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A step-by-step instruction manual for pairing the Spectrum Pro and the L100 can be found here: 80141506-001 Spectrum Pro and L100 Pairing Rev. B.pdf

ID TECH’s SmartPINL100 encrypting PIN pad provides a compact, rugged, secure keypad interface for POS systems in which PIN and/or manual data-entry capability is required. As such, the L100 is a natural complement to ID TECH’s Spectrum Pro insert reader. Together, the Spectrum Pro and L100 provide an EMV Level 2 Chip-and-PIN solution (suitable for use in kiosks and other unattended applications), meeting ADA, ANSI, PCI, and ISO standards for PIN Entry.

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3. With the units connected to each other, a pairing command (76 46 38 00 00) needs to be sent to the Spectrum Pro. The Spectrum Pro will then automatically carry out all necessary communications with the PIN pad, and pairing will be complete. You will be able to verify this by (for example) conducting an MSR read (Start MSR command) followed by a Get PIN from MSR, using the dotNET SDK Demo program; the latter will result in a PIN prompt from the L100, and then (after a PIN is entered manually) the command will allow the L100 to return an encrypted PIN block.

Prerequisites:

  • A SmartPIN L100, injected with Pairing Key

  • A Spectrum Pro, injected with Pairing Key

  • RJ-11 to Serial cable, to connect Spectrum Pro's RJ-jack to the L100 serial port,

  •  A 5-volt DC power source for the L100

  • USB cable to connect Spectrum Pro to host,

  • Two large steel binder clips, C-clamps, or other fixture(s) to hold the L100's tamper buttons down

  • One large steel clip or C-clamp to depress the Spectrum Pro's removal-detection buttons 

  • Host software that can open a connection with Spectrum Pro and send firmware commands (e.g., ID TECH Universal SDK Demo app)


Document details below - see .pdf for tablets of contents, images, etc.

ID TECH Spectrum Pro and SmartPIN L100 Pairing


Rev. B Revised: May 2, 2017

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Once the reader and the PIN pad are in the proper state (see discussion to follow), the pairing process itself is mostly automatic and out of the operator's control. From a high level, it involves the following steps:

  1. Both units (Spectrum Pro and L100) need to have been injected with Pairing Keys. This step is not covered in this document. You should start by getting units key-injected if they are not already injected. (Contact your ID TECH representative for details. ID TECH is a certified Key Injection Facility.)

  2. The SmartPIN L100 needs to be in Removal Detection Mode to undergo the pairing process. This document describes (in detail) the steps needed to put the PIN pad into this state. (See Setting Up Removal Detection.)

  3. With the units connected to each other, a pairing command (76 46 38 00 00) needs to be sent to the Spectrum Pro. The Spectrum Pro will then automatically carry out all

necessary communications with the PIN pad, and pairing will be complete. You will be able to verify this by (for example) conducting an MSR read (Start MSR command) followed by a Get PIN from MSR, using the Universal Demo program; the latter will result in a PIN prompt from the L100, and then (after a PIN is entered manually) the command will allow the L100 to return an encrypted PIN block.

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To complete the pairing process, you will need the following items (see also the photograph further below):

  • A SmartPIN L100, injected with Pairing Key

  • A Spectrum Pro, injected with Pairing Key

  • RJ-11 to Serial cable, to connect Spectrum Pro's RJ-jack to the L100 serial port

  • A 5-volt DC power source for the L100

  • USB cable to connect Spectrum Pro to the host 

  • Two large steel binder clips, C-clamps, or other fixture(s) to hold the L100's tamper buttons down

  • One large steel clip or C-clamp to depress the Spectrum Pro's removal-detection buttons

  • Host software that can open a connection with Spectrum Pro and send firmware commands (e.g., ID TECH Universal SDK Demo app)

Before the SmartPIN L100 can be paired, it must be placed in Removal Detection Mode. Please follow the steps below carefully to activate the Removal Detection feature on the PIN pad. It is highly recommended that you read through the entire procedure, and become thoroughly familiar with it, before attempting to carry it out.

