INPUT DEVICES
THEORY
15. Magnetic Stripe Reader
Magnetic strips are usually found of the back of most credit cards, cheque guarantee cards, loyalty cards, membership cards etc.
The magnetic strip can hold personal details such as account number and name. The strip can contain up to 60 characters, stored magnetically.
To read the data on the card, it is 'swiped' through a Magnetic Stripe Reader machine and the data is read and fed back to the computer.
| Advantages of Magnetic Stripe Readers | Disadvantages of Magnetic Stripe Readers |
|---|---|
| Simple for people to use - little or no training | Very limited storage capacity for data |
| Cards are inexpensive to produce | Data can be easily destroyed by strong magnetic fields |
| Data on the cards can be altered if necessary | Not always secure as thieves can obtain the readers and read the data on the card. |
| Security is improved by the use of PIN numbers to confirm that the person is the rightful card owner |
Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you
Click on this link: Magnetic Stripe Reader