March 2004, Issue 164

BasicCard 101(Part 1):
Program Your First Smartcard

UNPACKING THE KIT

Now that you have an idea about what BasicCards are, lets take a closer look at ZeitControl’s BasicCard development kit shown in Photo 1. Assuming you don’t have any experience with smartcards, there are a few basic things you need to evaluate and program BasicCards.

First, you need a card reader for your computer. ZeitControl provides a Cybermouse PC/SC serial port reader, which works with both its software and any other software that expects a standard PC/SC reader.

Secondly, you need a few cards to experiment with. ZeitControl provides one ZC3.7 and two ZC3.9 Enhanced cards in addition to another card (unmarked as to its type), which contains a simple application already burnt in.

Thirdly, you need the software to program and test the cards themselves. Although ZeitControl provides a CD-ROM containing all of the software, it recommends that you download the latest version from the web site rather than using the CD-ROM itself. I found that the software on the web site was indeed much newer than the CD-ROM version, so I followed the company’s advice. I’ll discuss this software in a later section.

Finally, you’ll need a manual to explain how everything works. The development kit comes with a detailed 172-page manual. The PDF version is also on the CD-ROM and web site.

The kit came with a little bonus—a tiny card reader/LCD in the form of a key fob. This device is programmed to display specific information contained in a BasicCard. When you write your own BasicCard application, you can include a command that is invoked when the card is inserted in this little reader. As an example, if you were using the BasicCard as an electronic debit card, you could program it to send the card’s current balance to this reader. ZeitControl actually calls this device a “Balance Reader” because that’s likely its principal use. If you pop the preprogrammed BasicCard (included in the kit as a demo) into the Balance Reader, it displays the series of numbers printed on the card itself. 

Although the BasicCard manual is extremely detailed, I found it a bit too technical for a beginner unfamiliar with the BasicCard system. Therefore, I’d like to describe a procedure any novice can follow to become familiar with the system.