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Removal Detection Mode requires depressing the tamper buttons located at the top and bottom of the unit's frame, on the front (as shown by the red arrows in the illustration further below). You can keep these buttons depressed by installing metal strips (screwed in place) along the top and bottom of the L100's housing, or you may install the unit in a kiosk; or you can temporarily use stout spring clips (or C-clamps, etc.) to hold the buttons down. If you use spring clips, take care that they don't slip off prematurely.

After the buttons are secured, you will need to activate Removal Detection Mode. (You can later deactivate this mode, then move the unit to a kiosk or other fixture, then reactivate it.) But first, you need to set the removal detection passwords.

Tamper-detection buttons are at the top and bottom of the front face.

3.2 Step Two: Set the Removal Detection Passwords

The SmartPIN L100 comes with two default Removal Detection passwords that need to be reset with user-supplied passwords before the Removal Detection feature can be activated. The following steps will let you set the passwords.

  1. Power on the SmartPIN L100 by connecting the device to the computer with the appropriate cables, using a 5V/1.2-amp power supply. (Do not use more than 5 volts.) The device will beep once to signify that the device is powered on, and the LCD screen will illuminate.

  2. Immediately press the following sequence of keys: Cancel, Clear, Enter, Blank, Clear, Enter. (The sequence must be initiated within 5 seconds of the unit beeping after powering on.) After this, the device will start beeping continuously to signify that the passwords have not yet been set. Also, the LCD screen will prompt you to enter a password. Note: If the device does not beep continuously after the Cancel, Clear, Enter, Blank, Clear, Enter sequence was entered, it means the passwords have already been set and you can skip to the next section: Activate Removal Detection.

  3. Enter default Password A: 12345678. (Make sure the device beeps after each button is pressed to ensure that the input is registered.) After the default Password A is entered correctly, the device will beep twice.

  4. Enter a new user-generated Password 1 to replace Password A. (The new Password 1 must be 8 digits. For example: 11111111.) After the new Password 1 is entered, the device will beep twice to confirm the input of the new password. Keep the new Password 1 in your records.

  5. The device will prompt you to reenter the password. Enter the new Password 1 again to confirm the setting of the new password. After the new Password 1 is entered for a second time, the device will beep twice to confirm the successful input of the new password. If the new Password 1 was entered correctly, the device will beep twice again to confirm that Password 1 is set.

  6. Next, enter the default Password B: 87654321. Make sure the device beeps after each button is pressed to ensure that the input is registered. After the default Password B is entered correctly, the device will beep twice.

  7. Enter a new user-generated Password 2 to replace Password B. The new Password 2 must be 8 digits and must be different from Password 1. For example: 22222222. After the new Password 2 is entered, the device will beep twice to confirm the input of the new password. Keep the new Password 2 in your records.

  8. The device will prompt you to reenter the password. Enter the new Password 2 again to confirm the setting of the new password. After the new Password 2 is entered for a second time, the device will beep twice to confirm the input of the new password. If the new Password 2 is entered correctly, the device will beep twice again to confirm that Password 2 is set. The SmartPIN L100 Removal Detection passwords are now set. (The L100 can safely be powered down now. When it is powered back up, it will remember the passwords. Do not release the removal detection buttons, however. The buttons must stay down until the unit has been taken out of Removal Detection mode. See How to Deactivate Removal Detection, further below.)

3.3 Step Three: Activate Removal Detection

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The following steps describe how to activate Removal Detection. This section assumes that you have already completed the previous section, which sets up User Passwords.


  1. At all times throughout this process, ensure that the Removal Detection Pressure Points are depressed and held securely in the depressed position.  (The buttons must stay down until the unit has been taken out of Removal Detection mode. See How to Deactivate Removal Detection, further below.)

  2. Unplug and replug (that is, power-cycle) the L100. The device will beep once to signify that the power is on.

  3. Immediately press Cancel, Clear, Enter, Blank, Clear, and Enter (6 keys) to enter Removal Detection Mode. The unit will prompt you to enter the first User Password (which was 11111111, in the examples shown earlier). If the password is accepted, you'll be prompted to enter the second User Password (which was 22222222, in the examples shown earlier). Make sure the device beeps after each button is pressed to ensure that the input was properly registered.

