EEVblog #1225 - Dumpster Credit Card Embosser - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 12:28:42 am
content: Dave finds a credit card embossing and programming machine in the dumpster!Will it work?And of course, teardown time.

author: oPossum
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 01:16:10 am
content: Genuine Prolific PL2303 chips (first revision) are no longer supported by current drivers. This has been the case for at least 5 years. The older drivers will work, but lack support for the newer PL2303 variants. I used to like PL2303 as a lower cost alternative to FTDI, but after they abandoned support for legit genuine chips I will no longer use them. Worse ethics than FTDI!

author: Shodge
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 01:43:04 am
content: Dave,It looks to me like a tray to hold the card is missing. It would be mounted through the two extended pins (through holes in the tray) and be threaded to the worm gear. This would allow the missing card bracket to extend to the card supply hopper and receive the card. The worm gear would reverse pulling it back, then the traveler would walk the card through the process as you describe.If you can get some service information on the parts - some enterprising user with more mechanical skills that I should be able to create one as a test.Real neat / fun project...-Stan

author: richnormand
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 02:01:42 am
content: Interesting video Dave. Thanks.At about 23:24 on the top roller for the silver/gold foil you can clearly see markings from a previous card on the foil.I would think that if you unroll that top roller you might see several previous card and ID the company or even individuals.That could be a privacy issue ....

author: tpowell1830
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 03:36:45 am
content: Here's a link that might help.EDIT: Maybe I could get a Marty McFly/EEVBlog card sent to me for finding the instructional video?

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 03:41:33 am
content: Choice comment from youtube:Quote from: Bob Roszkowski

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 03:46:38 am
content: Quote from: oPossum on July 02, 2019, 01:16:10 amThat's horrific. I guess they know that no-one is really going to punish them over it, and any large customers would get "specialised support" in the form of the old drivers anyway.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 04:19:59 am
content: Quote from: Shodge on July 02, 2019, 01:43:04 amThat's what it looked like to me too.

author: wilfred
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 11:49:49 am
content: I found this video that shows the card transport. I'm not sure what this card tray is.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 02:33:24 pm
content: Quote from: Shodge on July 02, 2019, 01:43:04 amGo check the dumpster!

author: f4eru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 09:11:05 pm
content: Dave, you should destroy the upper foil roll, containing many card numbers, and perhaps inform the bank of the compromise of the one seen in the video.Else, nice machine. Refurbish it with some stepper drivers, or perhaps try to bypass the blocking sensors for a start.The foil roll is a thermal transfer foil (I suppose)Similar ones are used to hot transfer print various items and should be easy to obtain :https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32264902289.html?spm=2114.search0204.3.26.23eb2ba8w9GhTW&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0%2Csearchweb201602_6_10065_10068_319_317_10696_10084_453_10083_454_10618_10304_10307_10820_10821_537_10302_536_10843_10059_10884_10887_321_322_10103%2Csearchweb201603_53%2CppcSwitch_0&algo_expid=c89626d0-2082-42b8-b95f-62443dc0a875-3&algo_pvid=c89626d0-2082-42b8-b95f-62443dc0a875&transAbTest=ae803_3

author: f4eru
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 09:18:33 pm
content: Quote from: Whales on July 02, 2019, 03:46:38 amYeah, Prolific is Horrific.And also very evil: A few years ago, as far as I know they included voluntary crashes in their software (BSOD!!), which is corporate malware !Linux drivers are very clean and always work, maintained by the community.

author: Bud
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 09:31:24 pm
content: Whatever moron threw this machine away have technically commited a data breach because they did not remove the used thermal foil that contained the images of the credit card numbers and cardholder names, unless it was a test unit with test data. In production used thermal foil is collected and securely disposed of. I recommend destroying the tape and blank off the fragments in the video with the tape if it was possible to read what was on the tape.

author: SirAlucard
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 02, 2019, 10:56:39 pm
content: That's a dangerous machine to find, it even looks like you still have all the information of any previous card printed from there if you unwind that silver topper material.

author: bitwelder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 07:35:42 am
content: Quote from: Bud on July 02, 2019, 09:31:24 pmOtherwise, is it fair to guess that the electronics driving the device is likely fairly 'dumb' and doesn't keep a record of the previously printed cards, i.e. it has only a volatile buffer for the card under process?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 08:33:03 am
content: Quote from: wilfred on July 02, 2019, 11:49:49 amI don't know what a card tray could do other than get in the way. From what I can see - there IS no card "tray".The card is simply held at the top edge by about 2mm. This should be quite adequate as the card does not weigh much and it will benecessaryto avoid fouling the various stations. The mag stripe station has a wheel to ensure proper contact and the embossing and topping are "sandwich" processes where the card only needs to be in approximately the right position and the mechanisms will clamp from both sides.If it were me, I'd be looking much closer at the slot at the front of the card sled. Is there a clamping system or is it just a friction fit? I certainly would not be looking for a "tray" that I can't see being able to work.This still does not explain the misfeed, as it seems the sled doesn't get close enough to pick up the card. Whether the sled movement is inadequate or the card feed mechanism isn't pushing the card back far enough, I don't know. Maybe it is a function of the thickness adjustment mentioned above.

author: Barny
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 10:09:28 am
content: Could it be that the tray-motor driver is a little bit sick & let its magical smoke out?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 10:15:20 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on July 03, 2019, 08:33:03 amGood analysis I think.Although the card didn't seem to stick in the slot cutouts, but maybe because it's too thick which is why it got stuck to begin with. Need to play and measure.On walkabout at the moment so can't look.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 10:15:58 am
content: Quote from: Barny on July 03, 2019, 10:09:28 amI think you can see it extend and retract in the reset function

author: Artlav
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 03, 2019, 06:48:42 pm
content: Standart font, hm?My bet is that the software was outsourced to Russian coders, it's a common spelling error here.

author: Switching Power
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2019, 06:40:49 am
content: You can easily replace the old Prolific PL2303 chip with a FTDI FT232RL because they are pin-compatible. (they sanded the markings of the PL2303)I have done this twice in the same B&K PRECISION ttl to usb convertor just so i don't have to mess with drivers in a lab environment.