The ACR1581U DualBoost III is a highly advanced and versatile smart card reader that can support both contact and contactless smart cards. It is the third generation product in the ACS's DualBoost Reader Series, which has been designed to offer high levels of security and reliability for demanding smart card applications. The reader makes use of USB CCID Class Driver and USB Interface to establish a connection with PCs and accept card commands from computer applications.

One of the main advantages of the ACR1581U is its broad support for various types of smart cards, including traditional ISO 7816 MCU Cards, MIFARE® Cards, ISO 14443 Type A and B Contactless Cards, FeliCa, and ISO 15693 Cards. It also has three interfaces, the PICC, ICC, and SAM interface, which all follow the PC/SC specifications. This makes it suitable for use in various industries, such as finance, healthcare, and government.

The ACR1581U acts as an intermediary device between the computer and the card, carrying out computer-issued commands for communication with contactless tags, MCU cards, SAM cards, or device peripherals (LED or buzzer). It also offers intelligent support for NFC features:

  • Smart Card Reader/Writer
  • Keyboard emulation
  • Card emulation

NFC technology enables it versatile for various smart card applications. The contact interface makes use of the APDU commands as defined in ISO 7816 specifications, and for contact MCU card operations, the related card documentation and the PC/SC specifications should be referred to.

The ACR1581U DualBoost III is a powerful and flexible smart card reader that offers a wide range of advanced features and capabilities. Its ability to support both contact and contactless smart cards, along with its broad support for different types of smart cards, makes it an ideal choice for a wide variety of smart card applications that require high levels of security and reliability.

USB Dual Contact Card Slots SIM Card Slot Contactless Reader NFC Reader
  • USB 2.0 Full Speed Interface
  • CCID Compliance
  • Contactless Smart Card Reader:
    • Read/Write ISO 14443A/B speed of up to 848 kbps
    • Built-in antenna for contactless tag access, with card reading distance of up to 70 mm (depending on tag type)
    • Supports ISO 14443 Type A and B cards, ISO 15693 Cards
    • Supports MIFARE®, FeliCa, NFC tags, SRI/SRIX, CTS, Innovatron, Picopass, Topaz Card
  • Supports extended APDU (max. 64 kbytes)
  • Contact Smart Card Reader
    • Supports ISO 7816 Class A, B and C (5 V, 3V and 1.8 V) speed of up to 1,250 kbps
    • Clock frequency up to 13.56MHz
    • Supports CAC (Common Access Card)
    • Supports PIV (Personal Identity Verification Card)
    • Supports microprocessor cards with T=0 or T=1 protocol
    • Supports memory cards
    • ISO 7816-compliant SAM slot (Class A)
  • Application Programming Interface:
    • Supports PC/SC
  • Peripherals:
    • User-controllable bi-color LED (Blue & Green)
    • User-controllable buzzer
  • USB Firmware Upgradability
Physical Characteristics
Dimensions (mm) 120.5 mm (L) x 72.0 mm (W) x 20.4 mm (H)
Weight (g) 143 g
USB Interface
Protocol USB CCID
Connector Type USB Type-A (ACR1581U-C1), USB Type-C (ACR1581U-CF)
Power Source From USB port
Speed USB Full Speed (12 Mbps)
Cable Length 2m, Non-detachable
Contact Smart Card Interface
Number of Slots 1 Full-sized Card Slot
Standard ISO 7816 Class A, B, C (5 V, 3 V, 1.8 V)
Protocol T=0; T=1
Contactless Smart Card Interface
Standard ISO 14443 Type A & B, ISO 15693, MIFARE®, FeliCa
Protocol ISO 14443-4 Compliant Card, T=CL 
ISO 15693 
MIFARE® Classic Card, T=CL 
FeliCa
SAM Card Interface
Number of Slots 1 Standard SIM-sized Card Slot
Standard ISO 7816 Class A (5V)
Protocol T=0; T=1
Built-in Peripherals
LED 2 single color: Blue and Green
Buzzer Monotone
Other Features
Other Features Supported Card Types: 
  • ISO 14443 Type A & B Parts 1-4, 
    ISO 15693, MIFARE®, FeliCa, NFC Tags, SRI/SRIX, CTS, Innovatron, Picopass, Topaz Card
Other NFC Features: 
  • Keyboard Emulation, Card Emulation
Firmware Upgrade Supported  
Certifications/Compliance
Certifications/Compliance Certifications:
  • IEC/EN 62368, CE, FCC, UKCA, VCCI, RoHS, REACH, WEEE
Compliances:
  • USB CCID, PC/SC
Device Driver Operating System Support
Device Driver Operating System Support Windows®, Linux®, macOS, Android™
Drivers for ACR1581U
USB Interface OS Support
PC/SC Driver Installer  281.49 KB
Version 1.1.9
15-Mar-2023
macOS
PC/SC Driver Installer  2.78 MB
Version 1.1.9
24-Mar-2023
Linux®
PC/SC Driver Installer  5.23 MB
Version 1.0.1.0
30-Mar-2023
Windows®
PC/SC Drivers  3.24 MB
Version 1.0.1.0.
29-Mar-2023
Windows®
Android EVK  412.60 KB
Version 1.1.5.9
11-May-2023
Android™



Manuals & Datasheets for ACR1581U
Technical Specification

Technical Specification of ACR1581U