[GreenKeys] paper tapes and rubber bands = bummer

[Michael O'Day]

Chris,
 The optical reader is definitely the way to go. In my
former life, I have worked with both mechanical and
optical tape readers, and have had the unfortunate
experience of having more than one of my older program
tapes jam up (and get shredded)in a mechanical reader.
As I recall, the sprocket holes were also used as the
"index pulse" to trigger the reader. Just make sure
that the tape is being fed straight through the
reader, and remains at a right angle to the reader
sensors.

Mike
N9ODM
--- "Paul A. Pennington" <paulpenn at knology.net> wrote:

>     Chris;
> 
> > Those tapes are not in bad shape other than to
> have this
> > gooy rubber band remnants all over them.  I
> obviously do not want to feed
> > that stuff through my tty33 tape reader :-)
> 
>     I just remembered a device from about 1976 that
> may help you read the 
> tapes without gunking up your ASR-33:  the Oliver
> Engineering OP-80 paper 
> tape reader.  It uses optical sensing only, and the
> tape does not touch 
> anything important.  Here's a article showing how to
> build one easily:
> 
>
http://www.retrotechnology.com/herbs_stuff/s_paper.html
> 
>     Besides, your old tapes are likely going to be
> pretty soft after using 
> the solvents on them.  The ASR-33 reader pins are
> likely to go right through 
> the paper and mis-read.  That won't be a problem
> with this optical reader.
> 
>     Paul Pennington
>     Augusta, Georgia
> 
> 
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