I had
heard that the mechanicals of those kiosk smart card readers were prone to
failure. ATM card readers are for use with magnetic stripe cards.
Smart card type readers have more mechanicals to engage the contact pads on the
smart card. The fewer moving parts in a unit, the more
reliable the unit.
Having
said that, perhaps there are some current designs in this day and age that are
robust. Has there been any research into motor driven smart card
readers? Tab?
Ian
Actually, the very first Kiosks created by I-Mark had
card readers like ATM machines. You inserted your card into the AVTS
unit and the card disappeared, then when you were done voting the AVTS unit
ejected your card back to you. The later models incorporated the card
readers that you have seen on the black AVTS units and the blue and white AVTS
units; partially external and able to lock. I believe that these card
readers were incorporated into the later models for the purpose of cost,
space, and weight. I am not sure if there are any card readers
like what ATM machines utilize that will meet our needs for cost, space, and
weight.
Early
on, someone at I-Mark probably recognized this as a problem and corrected it
with a locking card reader.
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