but every time I try to scan my charlie ticket card(boston train card) it gives me an error.
Having that software unable to read the charlie ticket card I thought that SS might be better but for some reason SS is not detecting the device. I have the device connected to (COM1) port if that helps a bit. When I run the SS program it just keeps waiting for a card to be swapped and nothing happens.
I would really appreciate if someone can help me out. I'm using windows xp SP3.
Thanks
The reader you purchased cannot read CharlieCards and any other cards that use a non-standard encoding (such as the NYC Transit MetroCard). If you want to read such cards, you will need to either create a reader according to http://stripesnoop.sourceforge.net/hardware/hardware.html or wait a couple months until I start shipping a new type of reader that can read these cards. The reader I'm creating will connect via USB and come with its own software that improves on the ideas in Stripe Snoop. I can add you to a mailing list to be notified when the reader and software is available if you send me your e-mail through my contact form: http://ossguy.com/?page_id=6
Which version of Stripe Snoop are you using? Only the version in CVS has the ability to read data from serial readers. I haven't tested it myself (I don't have any serial readers), but it should theoretically work. You will have to compile it from source, though. Even if you do get it working with the CVS version, it still won't read CharlieCards. That is a limitation of the reader, not the software.
If you want more details on how data is stored on the CharlieCard, I would recommend reading the following:
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V128/N30/subway/Defcon_Presentation.pdf
It's mostly clear, although I would really like to swipe a CharlieCard myself to understand exactly how the data is stored on it. If you want to send me one so I can try it, I can give you my mailing address.
Can you describe the error you get when you swipe the CharlieCard using the software that came with your reader? I'm interested to know what it says. The exact error text would be appreciated.
Hi Denver,
I'm really sorry for taking so long to reply to you. What inspired me to read up on magnetic cards and RFID tags is actually this presentation and I wanted to replicate their data to understand how the charlie cards work. The Mag reader/writer that I bought is actually the one that they recommend, (slide 20 for $139 USD). I can't believe that the MIT boys recommended the wrong device :(.
Since I don't have that type of connector and SS doesn't work with USB connections it means that I'll be happy to sign up for a news letter for your device.
If you need some charlie tickets I'd be happy to give you 3 of them with 1 dollar value on each. Just send me your address and I'll try to mail them out to you on Dec 22nd.
Thanks for all of your help
You're right, the MIT guys do appear to recommend the reader from Spark Fun Electronics in their document. However, they seem to assume the MSR206 in the rest of that section. From what I have read about the MSR206, it also reads only standard tracks out of the box, but the MIT guys did mention that they wrote custom GPLed software to use with the MSR206. Unfortunately, I can't find the software they mention anywhere. Does anyone know where I might find it?
Interestingly, the Makstripe, which they also mention, appears to read raw bits and more, including the speed at which the card was swiped. See the screenshots at http://makstripe.com/makstusbe.php3 . So it would be possible to make software to read and write raw bits using the Makstripe, which is probably what the MIT guys did. Perhaps the same thing can be done with the MSR206 and maybe even the Spark Fun Electronics (SFE) reader/writer with the appropriate software. The default software for the SFE reader/writer probably can't do it, though. And Stripe Snoop definitely can't either.
If you want to get your SFE reader working, your best bet may be to find the GPLed software the MIT guys were talking about. You might try e-mailing one of them directly. I think they're out of any legal trouble thanks to the EFF so they should be able to help you out.
I will e-mail you directly about the other parts of your message.
What I meant by this presentation is the one that MIT did about MBTA
They really need an Edit button on these forums ><. The error that I received when using the example software on the site is just a display of the word "Error" every time I slid the charlie ticket.
Thanks for letting me know. It's not a particularly verbose error message, but it seems to confirm that the software cannot read magstripes with non-standard encodings. It's still possible that the reader can do it, but it would need different software if it could.