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Encoding Mag Cards for Micros 3700
- Thread starter 87Hog
- Start date
MICROS employee ID cards are encoded on Track2, starting at offset 3 and are 10 digits in length.
A raw read of the data will look like this:
;:<>4055613669?
Where:
; = Track2 start sentinel
? = end sentinel
I think the :<> must be MICROS' way of ensuring that it is an employee ID card, but I'm not positive. Regardless, the actual 10 digit number needs to start offset 3 places from the start of the track.
Gift Cards are another matter and can be encoded how you like if you are using GSS. In GSS setup you declare the location of the number on the gift card by specifying:
Track #
Start position
Length
You could use your Employee ID cards as GSS Gift cards by specifying:
Track # = 2
Start position = 3
Length = 10
There is variation in how gift cards are encoded from different vendors, so you have some flexibility in your choice. I'd keep it simple by encoding both Track1 and Track2 with just the number you wish to use:
%b123456789012345^?;123456789012345=?
Track1 = %b123456789012345^?
Track2 = ;123456789012345=?
The software that came with the printer should enable you to specify what you want on each track and field and you shouldn't have to concern yourself with those extra characters.
Overly simplified, Track1 starts with %b and each field in Track 1 is separated by the ^ character. The track ends with ?.
Track2 starts with ; and each field in Track2 is separated by the = character. The track ends with ?.
In the above example, there is only 1 field per track, but on a credit card you'll have multiple fields per track (Track1, Field1 = CC#, Track1, Field2 = Name, etc).
Open up Notepad on one of your terminals and swipe a few different cards and you can see how they are encoded.
Here is a pretty comprehensive overview of standard track encodings:
A raw read of the data will look like this:
;:<>4055613669?
Where:
; = Track2 start sentinel
? = end sentinel
I think the :<> must be MICROS' way of ensuring that it is an employee ID card, but I'm not positive. Regardless, the actual 10 digit number needs to start offset 3 places from the start of the track.
Gift Cards are another matter and can be encoded how you like if you are using GSS. In GSS setup you declare the location of the number on the gift card by specifying:
Track #
Start position
Length
You could use your Employee ID cards as GSS Gift cards by specifying:
Track # = 2
Start position = 3
Length = 10
There is variation in how gift cards are encoded from different vendors, so you have some flexibility in your choice. I'd keep it simple by encoding both Track1 and Track2 with just the number you wish to use:
%b123456789012345^?;123456789012345=?
Track1 = %b123456789012345^?
Track2 = ;123456789012345=?
The software that came with the printer should enable you to specify what you want on each track and field and you shouldn't have to concern yourself with those extra characters.
Overly simplified, Track1 starts with %b and each field in Track 1 is separated by the ^ character. The track ends with ?.
Track2 starts with ; and each field in Track2 is separated by the = character. The track ends with ?.
In the above example, there is only 1 field per track, but on a credit card you'll have multiple fields per track (Track1, Field1 = CC#, Track1, Field2 = Name, etc).
Open up Notepad on one of your terminals and swipe a few different cards and you can see how they are encoded.
Here is a pretty comprehensive overview of standard track encodings:
kermit01de
Technical User
You are asolutely right - the :<> is the unique identifier for a micros employee card.
Im am not sure about how micros handles gift cards - I may explain from Infogenesis-Revelation-POS-Software - how they do it:
- You create a card with just a number on track 2 (between start and end sentinel
- You add a Generic Account with this number in Revelation.
- a) You may assign the amount directly to the account
- b) You sell the cards on the POS and load the account with the desired amount
- When the cardholder wants to pay he hands over the card and you tender it to "GA Account Payment".
- The check-amount will be charged to the account and
- a) customer may still have an amount on his account- to pay the next time
- b) the check amount is more than the account- then he has to pay the remaining amount by any other payment method.
Im am not sure about how micros handles gift cards - I may explain from Infogenesis-Revelation-POS-Software - how they do it:
- You create a card with just a number on track 2 (between start and end sentinel
- You add a Generic Account with this number in Revelation.
- a) You may assign the amount directly to the account
- b) You sell the cards on the POS and load the account with the desired amount
- When the cardholder wants to pay he hands over the card and you tender it to "GA Account Payment".
- The check-amount will be charged to the account and
- a) customer may still have an amount on his account- to pay the next time
- b) the check amount is more than the account- then he has to pay the remaining amount by any other payment method.
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