I've been trying to find information online about how Oyster cards actually function, but most resources focus on how to use them instead. I'm curious about their inner workings because I can't seem to find any chips inside; the card just looks like a piece of thin plastic to me. If anyone knows how this all works, I'd really appreciate the explanation!
3 Answers
The Oyster card has a chip and an antenna embedded within the plastic, which is actually quite thin—about the width of a human hair! When you hold the card near a reader, it generates an electromagnetic field that powers the chip, allowing it to communicate with the reader. It’s pretty cool how the technology works without any visible parts!
The visible part you see on some cards isn’t the chip. It’s just a contact point for card readers. Oyster cards are purely contactless, so they don’t have anything on the outside to indicate how they work. They’re designed for convenience without the bulk of a visible chip!
Just because you can’t see the chip doesn’t mean it’s not there. It's cleverly hidden within the plastic, along with a thin wire antenna that picks up signals from the reader. There's some interesting content online, including videos that show how cards are made which might help demystify it for you!
Thanks for clarifying that! It makes more sense now.