General Information

Card Technology (Mifare DESFire-Chip EV1 8K)

All chip cards are fitted with a contactless Mifare technology chip. A connection between the chip card and the chip card reader can be established via radio signals at a maximum distance of 10 cm. Mifare DESFire EV1 chips fall into the RFID systems category.

For the purpose of activating a card, the card supplier InterCard, stores the following details on the card in code:

  • Serial Card Number (unique chip card ID),
  • Unique installation number,
  • Card type,
  • Card build.

As part of the personalisation service of the University, the following details of the card holder are stored on chip:

Service Card

  • Unique key number, issued by the personnel managing system (card owner ID; this number is not identical with the personnel number of the accounting department.)
  • Card sequence number,
  • Library user number,
  • Cost Centre,
  • Profile key for staff (“Bedienstete” (PKZ)),
  • University ID of the Otto Friedrich University,
  • Validity,
  • Amount credited to your private electronic purse, including a time stamp of the last credit/debit transaction as well as transaction counter
  • The number 51 ("company": Bamberg University)
  • Work time recording number

The card contains further data containers but those are not used by the university.

TRW Strip

On the front of the chip card, at the bottom, thre is a TRW strip (Thermo-ReWrite) on which data can be reprinted. It is possible to print the validity date on the TRW strip. At the validation station, old data can be erased and new data can be rewritten onto the strip.

ThermoRewrite technology uses rewritable thermal recording material similar to adhesive tape. Data can be printed and erased many times by heat application.