MagSpoof

I'm pleased with the build quality of the RyscCorp Magspoof R3. It looks as cool in person as it does in RyscCorp's product photos. This has absolutely become my go-to demonstration tool for pulling back the curtain on how magnetic stripe technology works. I am VERY satisfied with my purchase. However, it has a few limitations to be aware of:1. It has virtually the same hardware configuration as SamyK's original Magspoof.It's great for self-contained demonstrations like SamyK's, and you can even use Samy's source code almost as-is, but it's challenging to use this device for more interactive demonstrations (your physical I/O is limited to a button) or long-running demonstrations (the only on-board physical indicator of progress is a single LED). A device along the lines of Salvador Mendoza's BlueSpoof is better-suited for these purposes (RyscCorp: you should sell these!).This situation could probably be improved with a combination of clever programming and hardware chops: the board does feature an ISP header and you might be able to treat the device as a peripheral for a computer.2. It's thin, but not that thin.This device is thin—it's business end is meant to be inserted into a reader—but it's not so thin you'll want it in your wallet. This isn't a Coin 2.0. The ISP header takes up a lot of height. You can unsolder it, but between the battery holder and the button, this device is still about a quarter-inch thick.3. It's slightly under-powered.Unlike SamyK's device, the electromagnet of this device is printed directly on the PCB. The resulting loss of power is compensated for by the fact that you can now insert it directly into the reader. This is fine for most of the readers I've tried, but a few fail to detect the magspoof.For some of these problematic readers, you can 'fix' this by just powering the device via the ISP headers instead of the on-board battery (which is easy to do if you buy the Pocket Programmer that RyscCorp recommends). However, for a handful of readers, this still isn't quite enough.This is a great device, despite these limitations; just be aware they exist.