• Determine the format of the data on the magstripe card to be used.
  • If the format is not known, a magstripe keyboard wedge can be used to write the data to a text file. Here is an example of just such a tool: http://www.staples.com/MAGTEK-Mini-Magnetic-Stripe-Reader-USB-20/product_IM1E45877
  • Here is an article detailing the standard ABA format used on most magstripe cards: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_stripe_card
• Once the format has been determined, the card number mask can be defined in the card config tab of the Compass RTU.

• • As shown in Figure 1, the ID field must be set to "254",  and the bit count field to the total length of the data on the track to be read.
  • The Name field is for reference only and can be anything, though it should be descriptive.
  • The Data Mask field describes the data format to be considered for each card read. A capital "C" signifies card number data, while an "*" is a digit to be ignored. for example:
    • IF the card contains a string like "12345=67890" and the Data Mask is defined as "CCCCC*CCC**" the card number would be interpreted as  as "12345678".
  • Parity Mask 1, 2, and 3 should all be defined as all "*" characters.
  • Here is an example of a completed format for a card with 13 characters:

• Once completed, save the format and apply the changes to the RTU. 
• On the RTU tab of the RTU properties, set the Reader Type to Clock and Data.

• Repeat these steps for each RTU.
• Finally, update the "Carddata" screen to include the magstripe option for CardFormat as shown:

Note: Panels can be Clock and Data or Wiegand, but not both. It is not possible to have Wiegand readers and Clock and Data readers on the same panel.