https://unimplementedtrap.com/paper-tape-punch
A nice application of good-enough engineering to make a compatible paper tape punch.
Before anyone howls in derision:
Feel free to make your own, better model.
Some early machines punched on old film stock, that might be a option rather than paper.
It’s much, much harder than the thermal paper the author is using. I suspect you might need hydraulics, and not the little solenoids this project uses
Famously early Zuse machines used film stock for tape.
It’s a nice build! And a paper strip cutter, too, which answers one of my questions.
Interviewing software engineers from the early 1970s, I heard that they used mylar “paper tape” to move binaries from a PDP-10 development machine to a PDP-11 target. Me, I “cut my teeth” on DECtapes, and later, on 8 inch floppies, but I still remember the visible whoosh of DEC’s high-speed, fan-fold, paper tape readers of the era. Come to think of it, DECtapes were all incompatible across machine architectures, which is maybe why paper tape got used.
I find it quite remarkable that the fanfold paper tape worked so well!
That is truly satisfying to watch. I recently read some fan-fold tape as a favor to someone who wanted to preserve code from their school days, but my high speed reader is designed for reels, not fan-fold; it was somewhat messier:
Anyone have any idea how much a DEC high speed paper tape reader/punch cost back in the 1970s?
An admirable project - cf in the early 60’s one of my training aids for a digital computer course was a slow (really slow…) reader box that lit lights for the read code, quite why it existed I don’t remember, it might have been a simple relay adder, but to produce a tape that was demo-meaningful I could get the paper - we had a couple of Elliott 803s that used tape - but the “boss” would not provide a hand-punch for prepping my short lengths of tape; I ended up with a blunted nail and hammer to (crudely) produce the required pattern for a while until he relented - couldn’t explain away the noise I suppose. Defence budget?
Sturdier mylar tapes were used for important programs to be used repeatedly, such as bootloaders, utility programs, etc.
Flimsier paper tapes were used for one-off things, frequently updated text files, etc.
I suggested to Simon Boak he take the punch design to Oscar Vermeulen and his CEDS company for productization, maybe as a kit like the PiDP family. I haven’t heard back yet.
What do you think about flight strips? They are usually one inch wide, just like standard ehgit level paper tape. And available as both fan fold and continuous roll. Hermieu International Supply - FLIGHT STRIP PAPER
checks the link. Thermal paper 600 dpi. Could one use a optical reader, and just print the holes
on on the tape rather than punching them. The sprocket hole may need to be punched.
Yes, but. Difficult to read on the PDP-8.
Also on wishlist: DECtape. Maybe mini DECtape built from audio cassette tapes.
The low speed reader (TTY) needs oiled paper.
That was DEC TAPE II. The problem is getting tape decks with a constant speed motor.
Are all the sources of paper tape dried up?