Self-calibrating USB Paper Tape Reader | Hacker News Reader

Self-calibrating USB Paper Tape Reader

e-basteln.de

137 points_Microft34 comments

Remember my time in the us navy in the late 90s and 00’ using paper tape for a few things including loading crypto. I can’t exactly remember what also we used it for, but was strange to think of even then and often now wonder if paper tape still exists in navy. Plus side ii is pretty easy to destroy and also not impacted by any sort of emp if there was to be one.

Tape reader here http://www.prc68.com/I/CryptoM.shtml#KOI-18 and with some other fun devices like kyk-13

Thanks for post now I’m wondering what the sister project is to write paper tape as easy to store my own crypto keys.

I did the same in the Norwegian navy!

Cool! Now I can finally get rid of some of the paper tapes holding my priceless PDP-11 BASIC programs. Not sure yet if I dare look at the results (not, mind you, because I think the reader may have failed, just that 11-year-old-me probably wasn't that great a coder as I assumed at the time...).

My only reservation is that I'm apparently supposed to feed the tapes (at a leisurely maximum pace of 2.2 miles per hour) by hand, like some kind of animal...

I can’t imagine it being very difficult to add a motor to pull it along!

One of those cordless drills comes to mind, possibly some handy-man's secret weapon as well. ;] (Duct-tape for the trigger)

I have always wanted to use PCBs as structural elements for something. They are readily available based on fiberglas and aluminium, can be easily designed to whatever shape one likes, are manufactured precisely, allow to have holes and cut-outs, metal layers (even if you do not actually want to create circuits you can still have a metal layer under the soldermask to greatly improve the look of the latter), soldermask (what the surface usually is covered with) can be chosen as one of a number of different colors and the surface can be printed on as well with usually white or black print (that's called 'silkscreen' if you are curious). They are also relatively cheap on top of that. (I dread to think what an aluminium plate with an irregular shape and some cut-outs might cost if one ordered it at a regular metal-working shop.)

I like the way BLOCKCLOCK mini makes the PCB part of the aesthetics and structure of their product:

https://blockclockmini.com/

> (I dread to think what an aluminium plate with an irregular shape and some cut-outs might cost if one ordered it at a regular metal-working shop.)

Coming from the other side of this fence, I dread to think what alloy an electronics supplier would end up sending me instead of the metal that I asked for, and what surprises that might bring me structurally/chemically.

The materials used in PCB manufacture are normally specified exactly. Chemical compatibility still matters.

Aluminium plate can be laser cut or water cut and if you're doing 2D stuff then it's simple enough that they can give you an online quote and there are some fairly cheap providers in China. Maybe not quite as cheap as OSHPark for very small parts, but you do get aluminium instead of fibreglass.

There are online laser/waterjet cutting services with relatively cheap prices. Just did quick experiment with online quote calculators for pcb and laser cut approaches. With somewhat default config and 5 50mmx150mm parts I got 35$ for PCB (1.6mm default thicknes) and 22€ for laser cut aluminium part (1.5mm). The difference was as soon as you moved away from default PCB params and tried to choose thicker aluminum price quickly skyrocketed 2mm->60$, 3mm -> 200$. Laser cutting service didn't care about what they cut too much, increasing thickness up to 6mm, price slowly raised to 30€. Cutting service also had the benefit of specifying what kind of aluminum alloy they will use and choosing between various surface finishes. On the other hand for PCB you get silkscreen at no additional cost. Looking at different metal cutting service they offered even cheaper price 2x5$ - 7x5$ (depending on thickness) for same parts and choice between different aluminum alloys.

a lot of people get this wrong, and a lot of people aren't from the US, so for anyone that doesn't know, the dollar sign goes before the number, if you care about correctness.

you say it after, but when written, it goes before.

Marco Reps on YT uses PCBs as enclosure panel faces. It’s cost effective and delivers a nice finish. Highly recommend you check out his videos.

I have one of Oscar Vermeulen's PiDP-11 replicas, and the SimH simulator contained within has a virtual paper tape reader and punch. It would be pretty straightforward to hook up something like this as the reader.

Punching tape, on the other hand, seems to be pretty much impossible in the modern age. 8-bit paper tape punches never come up for sale on eBay or any other vintage computer site I've seen. And I'm not sure how feasible it is to fabricate one with a 3D printer- the real punches are like sewing machines- with thousands of little parts with timing and cams and all. Has anyone seen a DIY paper tape punch?

I’m trying to find a reason to use paper tapes today. Wouldn’t it be possible to take a video of the paper tape unreeling and calibrate to read the hole pattern?

Not with any sort of speed.

I want to see a post of someone putting together a DIY high speed (300MB/s+) LTO tape drive for less than say $500. I suspect the tape drive market is full of overpriced solutions and could use the disruption.

I guess that the mechanical part would be achievable by hobbyists, but that the signal aquitistion and processing for modern high capacity LTO drives is nearly as complex as with modern hard drives, which borders on magic :)

Depends on how you mean it:

Reading and writing LTO tapes to spec? Probably bordering on impossible.

Using LTO tapes to store and retrieve data in any way? Maybe doable.

Had me wondering if one could for example adapt one of the various data to VHS or DV projects and mod the drive to accept different tapes?

Example of one of these projects for those curious:

http://linbacker.sourceforge.net/screenshots.html

Can you buy loose high density magnetic tape?

Yes, the tapes are not expensive. The drives are.

In its time they said the RC 2000 was the worlds fastest paper tape reader.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnecentralen#Peripheral_bu...

The Colossus tape reader could read at c.5000 cps (with the tape running at 27mph [1]) - which is 2.5 x faster (and 20 years before). Worth seeing the replica Colossus at Bletchley if you get a chance.

[1] https://www.flickr.com/photos/martintomes/8751941628

Here’s a similar DIY project (at an earlier stage) with a motor drive https://www.instagram.com/p/CTF1_fyNLtz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Back in college - a while ago - I made a project that played blackjack. I punched holes in a real deck and optosensors would detect light shining through the holes. 4 bits. This solution is significantly more elegant!

Finally I can boot my PDP-8!

(Don't write & ask me about it; that was a joke.)

This looks like a good tool. Do we still have data of historical interest (for example, government records, or records from important companies) that exist only on paper tapes?

Next project, Self-calibrating USB Paper Tape Writer.

Turing Completeness.

It would be fun to use something like this with tapes for music boxes.

Some have created "printer" for tapes for music boxes: https://youtu.be/w7nJak1tcmA (Labels are in French but the video is mostly self explanatory).

Must have some machine for wave pattern punching as well. But not that small tape though.

But with the MIDI protocol encoded on it :)

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