jeffj@synsys.UUCP (Jeff Jonas) (09/17/90)
>In article <1990Sep9.210454.15775@sdd.hp.com> paul@sdd.hp.com (Paul K Johnson) writes: >>I am looking for a very cheap way of reading, writing, and storing a >>very small amount of data. I was thinking of using the venerable >>computer card, either the pre-punched kind where you use a paper clip to >>complete the punch, or a mark sense card. Is anybody aware of a very >>cheap ($5 - $20) way to read either of these? >I have a similar need to Paul's. I have 30 to 50 boxes of computers >cards stored that I would like to read. What I would like to find, is >some "simple" device to read them, shove the data out a port (serial or >parallel) and let one of my computers that inhabit my basement catch the >stuff. One approach is to find an old IBM Punch & Reader units. Another >is to build a little LED/photosenser array that the cards would be moved >past by hand (My fingers hurts just thinking about it....). > >Any suggestions? Sources? Why, pull a 1442 card reader/punch from the IBM dumpster :-). Seriously, I've seen desktop card readers at surplus stores for many years now. They're probably a pain to interface. Grumble, grumble, my college threw out the desk top pneumatic card reader when the PDP/11 was decomissioned. It was fast and never jammed. But the interface sure had a lot of wires (the cable between the card reader and the unibus controller) There are probably places that do data conversion that will read your cards and put them on a more managable media (probably MS-DOS floppy), but for a fee. I have occasionally thought of interfacing a card reader (and anything else I could get cheap) to my home system, but reality strikes that I can't get all those projects done in one lifetime, and where would I put it? I'm actually thinning out my holdings as my interests and workshop inventories no longer match. Watch for postings about Crazy Jeffery's house of electronic pieces!