Have you ever wondered why your Magnetic Card Reader (MSR) or swipe card works intermittently or stops working altogether? Here are some reasons why this might happen and some simple tips to troubleshoot the issue.
Keeping your MSR clean is essential to extending the life of the MSR and optimizing its performance. Neglecting this basic maintenance routine can cause your transaction process to slow down and, if ignored, eventually stop working completely. This could lead to delays, potential loss of business, and additional expenses for part replacements.
Over time, residue can accumulate on the reader of the MSR. This residue build may happen quickly with higher usage equipment. Various environmental factors, like greasy fingerprints on a swipe card, spills, dust, and humidity, contribute to this. Like any other piece of equipment, a little well-spent time can save headaches and more.
Note: A disassembled MSR reader assembly that has never been cleaned. See the yellow circle for the 3-reader head cover in grease/debris.
Fortunately, you can manage this build-up of contaminants with consistent weekly or daily cleaning. Infor recommends using a card type of cleaning as seen below. You can refresh these cards by adding isopropyl alcohol if the card is not dirty from extensive usage.
See below for an Infor Isopropyl alcohol MSR cleaning kit.
Don’t
- Do not use paper towels, tissues, cloth, or any non-isopropyl alcohol. These items will leave lint or other fine debris that creates common problems later.
- General household or industrial cleaners are either too abrasive or harsh, and they may leave chemicals behind that may damage the MSR head.
- Do not use any hard objects or tools to clean the magnetic reader.
Do’s
- Only use Isopropyl alcohol as directed by the MSR cleaning products designed for MSRs.
- Use only approved MSR cleaning materials.
- Clean each day but no less than once a week depending on the environment and usage. The effort is well worth the time.
Tip: Card readers rely on a magnetic stripe on the back of swipe cards. Over time these can fail or are damaged, preventing a proper read by the MSR. Also, if these cards are placed too close to a strong magnetic source this may affect the polarity of the magnetic stripe causing a failure. Be sure to try swipe cards on multiple card reader devices and try known good swipe cards before replacing any card reader.
