Electronics

ESD Plagues Card Readers and POS Terminals Found in Retail, Banking, and Throughout the Credit Card Industry

AUBURN, Maine - Dec. 13 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) -- KIC Products Waffletechnology engineers in cooperation with NCR have created a product to protect Magnetic stripe readers from Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) that can cause MSR failures and system lockups. ESD issues are more common in low humidity environments when customers use the new Debit/Credit cards with holographic images. A two step process was developed to clean the readers then treat the magnetic heads with a solution to prevent ESD discharge. This process should be performed on all readers at least once per month.

Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) is a significant factor in the premature failure of electronic equipment. ESD has become a common cause of circuit failure with many devices now sensitive to less than 30 volts.

Visa contends an electrostatic discharge is causing problems at some credit card terminals.

According to the Visa website,
( http://usa.visa.com/about_visa/ask_visa/index.html )

Based on information and reports received, it is clear that the probable cause of these problems is Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) resulting from a combination of factors including:

* Low humidity at the point-of-sale, causing higher-than-normal electrostatic voltages

* Point-of-sale equipment with a relatively low tolerance for ESD, usually at the magnetic read heads

* Use of payment cards with holographic magnetic stripes, which have higher electrostatic conductivity than conventional magnetic stripes.