[Mag-stripe readers]

Okay, time for me to confess to a facepalm moment; since I started this thread, I've taken another stab at compiling sephail's software. It turns out the reason I couldn't get it to go before had to do with the dependancy, libsnd-dev. I had tried to install it onto my Ubuntu box from command line. It turns out that Ubuntu has a package available called libsndfile1-dev, and once I found that through a package manager gui, dab.c and dmsb.c both compiled just fine. I can't report any successful reads just yet, but that may have to do with what I'm using for a read head. I've tried scavving a head out of one of those MP3 through a cassette deck adapters, but since it's intended to be a write head, my confidence in the idea isn't huge. Said confidence has also dwindled in the failure to read a damn thing from it, even trying with audacity to just record the info and process it through the software after the fact.

ok

the head which you used is wrong head

you need a head from mono walkman,some old model, or buy some new micro cassette recorder.

the head is a little smaller but if you be careful you can find the rigth position.

i am here ....

on this stage ...

if you get some data out please let me know ssleeper@ymail.com

P.S.

i think this link will help you

http://lekernel.net/scrapbook/cardreader.html

[Mag-stripe readers]

I've wrestled with this problem for a while. I'd like to build a mag-stripe reader for use on my PC. I know it's been done before, both by Acidus and Sephail, but neither of their projects is really workable for me. Acidus did some really clever stuff to get a reader to work through a game or parallel port, but those solutions aren't easily adapted to a world where the 'U' in USB is really starting to mean something. Sephail's method, running the input through the analog/digital converter already in his computer (aka the sound card) is probably easier to adapt to a newer computer, but the code he wrote depends on older, obsolete software on a linux box. I'm okay with linux, but not so good with it or coding that I can rewrite his software to work with Ubuntu 8.10. Anyone feel up to the challenge? I'd even like to see an episode to showcase the problem, if enough people share the interest.

I think the program works with Ubuntu 8.10.

But also 'I think' you got to build an amplifier becouse the incoming signal from the head is not enough fro the sound card to detect all bits

I red this somewhere

[Mag-stripe readers]

i have recorded the analog signal from the magnetic head on my mp3 player

i tryed the Sephail´s program, but cant decode the data.

plaese if someone knows how to convert the analog data to F2F wave form and then to decode or some program to really decode that data...

ssleeper@ymail.com

[Mag-stripe readers]

How to make the analog signal from the head in F2F wave form .