USB ACR122U Reader/Writer

More Details

The ACR122 from ACS is a popular desktop USB contactless smartcard reader/writer in a convenient and trendy light-weight case. It includes support for ISO 14443 A/B as well as ISO 18092 transponders including MIFARE Classic, MIFARE Ultralight, DESFire, FeliCa and NFC Forum tag types 1 through 4 (not NFC Type 5 which is ISO15693) in all 3 NFC modes (reader, card emulation, and peer-to-peer).

Also known as the ACR122U, this is the very latest version of this reader, with V2 firmware and an internal buzzer as well as a bi-color (red/green) LED which can be programmed to respond when a card or tag is in field or being read/written. It is fully PC/SC and CCID compliant, resulting in easy plug-and-play installation on Windows PCs, while support for Mac OS X and Linux is also provided. Containing the PN532 controller chip from NXP, the ACR122 is also supported by various open source libraries such as libnfc (org page).

The ACR122 is ideal for use in various contactless applications and projects, ranging from payment and loyalty to ticketing and NFC. With appropriate software it can be used to read and write NFC tag data as well as emulate cards and tags when interacting with other readers or phones.

You also get Magic Mifare 1k gen1a cards and fobs! The “magic” Mifare chip is just like the legacy Mifare “Classic” S50 1k chip, except you can change the 4 byte ID to anything you want. This allows you to clone a classic 1k Mifare card or fob to a “magic” Mifare 1k chip. Check out https://forum.dangerousthings.com/t/magic-mifare-chips for more information!

ACR122U key attributes

• Powerful low cost MIFARE and NFC reader/writer
• Easy CCID driver installation and PC/SC support
• Comprehensive card, tag and operating system compatibility
• CE and FCC approved

API / SDK / Hacking

• Current driver downloads from ACS (link)
• API v2 Documentation (PDF)
• ACR122U SDK v1.3 Starter Kit(ZIP)

ACR122U SDK v1.3 Starter Kit
 

• ACR122U Tool – an application utility tool that enables the user to perform reader and card related commands
• EasyKey – EasyKey is designed to work with MIFARE Contactless Cards by creating different access condition values to the MIFARE contactless cards
• QuickView – QuickView is a utility program that will check if you have properly installed the ACR122 device
• Source Code – Demos in Delphi 7, Java, Visual Basic 6, Visual C++ 6, Visual C++ (x64), Visual C# and VB.Net
• Reference Manuals – Easy to use reference manuals to help with the development process
• Technical Specifications – Includes detailed technical specifications of all the contained products

PN532 Chip Hacking
 
With this pin-out you can access the PN532 chip directly. Check out the PN532 manual.

 
Android Tools
 
There are many Android apps and tools available for the ACR122U. Here are just a few.
 
M Tools by MTools Tec
 

 
M Keys by MTools Tec
 

 
ACR 122 USB NFC Reader Utils by Thomas Rorvik Skjolberg
 

 

Product Specifications

Physical

1. Dimension: 90 mm (L) x 65 mm (W) x 12.8 mm (H)
2. Material: PVC enclosure
3. Color: White
4. Cable: 1.0 meter USB cable
5. Weight: 100 grams
6. Protocol: IEC14443A & ISO18092

Electrical

1. Working Frequency: 13.56MHz
2. Reading time: < 100ms
3. Interface: USB 2.0
4. Power supply: 5v 100mA

Environment

1. Working: -10 C to +60 C ~ 95% RH, no condensation
2. Storage: -25 C to + 45 C ~ 95% RH, no condensation