I seen this type of chip on credit cards and various other electronics like printers. What is it called in the electronics field? Is there a specific protocol on how to read and write to it? Is there a reader/writer machine? Software?
The correct name for this chip? And how to read it
integrated-circuit
Best Answer
This is a smart-card contact interface. They don't have a specific name, but they are specified in the ISO/IEC 7816-2.
You'll find the electrical protocol specified in ISO 7816-3. In a nutshell it is not too different to RS232 serial communication with the difference that the RX and TX lines are shared on one pin, and that a multiple of the baud rate has to be provided as an external clock.
You can buy reader devices pretty much anywhere.