Smart Card Confusion

The original Card reader we received from I-Mark was a Hoppshueler type card reader that ejected the smart card. This was a very mechanical driven card reader and the decision was made to find a less mechanical unit to replace it. I-Mark had already found a replacement from American Magnetic Model 171. This unit was a hybrid that could handle Magstripe, Smart Card and Memory cards. This unit was predominant in the black wedges from Touch Systems shipped to Shelby County. Up to this point we used the original SOLAIC E-3744 smart card. This company went out of business and we needed to find an alternate source supplier, we found CardLogic. This company designed a smart card with the original SOLAIC specifications as given to us by Tom G. this card was Microprocessor smart card with Custom File System # CLXSU064KJO/T=0 at an aprox. price of $4.50 each.

This was intended as a quick fix until TOM G. and TOM C. could find memory based card with out microprocessor to use in the upgraded system. We talked to CardLogic and they suggested a 1K Memory card. We gave samples to TOM. G and TOM C. A new voter card .DLL was created to include the 1 K memory card # CLXSA001KA1 at a price of $1.12 per card. All of this was needed for 1.1 software for Shelby but at the same time we needed this same capability for 2.0 software for Tarrent County.

This was give to Paul Dunhill to develop since at that time he was in charge of all 2.0 development. We gave Paul the latest 1.1 votercard.DLL and he rewrote it for 2.0 usage. He also developed a stand alone program for the central office suite called CPM (card production module), this exe (the source for this is part of 2.0 source code files) can be used to produce cards for any software rev. according to Paul since it is independent of the database. It strictly wrote to the card as per ballot station and pollbook protocol with out database lookup.

We also found that using CardLogics smartcards required a firmware change to the old 171 model card readers to work with the new 1K cards. So if you have an old Touch or Zycronics wedge with a 171 Model card reader that does not work with the new 1K cards you must return card reader for a new 171A reader that the firmware supports Memory cards. The last change that was supposed to happen was that we did not need Magstipe capabilities on our card readers. We could save aprox. $30.00 per unit if we purchased the 171A with out Mag stripe capabilities.

Last but not least, presently TOM. G. has in his possession samples for a 2K memory card, and a Peripheral Dynamics Card Reader for eval. The purpose is to qualify the 2K card to replace all other cards with this new one without losing backward computability to old existing cards. Also the new card reader manufacturer claims that his reader can read all of our cards. This unit cost aprox.$80.00 per unit, a saving of aprox. $32.00 per unit.