The punched card computer era ended in 1984, when IBM discontinued such systems, but was largely superseded by magnetic tape starting from the 1950s.
On the topic of ‘what’s next,’ Skyriver says they hope to make a matching compact device to create punched tapes for this system. Currently, the enthusiast has to create vector files (apparently DXF) and output them using a laser cutter and engraver. That sounds like a laborious way to create the tapes. Though this project is hardly about efficiency… It is for fun, of course.
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Mark Tyson Social Links Navigation News Editor Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
JRStern It's very cute, I like it, I'd give him an A, but I wonder if he puts it on his resume that employers would think poorly of it. Anyway half the fun of a paper tape reader is watching the mechanicals shoot the tape halfway across the room and rip it to shreds. Reply
John_Turner Let's see, what would be the 21st-century answer to punching holes in bristol paper? How about…a holographic lens on a 5-watt laser that burns a perfect circle each time you switch on the beam? Eight of those, side by side. With the laser fume collector adapted to slurp the chads out. Reply
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