On Nov 5, 2025, at 10:14 AM, Cory Heisterkamp via
cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
On Nov 4, 2025, at 12:24 PM, Paul Koning via
cctalk <cctalk(a)classiccmp.org> wrote:
I was just looking at some Friden Flexowriter documentation, specifically the later 2300
series. They look somewhat more modern than the well known Flexowriters but seem to be
comparable otherwise. I remember seeing a mix in the TU Eindhoven computer center, around
1970.
The documentation mentions an optional feature, the ability to read and punch "edge
punched cards". Those look like conventional Hollerith cards, but instead of the 12
row punching with rectangular holes, they are punched along the bottom edge in exactly the
same manner as an 8 channel punched tape. In other words, imagine running a blank card
through the tape path of a paper tape punch, and that's what you would see.
I never ran into this before. Has anyone ever seen these in the wild?
Paul
At least one of my Flexowriters was set up this way, though I never used it as such. I
think it was much more popular on the Friden-built accounting machines that used a Flexo
for the console. It’s been a few years, but I remember a film in the public domain showing
this setup in use for department store inventory management; the edge card was perf’d and
separated after punching. The punched section was attached to the garment and an inventory
copy was made on the aux punch for the master file at time of origination. Then at time of
sale, a portion of that tag was removed by the cashier and used to reconcile the inventory
at COB. -C
I faintly remember seeing such a thing but it may be my imagination. Your comment about
accounting machines sounds right, see page 3 of this Friden brochure:
which is where I
initially saw the edge punched cards reference.
paul