  4. If the passwords are accepted, you will see a prompt as follows:

  5. Use * or # buttons to scroll up or down.

  6. Accept the Enable PINPAD option by pressing the Enter (ENT) button.

  7. The SmartPIN L100 will beep twice more to signify that the device has been activated with Removal Detection.

In order to remove the SmartPIN L100 from its installation (that is, before pressure is released from the Removal Detection Pressure Points), Removal Detection must first be deactivated, or else the unit will become disabled and any passwords will be lost.  The section called How to Deactivate Removal Detection describes the steps that must be taken to make the unit safe for removal.

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Before issuing the Pairing command, you should verify that your Spectrum Pro contains the proper keys. You can do this as follows.


  1. Connect L100 to Spectrum Pro via the Spectrum Pro's RJ-11 port.

  2. Connect Spectrum Pro to the host computer.

  3. Run host software that can communicate with Spectrum Pro (e.g., Universal SDK Demo app). Verify that a connection has been established.

Send the Poll Reader command to Spectrum Pro. (The complete NGA-format command string is

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https://idtechproducts.atlassian.net/wiki/display/KB/Downloads+-+Home.)


  1. Confirm that the command was successful (i.e., it returns a response containing ACK, or 0x06).

  2. Examine the data bytes that come back.


The response to Poll Reader should contain 6 data bytes, with flags that signal the status of various device configuration settings and capabilities. The info you're looking for can be found in the second data byte (see below). A typical response looks as follows:

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The above data can be parsed into key status blocks that look like this:

["00000000", "01000001", "03000001", "04000001", "06000001", "07000001",

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To pair L100 with Spectrum Pro, it is recommended that you do the following:

  1. Ensure that the L100 is in the Removal Detection activated state (see previous sections of this guide).

  2. Plug the L100 into Spectrum Pro's RJ-11 port. Power the unit with 5 volts DC.

  3. Connect the Spectrum Pro to the host system. 

  4. Run the Universal SDK Demo app (or other software that can send firmware commands to the Spectrum Pro). Ensure that connectivity has been established.

  5. Send the pairing command to Spectrum Pro. (The complete NGA-format command string is 020500764638000008F403.)

  6. Verify that the units are paired. (See below.)

4.4 Verify the Pairing

You can and should verify that the Spectrum Pro has recognized the L100 and is correctly paired with it. The recommended procedure is as follows.

  1. With the L100 connected to the Spectrum Pro and the Spectrum Pro connected to a host, send the Spectrum Pro the Poll Reader command. The complete NGA-format command string is 020500764625000015E103.

  2. Examine the data that comes back and compare it to the Poll Reader results you obtained earlier, in Verify Spectrum Pro Key Status. The results this time should show that several bits have changed in Byte 1 of the data (see boldface items below):

    1. Poll Reader Results (After Pairing)

      Byte 1:

      1-------  HSM_DUKPT_KEY valid if set to 1

      -1------  CR_PINPAD_RKL_DUKPT_KEY valid if set to 1

      --1-----  PIN Pairing DUKPT Key valid if set to to 1

      ---1----  DATA Pairing DUKPT Key valid if set to 1

      ----1---  CR_PINPAD_MAC Keys valid (Authenticated) if 1

      -----1--  CR_PINPAD_MASTER_DUKPT_KEY valid if set to 1

      ------0-  Authenticated with Pinpad if set to 1

      -------0  Firmware Key valid  if set to 1

  3. Attempt to use the paired devices to conduct a Chip-and-PIN EMV transaction (or other transaction that requires the use of a PIN). To do this, you will need a test card (or live credit card) that specifies Chip-and-PIN in its CVM list, and you will need to ensure that your Spectrum Pro is configured (via its terminal settings) to participate in Chip-and-PIN sessions. The Windows version of the ID TECH Universal SDK Demo app offers a convenient GUI for selecting the necessary terminal settings.

    1. First, select the command Set Config #3 in the EMV command tree; then run it. (This enables the Spectrum Pro L2 EMV kernel to use a predetermined terminal configuration, but it does not actually set the config values; that's the next step.)

    2. Next, select the command Set Major Term Config in the EMV command tree; a configuration panel will appear, with a dropdown menu, at the top of the middle pane. Choose 3C from the dropdown menu. Then Execute the command; see the screenshot below. (Executing this command loads a terminal configuration that has appropriate bits of tag 9F33 set to enable PIN-related CVMs.)

