paper tape reader EECO "The Director"

[steven at malikoff.com]

Bill said
> Per my post from last week, after checking out the Decitek readers I ended
> up getting a used by warrantied EECO "The Director" MT-82 tape reader with
> a short-height spool for a good price.
>
> Here is the manual.
> http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/eeco/DOC10006_EECO_MT-82_MTS-82_Mar82.pdf
>
> Anyone use this unit?  I saw some youtube video display how the servos
> appear to treat the tape kindly, that was a selling point.  Not as
> interested in speed as that's not the point, eh?

I have one. It reads in short sharp bursts even at the lowest baud rate. I suspect
it's just buffering and adding a pause before the next read. The spindle motors are
really high torque and fast. I have only tried it with my home made tapes and a
couple old tapes, the sprocket is enough power alone to pull the tape through very
easily.
I made up an output hopper from a sheet of cardboard, some pieces of corflute, three
pieces of 30x10x220mm wood and a piece of perspex on the front so I could check the
tape was fanfolding correctly. This has a hole at the top and hangs on the spindle, the
reader is placed on the edge of the bench so the hopper can hang below it.

It's only a prototype hopper for a nicer design that can sit on/below the MTS-82 whilst
it's racked in an H960 (which it is now).

Steve.