Free punched card deck machine, suitable to make reader and punch

[Curious Marc]

Carl how big and heavy is it? I thought it was way bigger. I might take it. Someone will have to help load/unload in the car due to my injured back...
Marc

> On Jul 4, 2021, at 10:29 AM, Carl Claunch via cctech <cctech at classiccmp.org> wrote:
> 
> I bought this years ago for a planned project to create a card reader and
> card punch for a mainframe replica, using this machine that was designed to
> reproduce decks of punched cards. It is very heavy and sturdy.
> 
> It has two input hoppers and two stackers, one for the source cards and one
> for the punched copies. The punched head is cooled by ammonia gas,
> indicating that it was designed to operate at a healthy rate of cards per
> minute if it needed that kind of cooling. A keypunch, by comparison can
> punch cards at about 20 cpm with no need for cooling, so I estimate this
> could run at hundreds of CPM.
> 
> This is ideal for a hobbyist would would convert it so that it reads cards
> into some kind of mini, mainframe or other computer device, with the other
> side able to punch contents from the same computer onto blank cards. This
> works with the standard IBM '5081' style 80 column punched cards.
> 
> I am moving in 12 days and would need to send this to the scrap yard if
> someone isn't interested. I can hold it here until July 12th or 13th
> latest. You will need to bring help to move it as it weighs a few hundred
> pounds.
> 
> Pictures at -
> https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/sys/d/los-altos-free-punched-card-reader-punch/7346150919.html