Insert a Chip-and-PIN ICC payment card in the Spectrum Pro and run the Start EMV Transaction command. Monitor the L100 LCD screen. If the card requires PIN entry, you will be prompted by the L100 to enter a PIN at the appropriate moment. Enter the PIN (followed by the ENT button). The transaction should finish normally.

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You can also verify the pairing status by seeing if the Spectrum Pro/L100 combo will prompt you for a PIN, and return an encrypted PIN block when you use the Get PIN from MSR command in the Universal Demo app. The procedure is:

  1. Connect the L100 to the Spectrum Pro using the serial-to-RJ cable.

  2. Connect Spectrum Pro to a host computer that's running the Universal Demo app.

  3. Ensure that the Spectrum Pro has been recognized by the app.

  4. Place the Spectrum Pro in Removal Detection mode. 

    1. Depress the removal-detection buttons on the edge of the bezel. (NOTE: You need to depress only the set of buttons on the side of the bezel opposite the green light on the face. See arrow, below.) Hold the buttons down with a steel clip or clamp of some kind, or mount the unit in a kiosk or other enclosure that will fully depress the removal buttons when the unit is in final position.

    2. Power-cycle the Spectrum Pro and inspect the status lights near the rear of the unit (on the underside) to see that a green light is illuminated. If the green light is not illuminated, likely, you have not fully depressed the removal-detection buttons on the front face of the bezel flange. Adjust your mountings as necessary and repower the unit, until you see the green light at the back.

    3. Power up the L100, and when it beeps, quickly press CANC CLR ENT BLANK CLR ENT; then at the prompts, enter the user passwords. If the passwords are accepted, a menu will appear on the screen.

    4. Select Enable CR from the menu. (Use the * and # keys to move up and down on the menu.)

  5. Use the demo app's Start MSR command, and insert/remove a magstripe card into/out of the reader.

  6. Use the demo app's Get PIN from MSR command (see screenshot below). The L100, if it is paired properly, will prompt you for PIN entry. Enter a PIN. The resulting PIN block will appear in the Results pane of the demo app. (See below.)

5 How to Deactivate Removal Detection

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Note: SmartPIN L100 Removal Detection deactivation uses the same Password 1 and Password 2 that were set before. Refer to Section 2 as necessary.

  1. Power on the SmartPIN L00 by connecting the device to the computer with the USB or RS-232 cable.  The device will beep once to signify that the device is powered on.

  2. Immediately press the following sequence of keys: Cancel, Clear, Enter, Blank, Cancel, Blank.  The sequence must be initiated within 5 seconds of the unit beeping after powering on.  The device will beep once to signify that the passwords have already been set.

  3. Enter the user-generated Password 1 that was set earlier.  Make sure the device beeps after each button is pressed to ensure that the input is properly registered.  After Password 1 is entered correctly, the device will beep twice.

  4. Next, enter the user-generated Password 2 that was put in earlier.  Make sure the device beeps after each button is pressed to ensure that the input is properly registered.  After Password 2 is entered correctly, the device will beep twice.

  5. The SmartPIN L100 will beep one final time to signify that the Removal Detection has been deactivated.

5.1 Troubleshooting Tips

Spectrum Pro is designed to inter-operate with L100 when both units are in a "final-installation" state, such that each unit has its removal detection features enabled. If units that were working properly in the lab suddenly fail to produce a PIN block after installation in the field, the most likely reason is that one or the other unit is not in the removal-detection state. 

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If PIN blocks are not being received and you are sure the L100 is securely mounted and working properly, check that the green operating status light on the back of the unit (not the front bezel), near the power wiring, is illuminated. If it is not (if just the amber light is showing), readjust clamps or mountings on the front bezel to be sure the removal-detection buttons are depressed, and recheck the light. (These buttons can be tricky. Use thin shims or metal strips if necessary to make sure the buttons are down when the unit is in the final position.) When the green light is showing, you can put the reader in Removal Detection Mode: Re-power the L100, and when the unit beeps, quickly enter the logon sequence (Cancel Clear Enter Blank Clear Enter), then at the prompts, enter the user passwords; then select Enable CR from the menu. You should see an Activation Success message.


Spectrum Pro Home Page

SmartPIN L100 home page