All about the iButton

The iButton above and the swipe card below spent the last 10 years on the same keychain.<br>
The ink has rubbed off the iButton’s keyfob, but it’s still perfectly usable; the card is unusable (and with its hole broken, no longer can be kept on the keychain).

This iButton (left) and swipe card (right) spent the last 10 years on the same keychain. The ink has rubbed off the iButton’s keyfob, but it’s still perfectly usable; the card is unusable (and with its hole broken, no longer can be kept on the keychain).

Note: We’ve blurred the city, state, ZIP and phone number on the swipe card to maintain privacy.

The chip inside the iButton.

The iButton^® is a 16-millimeter computer chip with its own unique ID number enclosed in a stainless steel container. Each chip has its own unique ID number which is unaffected by magnetic fields, metal detectors, water and most common chemicals.

The steel button is rugged enough to withstand harsh outdoor environments and durable enough for a person to carry on their keychain.

You can drop it, step on it, scratch it or wear it swimming. The iButton is wear-tested for 10-year durability and can be reassigned quickly and securely. It is by far the best solution for both manufacturing and office environments.

TimePilot is an authorized iButton developer and sells only authentic iButtons manufactured by "Maxim Integrated, a California-based company. The iButton was invented by Dallas Semiconductor, which was acquired by Maxim in 2001. (That's why iButton model numbers start with "DS.")

In TimePilot's time and attendance systems and its CrossOver Lock systems, the iButton is part of a keyfob that attaches to an employee's keychain. The keyfob and button combination is about the size of a house key.

Model DS1990A iButtons pre-installed in keyfobs come in your choice of 11 colors and in packs of 5, 10, 30, 50, 100 and 200. Click the button below to buy a pack now!

Quantity	Price	Savings
Pack of 5	$39.50	--
Pack of 10	$59	$20 over two 5-packs
Pack of 30	$159	$18 over three 10-packs
Pack of 50	$249	$46 over five 10-packs
Pack of 100	$449	$49 over two 50-packs
Pack of 200	$715	$183 over two 100-packs

You'll choose your color and quantity after clicking the "Buy Now" button.

Bulk iButtons

A total of 28 iButton models are available. For prices of these iButtons, as well as information on quantity discounts, please contact us. Available models include:

DS1990A
DS1992L
DS1993L
DS1995L

DS1996L
DS1982
DS1985
DS1986

DS1982U
DS1985U
DS1971
DS1972

DS1973
DS1977
DS1904
DS1994L

DS1991
DS1961S
DS1963S
DS1920

DS1921L
DS1921G
DS1921H
DS1921Z

DS1922E
DS1922L
DS1922T
DS1923

Who else is using the iButton?

Lots of companies are using the iButton for security, convenience or efficiency. Some examples:

Employees at the U.S. Mint in Denver aren't allowed to carry money into the facility, so they use iButtons to operate the vending machines. Across Canada, many vending machines can be operated by iButtons or with cash.
TimePilot offers a line of door locks that are operated by the same iButtons used by their timeclocks. Besides providing security, the locks also record who operated the lock and when. You can also add and delete iButton "keys" without the need for a locksmith as well as give users the ability to open a lock with their iButton only at certain times and/or only between certain dates. For details, please visit www.CrossOverLock.com.
A school in Celebration, Florida, issues iButtons to its students, who use them to open classroom doors and log onto computers. The school plans to expand the technology to its cafeteria, allowing students to pay for their meals with their iButton. This has the added benefit of privacy: Students are prevented from knowing which classmates are on a government-funded reduced-price or free meal program.
Ryder truck rental mounts an iButton on the side of each of its trucks. The button records the truck number, its rental location, the customer's name and odometer reading at the start of the rental; when the truck is returned the information is downloaded into the company's database for billing.
The mass transit system in Istanbul, Turkey, is one of the biggest users of the iButton. Some 1.4 million riders use iButtons to travel on the system's subways, buses, trains and ferries.
Researchers studying human sleep patterns have found that their test subjects have a hard time sleeping while attached to a nest of wires, so they came up with a different method: One version of the iButton tracks and records temperature, so the researchers tape Maxim's temperature logger iButtons to the subjects. The iButtons contain a clock, temperature detector and memory, and can record data every five minutes during the night. In the morning, scientists simply take the iButtons and download the data they have collected. If you're interested in purchasing data-logging iButtons, contact us.

iButton® is a registered trademark of Maxim Integrated Products of Sunnyvale, California.