Page 58 - How It Works - Book Of Amazing Answers To Curious Questions, Volume 05-15

What happens The screen, commonly an LCD on modern
Screen
machines, will prompt the cardholder
through the transaction in a step-by-step
format. It will either be touch screen or have
buttons on either side.
inside an ATM?

Understand how ATMs access Once a card has
Card slot
your money, while keeping been entered, its
black magnetic
stripe is read to
your details safe authenticate the
card and its owner.

Keypad
The keypad is where users
enter their four-digit PIN.
This is then sent to the
cardholder’s bank in an
encrypted form in case
someone intercepts it.
Reject box
If the machine pulls the
Cash dispenser wrong number of notes or
Once the transaction is complete, detects that one is damaged,
the requested amount of cash will they will be dropped into a
travel up from the vault through the reject box and the process
roller mechanism to the dispenser, will be repeated.
where it can be collected.

Receipt slot
Your transaction details are
printed on thermal paper,
which uses heat rather than ink
to turn the paper black and
form the necessary text.

The magnetic strip on the
The magnetic strip on the
back of your bank card is

actually composed of

millions of tiny magnets

Rollers
The rollers check the
thickness of each note
to make sure that two
notes aren’t stuck
together, so the
cardholder receives Deposit box
the correct amount Once cheques or deposits
of money. are made they are stored in
the deposit box, where the
bank will collect them at a
later stage.

Cash chambers
Each chamber, or currency box,
Suction cups may hold thousands of notes. Illustration by Nicholas Forder
The suction cups pick up Most ATMs will stock each
notes individually, before denomination depending on the
the rollers process them. currency used in its location.

58 How It Works