From: psionic@wam.umd.edu (Sixth Plane of Hell)
Newsgroups: alt.locksmithing
Subject: Re: Identify this key....
Date: 9 Nov 92 03:24:14 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park

In article <lairdb.720900457@crash.cts.com> lairdb@crash.cts.com (Laird P. Broadfield) writes:
>The "key" itself is a black plastic doodad, roughly 5/8 inch wide by
>.075 thick, by about 2 1/4 long (not counting the head.)  The head
>is hexagonal, roughly like a Kwikset head, but the only hole is the
>keyring hole.
>
>   /---\_____________________
>  |.  %                      |
>  |   %                      |
>   \___/---------------------
>
>As best I can do with ASCII and vi, there it is.  Centered at the top
>(the .) is a small hole (0.125 or so) for the keyring, the % symbols are
>where a five digit hot-stamped number appears (hold key with the head
>up and the numbers are readable.)
>
>The key is a semi-flexible black plastic, slightly rough finish, with
>several mold marks, and appears to have been "built up" from two layers,
>as though there's something embedded between.  
>
>The key is operated by sliding it into a reader, and withdrawing it.  The
>read seems to take place on withdrawal, and the head seems to be in the
>top portion, since pulling slightly up helps get a good read.  The reader
>front is mounted in a standard wallplate, is about 1.75 inches square, and
>has a single light (faceted LED?) just below the slot where the key is
>inserted.  On casual examination they did not have any identifying
>marks.
>
>I'm guessing that it's something like a mag stripe, although it seems to
>me that there's a lot of plastic between the stripe and the head.  I 
>don't know if the keys are individually distinguishable by the readers, 
>or if they are crosschecked with a controller somewhere, but it would make 
>sense.  I had *no* instruments with me (beyond fingers and eyes) and it
>would have been inappropriate :-) for me to disassemble a reader or
>sacrifice the key.
>
>I suppose the questions, in order, would be:
>  What is it? / Who makes it?
>  How does it work?
>  Could the key be fabricated (e.g. by placing a stripe onto an appropriate
>   piece of plastic?)
>  Could the key be read by a non-mfr. reader?
>  Does it actually check the key against a central database?
>  Is the data in the key generable from the number stamped on the head?
>
>Thanks!
>  
>-- 
>Laird P. Broadfield     lairdb@crash.cts.com    ...{ucsd, nosc}!crash!lairdb
>Hi!  I'm a shareware signature!  Send $5 if you use me, send $10 for manual!

Ok this key is not using magnetic technology. Rather it uses a system known as
Wiegand technology. It is rather in depth to talk about it in such a short
article so you may have to research it in a magazine or two. But basically
the key contains many small metal strips embedded in the plastic that gives 
it a unique code. It would be very hard to duplicate this key or to trick
the reader. They key record is probably kept by a central computer for they
system. There are many manufacturers who use this technology. Such companies
include Corby systems, Northern computers, American Magnetic, etc. I'd suggest
using the 800 directory to get the number for one of these companies and ask 
for information about their wiegand reader systems. They'll almost always send you information about them..

psionic@wam.umd.edu