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Contactless Smart Card Reader
Section 1 : General Information
Section 2 : ACR120
Section 3 : ACR122
Section 4 : ACR128
What is Contactless Smart Card Technology?
Contactless Smart Card Technology makes use RFID Induction Technology for a contactless smart card to communicate with a Smart Card Reader/Writer. The contactless smart cards operate in close proximity with an antenna inside the reader for data transfer. Typical Contactless Technology application includes micro payments, loyalty programs, automatic fare collection systems, and physical access control.
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What are the Contactless Devices that ACS offers?
ACS has three product families for the contactless product line, they are: ACR120, ACR122 and ACR128. ACR120 is the first generation contactless smart card reader from ACS and supports major type A and B contactless tags. ACR122 is the world’s first CCID compliant NFC reader that was released to the market during Q1 of 2008. ACR128 is the dual interface smart card reader from ACS which is fully PC/SC compliant for all the interfaces and can read ICAO passports.
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What is CCID?
CCID stands for Chip/Smart Card Interface Devices. Chip Card Interface Device (CCID) specification is an approach to smart card reader communication and it defines a standard communication protocol for smart card readers that connect to a computer via USB, allowing the same host-side driver to communicate with any CCID-compliant smart card reader.
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What is PC/SC?
PC/SC is a specification for smart card integration in computing environment which is a communication protocol between the smart card reader and smart card. It offers interoperability of the products from different vendors by providing a standard high level programming interface which increases the flexibility and independence of PC-based software.
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What is SAM?
The SAM or Secure Access Module is an additional feature in a Smart Card Reader that can enhance the level of security in your Smart Card based application. Normally card authentication is implemented in PC or application level. However with the presence of a SAM, mutual authentication can be implemented between card and reader which means that the PC will not perform the authentication but it will be done via card to reader and reader to card authentication making your system more secure and less prone to hacking.
Sources:
http://www.wikipedia.com
http://www.pcscworkgroup.com
http://www.usb.org/home
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What is the difference between ACR120S and ACR120U?
ACR120S use the serial interface to communicate to a host PC while ACR120U use the USB interface.
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How do I install the ACR120 series Proprietary drivers to my system?
- Using driver from ACR120 SDK CDROM
- Insert the ACR120 SDK CD (If CD drive autorun is disabled browse your CD drive and run ACR120SDK.exe)
- Select your ACR120 reader interface (Serial or USB) then click Install Contactless Reader Driver.
- Driver Installer windows will pop-up. Click Install.
- If you're using serial interface, after the file loading is done, click Finish. If your using USB interface, plug/re-plug your ACR120 USB reader.
- When the hardware wizard screen appears choose "Install the software automatically (Recommended)". Then click Next.
- After the installation is done, click Finish.
- Using driver from company website: ACR120 Contactless Reader
- Visit the ACS Website http://www.acs.com.hk and go to Downloads section http://www.acs.com.hk/download.php then, click "ACR120 Contactless Reader"
- Click on "ACS Synchronous API Drivers (Proprietary Drivers)". File Download will pop-up (ACR120 installer zip file). Save it in your computer.
- After the download is complete, extract the file.
- Run "Setup.exe" and a window will pop up. Click on the Install button.
- If youˇ¦re using serial interface, after the file loading is done, click Finish. If your using USB interface, plug/re-plug your ACR120 USB reader.
- When the hardware wizard screen appears choose "Install the software automatically (Recommended)". Then, click Next.
- After the installation is done, click Finish.
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How do I uninstall the ACR120 series Proprietary drivers to my system?
- Using driver from ACR120 SDK CDROM
- Insert the ACR120 SDK CD (If CD drive autorun is disabled browse your CD drive and run ACR120SDK.exe).
- Select your ACR120 reader interface (Serial or USB) then click Install Contactless Reader Driver.
- Driver Installer windows will pop-up. Click Uninstall.
- Click Reboot to restart your system.
- Using driver from company website: ACR120 Contactless Reader
- Visit the ACS Website http://www.acs.com.hk and go to Downloads section http://www.acs.com.hk/download.php then, click "ACR120 Contactless Reader"
- Click on ACS Synchronous API Drivers (Proprietary Drivers)". File Download will pop-up (ACR120 installer zip file). Save it in your computer.
- After the download is complete, extract the file.
- Run "Setup.exe" and a window will pop up. Click on the Uninstall button.
- Click Reboot to restart your system.
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How do I connect the ACR120 series reader to the PC?
If you're using ACR120S, connect the ACR120S Device to your PC, connect the PS/2 Extension Plug to your Mouse (or Keyboard) and plug the PS/2 Connector to the PS/2 Port on the rear of the computer. Also, Connect the 9-PIN Serial Connection cable to the Serial/COM Port on the rear of the computer.
If you're using ACR120U, connect the ACR120U Device to your PC, plug in the USB connector (Type A) into available USB Port
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Which operating systems does ACR120 series reader support?
Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows NT (WinNT is only supported by ACR120 Serial Interface).
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Can I attach the ACR120 readers while the computer is running?
Yes.
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I can't install ACR120 series readers thru Windows update in Windows 2000 / XP?
Use the ACR120 SDK CD installer or goto http://www.acs.com.hk/download.php to get the latest ACR120 Drivers.
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What interface do the ACR120 readers support?
ACR120 readers support both the serial (RS232) and USB interface.
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I have installed an ACR120S and it seems to work, but it is not listed in the Device Manager.
Since ACR120S is not plug-n-play it won't be displayed in the Device Manager.
