weird find: papertape "patch" puncher

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Fri Mar 5 16:23:27 2004

> More trivia -- everyone knows 8-channel tape, and a lot of people
> (older hams especially) know 5-channel tape. There is also 6-channel
> tape. It's rather specialized -- you find it in early automated

That 6 channel typestter tape is strange in one other way. In all other
paper tapes, the centres of the data and sproket holes like on a line
across the tape. On typesetter tape, the leading edges of the holes line
up, not the centres.

This means you can't punch it on a normal punch, no matter what you do
with the edge guides. You need a special die block. Most punch
manufacturers made them (for example there's a special version of the
Facit 4070), but they're not common.

In theory you need a special read head too, but in practice a normal one
will work. However you do need to fiddle with the edge guides...

-tony
Received on Fri Mar 05 2004 - 16:23:27 GMT