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SmartBoard and SmartTerminal from ZF Electronics are perfect long life partners for smartcard applications

30th August 2009

ZF Switches & Sensors

ES Admin

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ZF Electronics Ltd – formerly Cherry Electrical Products – has announced a special edition of its G83-6744 keyboard with integrated smartcard reader to partner its SmartTerminal ST-1044U chipcard reader for use in demanding, high-throughput environments. The Special Edition SmartBoard G83-6744 is a USB keyboard with integrated card reader and matches the Cherry SmartTerminal ST-1044-UD standalone USB card reader. Both products feature landed contacts (also sometimes called landing contacts) rather than the standard sliding contacts found in the vast majority of smartcard readers currently on the market, which means they have approximately double the normal operating life. These innovative products from ZF Electronics cost very little more than conventional smartcard readers initially and are far more cost-effective over their whole lifecycle.

Standard sliding contacts within a smartcard reader are fixed in a set position and slide over the card as it is inserted until it rests in the reading position, which is the reason why chips on debit, credit and other smartcards often appear scratched and sometimes wear out before the card has expired! Similarly, this friction also wears the terminal contacts. By contrast, landed contacts are held in a retracted position when the smartcard reader is non-operational and only spring forward to touch the card once it is fully inserted, protecting them and prolonging the operational life of the device very significantly. The credit or debit card also suffers less wear and is readable for a far longer period of time.

ZF Electronics’ Cherry Special Edition SmartBoard G83-6744 is a USB keyboard with a class 2 chipcard reader and EMV certification, designed for secure PIN entry and data transmission, whether for card payment, data encryption, digitally signing documents or simply registering onto a network. It is fully compliant with the laws governing electronic signatures (SigG and SigV), and offers PC/SC compliance, ISO7816 (card and chip positioning standard) compatibility and OCF support. The Cherry SmartBoard G83-6744 Special Edition features landed contacts within the smartcard reader and is available in white or black, to order only.

ZF Electronics also offers landed contacts in its standalone SmartTerminal ST-1044UD, a sturdy USB chipcard reader which can be operated with one hand for reading and writing on smartcards. The weight of the reader is sufficient to ensure that there is no movement on card entry and removal. The SmartTerminal ST-1044UD can cope with approximately 200,000 operations, double that of a normal reader with sliding contacts. This high-quality PC/SC compliant device again offers ISO7816 compatibility and OCF support, as well as being CCID and CardMan 3121 compatible. It is suitable for access monitoring, network logon or card-based internet transactions.