Long shot: do I know anybody in Europe who can provide two dozen 12 row, 80 column punch cards, preferably punched with a specific text? (no advertising)
Background: August of this year marks 45th anniversary of a Nixdorf Computer apprenticeship, and we're meeting. I thought it would be cute to present colleagues with a punch card (which is what we first programmed on) as a souvenir.
Obviously I'd be very willing to pay for the service!
Boosts appreciated.
@jpmens Presumably you want genuine cards, not a reproduction?
@ralight I'd prefer genuine, but anything which looks and feels (paper thickness / stiffness) like a punch card would do the trick
@jpmens In that case, one option might be to print to card then use a laser cutter for the punching (from where I'm sat, getting a punch would be the trickiest part!)
@jpmens well... I've got access to a lasercutter and can run batch jobs... If you point me to a source for matching paper and have a layout in mind, I can probably help you out.
@jpmens I guess these are too specific? https://www.ebay.de/itm/226908322498 Other option: https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?item=206020169282&rt=nc&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l161211&_ssn=7274tina
@Katti good find!!
Indeed, the first are too specific, but the green ones would be an option ...
Thank you for your trouble!
@jpmens I love doing research. Turns out I should've started a scientific career.
@jpmens Else: https://www.kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/edv-lochkarten-vintage-rar/3309070113-234-2064 these are 4,5 Kilos of punch cards :D
We could produce cards which would look very close to originals.
With or without printing/punching. Back printed - serialized numbered... blablabla... hidden stuff to scratch (like lottery)
Vectorial 1:1 File. File format doesn't matter...
We're a technical printing company and developing industrial in-line printing stuff... ALL technologies in house...
10km off the center of Siegen in Germany.
But two dozen? There is no difference between 24 and 100 - the first is very expensive.
@jpmens I would probably ask https://www.hnf.de. And as you did the apprenticeship at Nixdorf they might even have some specials for you.
@armando I beat you to it, but thank you for the idea.
Indeed we will be meeting up there on the day.
(If you've not been to HNF, it's really worth a visit if you are in the vicinity.)
@jpmens yes, I want to go there. Hadn’t had the opportunity to go. Next time I’m in the vicinity I’ll probably get to make a stay.
I herewith award @Katti "Resercher Extraordinaire" award for this find: 4.5 kgs of punch cards!)
They're not _quite_ what I want them to look like, but close, but the punching might be an issue..)
@jpmens Maybe @filid of datArena in Munich can help with connections for punching. Although I'm quite sure, currently there only are IBM 029 card punches available in working condition, no automated punch fpr batches of cards. So each card needs to be punched more or less manually. Despite the fact, that @filid recently relocated away from Munich towards Balric Sea, which might makes things more complicated.
Any computer museums in the area (or wider area) that might have the required card punch? 🙂
For a donation or membership they might oblige 😁
