13 Sep
1999
13 Sep
'99
2:13 p.m.
I was just going through a box of old files (circa 1970) that my office is throwing out
and I found four cards that I need an ID on. They are the same size and shape as a
standard puch card, but appear to be made of some sort of magnetic media. They are
approximately the color of standard magnetic cassette tape on one side, and nearly black
on the other. Each card has "IBM" printed on it in white with a direction arrow
next to it in one corner of the card directly opposite the notch. In the corner with the
notch there are two groups of 3 digits, also in white.
The cards have what appear to be track marks on them in three parallel rows on the
horizontal, as if fed through a reader.
Thanks. If it would be useful I post a scan of one of these.
13 Sep
13 Sep
2:52 p.m.
On Mon, 13 Sep 1999, Wayne Smith wrote:
I was just going through a box of old files (circa
1970) that my
office is throwing out and I found four cards that I need an ID on.
They are the same size and shape as a standard puch card, but appear
to be made of some sort of magnetic media. They are approximately
the color of standard magnetic cassette tape on one side, and nearly
black on the other. Each card has "IBM" printed on it in white with
Are the cards notched on the sides? There were several
semi-random access mass storage devices that used such cards...
basically a magnetic analog of a punched card.
Slightly off the topic: I saw an early IBM device called a STRAM
(Selective Tape Random Access Memory) which used 2" wide tape loops
of about 12" diameter... they were placed on a mandrel which
stretched them into an oval for reading/writing.
Also, IBM had an early office automation product called an MTST
(Magnetic Tape Selectric Typewriter) which used early tape
cartridges.
Did not the RAMAC use magnetic cards?
Somewhere around here I have a description of an IBM device that
used individual magnetic cards... of course I can't find it... been
re-arranging the library... it's Hell.
Cheers
John
5:17 p.m.
Thanks. If it would be useful I post a scan of one of
these.
A scan would be interesting to see, I can't imagine what these would be
for, as they don't sound like anything I'm familiar with. I know IBM did a
small size punch card, but they're paper. I take it these things aren't
punched.
Zane
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9:16 p.m.
Sounds like a magcard, probably from an old MagcardII typewriter or a
Displaywriter.
On Mon, 13 Sep 1999, Wayne Smith wrote:
I was just going through a box of old files (circa
1970) that my office is throwing out and I found four cards that I need an ID on. They
are the same size and shape as a standard puch card, but appear to be made of some sort of
magnetic media. They are approximately the color of standard magnetic cassette tape on
one side, and nearly black on the other. Each card has "IBM" printed on it in
white with a direction arrow next to it in one corner of the card directly opposite the
notch. In the corner with the notch there are two groups of 3 digits, also in white.
The cards have what appear to be track marks on them in three parallel rows on the
horizontal, as if fed through a reader.
Thanks. If it would be useful I post a scan of one of these.
M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
215 Shady Lea Road,
North Kingstown, RI 02852
"Casta est qui nemo rogavit."
- Ovid
14 Sep
14 Sep
6:28 a.m.
On Tue, 14 Sep 1999, Merle K. Peirce wrote:
donm(a)cts.com
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Don Maslin - Keeper of the Dina-SIG CP/M System Disk Archives
Chairman, Dina-SIG of the San Diego Computer Society
Clinging tenaciously to the trailing edge of technology.
Sysop - Elephant's Graveyard (CP/M) Z-Node 9 - 858-454-8412
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
see old system support at http://www.psyber.com/~tcj/
visit the "Unofficial" CP/M Web site at http://www.devili.iki.fi/cpm/
with Mirror at http://www.mathcs.emory.edu/~cfs/cpm/
Sounds like a magcard, probably from an old MagcardII
typewriter or a
Displaywriter.
On Mon, 13 Sep 1999, Wayne Smith wrote:
> I was just going through a box of old files (circa 1970) that my office
> is throwing out and I found four cards that I need an ID on. They are
> the same size and shape as a standard puch card, but appear to be made
> of some sort of magnetic media. They are approximately the color of
> standard magnetic cassette tape on one side, and nearly black on the
> other. Each card has "IBM" printed on it in white with a direction
> arrow next to it in one corner of the card directly opposite the notch.
> In the corner with the notch there are two groups of 3 digits, also in
> white.
Merle's analysis agrees with some known Magcards that I have. The two
groups of 3 digit numbers are apparently for card identification as they
are not duplicated.
- don
The cards have
what appear to be track marks on them in three parallel
rows on the horizontal, as if fed through a reader.
Thanks. If it would be useful I post a scan of one of these.
M. K. Peirce
Rhode Island Computer Museum, Inc.
215 Shady Lea Road,
North Kingstown, RI 02852
"Casta est qui nemo rogavit."
- Ovid
9232
days inactive
9233
days old
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