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I installed the ACR120 series reader on my PC, but the driver is not suitable for my operating system. I am using Windows XP 64 version
There is no driver available for Windows XP 64 version yet but check the website for new developments.
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When I tried the ACR120S sample codes, it is not working and it returns -1000 error, but the demo works fine?
Check your reader baud rate settings using the ACR120Tool, the sample codes default baud rate is 9600. You may modify the
sample codes connection routine parameter and change it to the current ACR120S reader baud rate or use the ACR120Tool to
change the reader baud rate settings back to 9600."
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My ACR120S reader is working fine, I tried different functions including Write EEPROM and it suddenly stop responding and I can't create connection anymore?
The mode maybe altered and became ASCII. To change it back to binary mode, you may use the
ACR120Tool > Analyze Device > Change mode to Binary > Save Changes > re-plug the ACR120S power.
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I want to use the ACR120S reader in ASCII mode, how can I change it?
You may use the ACR120Tool > Analyze Device > Change mode to ASCII > Save Changes > re-plug the ACR120S power.
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I want to use HyperTerminal to communicate with my ASCII mode ACR120S. What setting should I use to test the device using HyperTerminal?
Use the following settings in order to test the device using the HyperTerminal:
Bits per second: (Use the current reader baud rate e.g 9600)
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop bits: 1
Flow control: Xon/Xoff
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What is NFC?
NFC refers to Near Field Communication. It is a new, short range wireless connectivity technology which operates at 13.56 MHz and transferring data up to 424Kbits/second. NFC has a unique feature is that it is both a “read” and “write” technology.
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What are the different NFC tags?
The NFC tags have 4 types:
Type1: based on ISO14443A; memory availability is between 96 byte to 2kbytes; communication speed: 106kbits/s
Type2: based on ISO14443A; memory availability is between 48 byte to 2kbytes; communication speed: 106kbits/s
Type3: based on Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) C 6319-4, known as FeliCa; memory availability is variable and limit is 1MByte per service; communication speed: 212kbit/s or
424kbits/s
Type4: based on ISO14443A and B standard; memory availability is variable and up to 32KByte per service; communication speed: up to 424kbits/s
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What are the Contactless Cards supported by ACR122?
ACR122NFC reader supports MIFARE® cards (Classics, DESFire), ISO14443 Type A and B, FeliCa card and NFC tag Type 1-4.
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What are the different versions of ACR122? And what are the advantages of the different versions?
ACR122 offers two versions:
PC/SC version which offers interoperability of devices.
SAM version which offers an added security feature.
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How do I install the ACR122 driver to my system?
Since ACR122 uses CCID driver, the installation of the driver can be done through Windows Update. In case the Windows Update is not available, please download the driver from ACS website: http://www.acs.com.hk/download.php .
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What are the supported Operating Systems?
Please refer to http://www.acs.com.hk/acr122.php .
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Can I access the content of NFC mobile phone, like Nokia 6131 by ACR122 NFC reader?
Yes. You can access it provided that you have the authentication key.
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How can I read the Mifare 1K emulation card on Nokia 6131 NFC?
The Nokia 6131 supports both MIFARE 1K and ISO14443-4 Modes. Either MIFARE 1K or ISO14443-4 mode can be activated. The ACR122 NFC reader sets on ISO14443-4 mode as default. Therefore, Mifare 1K mode should be activated in advance. To activate the Mifare 1K mode, please refer to the API document of ACR122, http://www.acs.com.hk/drivers-manual.php?driver=ACR122 .
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Why are there entries about the ACR122 in my Event Log under Windows even when the device works properly?
These entries are created by the Resource Manager under Windows and sometimes they can also be found if there is no problem with the ACR122 reader thus, please ignore these entries if the ACR122 device works properly otherwise please contact ACS support at info@acs.com.hk .
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What is ACR128?
The ACR128 dualboost is a powerful and efficient multi-interface smart card reader which is fully PC/SC compliant for all the interfaces and it follows the CCID specification. The SAM, ICC and PICC interfaces and the device can be used to access ISO 7816 MCU cards and Mifare, ISO14443 Type A and B Contacless Cards.
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What are the cards supported by ACR128?
The Contact and SAM interface supports MCU cards following the ISO 7816 Parts 1-3 and MCU cards using either T=0 or T=1 Protocol.
The contactless interface supports contactless cards following the ISO 14443 Parts 1-4 compliant. It supports major Type A and B contactless tags ang Mifare Products.
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What are the typical scenarios where ACR128 can be used?
The ACR128 makes it possible to integrate into one device and one card the conventional separate and independent applications you have for the contact and contactless interface.
It also provides you a seamless transition from Contact to Contactless Technology. For example, one single reader ACR128 can support the existing contact cards used in a customer loyalty program plus the new contactless cards to be adopted in the system.
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How do I install the Drivers for ACR128?
A driver installer is provided to install the PC/SC drivers of ACR128 for the three interfaces namely, Contact, SAM and Contactless interface. You can use the driver installer in the SDK Installer CD or you can download it from the company website: http://www.acs.com.hk/drivers-manual.php?driver=ACR128 .
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What are the supported Operating Systems?
Please refer to http://www.acs.com.hk/acr128.php .
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Can the ACR128 read ICAO passports?
Yes. The ACR128 can read ICAO e-passports. In case the E-Passport is still not accessible, please change operating speed to 106kbps. For more information please refer to the API for more details. You can download it from the ACS website : http://www.acs.com.hk/drivers-manual.php?driver=ACR128.
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