With the rapid growth of technology comes increases in electronic data theft. This emphasizes the need to secure electronic data,and therefore the integration of smart card technology into current IT infrastructures. Following this trend, ACR38U-I1 Smart Card Reader Series combines sophisticated technology and modern design to meet stringent requirements in smart card-based applications, such as payment systems and electronic identification, where a high level of security is becoming more essential.

Being compliant with the CCID specification, ACR38U-I1 features plug-and-play readers to eliminate the need for driver installation and driver-system compatibility assessment. Its USB interface facilitates communication between a computer and a smart card very easily, allowing for seamless implementation of smart card-based applications in a PC environment.

ACR38U-I1 is compliant with ISO 7816 and EMV Level 1 specifications. It supports ISO 7816 Class A, B and C ( 5V, 3 V and 1.8 V) cards, including all microprocessor cards with T=0, and T=1 protocols, as well as most of the popular memory cards in the market.

Also available as an option is ACR38U-SAM, where a Security Access Module (SAM) slot is built into the reader to reinforce various high-security applications.

PC-Linked USB Single Contact Card Slot
  • Supports ISO 7816 Class A, B and C (5 V, 3 V, 1.8 V) card
  • Supports CAC (Common Access Card)
  • Supports PIV (Personal Identity Verification) Card
  • Supports microprocessor cards with T=0 or T=1 protocol
  • Supports memory cards:
    • Cards following the I2C bus protocol (free memory cards), including:
      • Atmel: AT24C01 / 02 / 04 / 08 / 16 / 32 / 64 / 128 / 256 / 512 / 1024
      • SGS-Thomson: ST14C02C, ST14C04C
      • Gemplus: GFM1K, GFM2K, GFM4K, GFM8K
    • Cards with intelligent 256 bytes EEPROM and write protect function, including: SLE4432, SLE4442, SLE5532, SLE5542
    • Cards with intelligent 1K bytes EEPROM and write-protect function, including: SLE4418, SLE4428, SLE5518, SLE5528
    • Cards with '104' type of EEPROM non-reloadable token counter cards, including: SLE4406, SLE4436, SLE5536, SLE6636
    • Cards with secure memory IC with password and authentication, including: AT88SC153, AT88SC1608
    • Cards with Intelligent 416-Bit EEPROM with internal PIN check, including: SLE4404
    • Cards with Security Logic with Application Zone, including: AT88SC101, AT88SC102, AT88SC1003
  • Supports PPS (Protocol and Parameters Selection)
  • Features Short Circuit Protection
  • Application Programming Interface:
    • Supports PC/SC
    • Supports CT-API (through wrapper on top of PC/SC)
Physical Characteristics
Dimensions (mm) 72.2 mm (L) x 69.0 mm (W) x 14.5 mm (H)
Weight (g) 65.0 g
USB Interface
Protocol USB CCID
Connector Type Standard Type A
Power Source From USB port
Speed USB Full Speed (12 Mbps)
Cable Length 1.5 m, Fixed
Contact Smart Card Interface
Number of Slots 1 Full-sized Card Slot
Standard ISO 7816 Parts 1-4, Class A, B, C (5 V, 3 V, 1.8 V)
Protocol T=0; T=1; Memory Card Support
Others CAC, PIV, J-LIS Smart Cards
Certifications/Compliance
Certifications/Compliance EN60950/IEC 60950
ISO 7816
USB Full Speed
PC/SC
CCID
EMV™ Level 1 (Contact)
J-LIS (Japan)
TAA (US)
VCCI (Japan)
KC(Korea)
UL
Microsoft® WHQL
CE
FCC
WEEE
RoHS
REACH
Device Driver Operating System Support
Device Driver Operating System Support Windows®
Linux®
MAC OS®
Solaris
Android™

ACR38U-I1 is end-of-life already. To inquire about a suitable replacement or pending orders, please contact [email protected].

Drivers for ACR38U-I1
USB Interface OS Support
MSI Installer for PC/SC Driver  5.74 MB
Version 4.3.1.0
02-Apr-2019
Windows® XP, Windows® Vista, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, Windows® 8.1, Windows® 10, Windows® 11, Windows® Server 2003, Windows® Server 2008, Windows® Server 2008 R2, Windows® Server 2012, Windows® Server 2012 R2, Windows® Server 2016 R2
PC/SC Driver Installer  258.98 KB
Version 1.1.8.3
22-Feb-2022
Mac OS® X 10.6 or above
MSI Installer for PC/SC Driver  5 MB
Version 4.0.6.0
14-Nov-2014
Windows® 7 (for users who did not install required Microsoft Windows Updates and get driver signature error (Code 52))
PC/SC Drivers  371 KB
Version 2.0.1.0
23-Nov-2015
Windows® CE 5.0, Windows® CE 6.0, Windows® CE 7.0
PC/SC Driver Package  3.04 MB
Version 1.1.8
10-Jan-2020
Linux ®
PC/SC Drivers  458 KB
Version 1.1.8
06-Jan-2020
Linux®, Mac OS® X
CT-API Library  2.04 MB
Version 1.0.1.1
23-Jan-2017
Windows® XP, Windows® Server 2003, Windows® Vista, Windows® Server 2008, Windows® Server 2008 R2, Windows® 7, Windows® 8, Windows 8.1, Windows® Server 2012, Windows® Server 2012 R2, Windows® 10, Windows® 11
CT-API Library  261 KB
Version 1.0.1
23-Jan-2017
Linux®, Mac OS® X 10.5, Mac OS® X10.6, Mac OS® X10.7, Mac OS® X10.8, Mac OS® X10.9
PC/SC Driver Installer 
Version 1.0.8
16-Feb-2017
Solaris 10, 11 and above



Manuals & Datasheets for ACR38U-I1
Product Presentation

Product Presentation of ACR38 Series Smart Card Readers

Technical Specification

Technical Specification of ACR38U Smart Card Reader (ACR38U-I1)

Reference Manual

Reference Manual of ACR38 Series Smart Card Readers (CCID)