Help or guidance for a magnetic stripe reader proj

hi i am working on a magnetic stripe reader project, where i have to construct a head unit which consists of an tape recorder audio head, i have to interface the output of head to Arduino board's ADC, and using ADC i have to decode the data of track 2 in the magnetic stripe, can i get any help regarding this project by anyone please...............

I'd be surprised if you get enough signal straight from the head to make a meaningful reading on the ADC.
What is the spec of the reader?

Not only do you have the problem of low level voltage, millivolts, the data format includes a clock and data that have to be decoded and seperated. Your best bet would be to find a surplus card reader (I found one for $5 once). If you search around this forum you might find a posting on someone that wrote a sketch to read such a reader.

Lefty

could u please send me the source code how would u read the data form audio head using adc.....?
because i tried from adc also but i reads continuously 111111111111......
Please help.....! :-/

the spec of the reader is

  • it has to read the track 2 using the tape recorder head.
  • if possible interface the head directly to the arduino board with - proper bias voltage to the tape recorder head.
  • the read data should be decoded and sent on the serial port to display on the serial monitor.

the spec of the reader is

That's going to make it difficult to complete the project.

it has to read the track 2 using the tape recorder head.

"it"? What is "it"?

if possible interface the head directly to the arduino board with

I think you'll need more than that.

The basic circuit you will need to build is a high gain amplifier.
I've drawn a simplified version for you, but you'll have to figure out component values yourself. (they depend on which op-amp you use etc.)
http://drivehq.com/folder/p7999577.aspx
:wink: