Punched card input/output

An IBM 650 computer, introduced in 1953, came with the IBM 533 Card Reader/Punch, right. At many IBM 650 installations, punched cards were the only input and output medium.

IBM 711 card reader on an IBM 704 computer at NASA in 1957

The popular IBM 1401, introduced in 1959 featured a fast card reader/punch, the IBM 1402, left and a fast line printer, the IBM 1403, right

IBM 711 card readers, far left and foreground, attached to dual IBM 7090s at NASA Mission Control in 1962.

An IBM 2540 Card Reader Punch at the University of Michigan computer center in 1968

Punched card reader on an IBM System/360 Model 20

IBM System/3, announced in 1969 introduced a new, smaller punched card and a combined reader/punch/sorter, right

IBM 7070 with IBM 7501 Console Card Reader, right, based in the IBM 026 keypunch

A computer punched card reader or just computer card reader is a computer input device used to read executable computer programs and data from punched cards under computer control. A computer card punch is a computer output device that punches holes in cards under computer control. Sometimes computer card readers were combined with computer card punches and, later, other devices to form multifunction machines.

Most early computers, such as the ENIAC, and the IBM NORC, provided for punched card input/output.^[1] Card readers and punches, either connected to computers or in off-line card to/from magnetic tape configurations, were ubiquitous through the mid-1970s.

Punched cards had been in use since the 1890s; their technology was mature and reliable. Card readers and punches developed for punched card machines were readily adaptable for computer use.^[2] Businesses were familiar with storing data on punched cards and keypunch machines were widely employed. Punched cards were a better fit than other 1950s technologies, such as magnetic tape, for some computer applications as individual cards could easily be updated without having to access a computer.

Card readers/punches

CDC

• CDC 405 — CDC 6000 series card reader
• CDC 415 — CDC 6000 series card punch

Documation

Documation M-600 card reader

Documation Inc., of Melbourne, Florida, made card readers for minicomputers in the 1970s:

• M-200 card reader, 300 cards/minute^[3] also sold by DEC as the CR-11 card reader for the PDP-11^[4]
• M-600 card reader, 600 cards/minute
• M-1000-L card reader 1000 cards/minute^[5]

IBM

• IBM 711 card reader computer peripheral used in the vacuum tube era
• IBM 1402 high speed reader/punch introduced with the IBM 1401
• IBM 1442 reader/punch introduced with the lower-cost IBM 1440
• IBM 2540 reader/punch derived from the 1402 that was introduced with System/360

See also List of IBM products#Punched card and paper tape equipment

References

1. Stern, Nancy (1981). From ENIAC to UNIVAC: An Appraisal of the Eckert-Mauchly Computers. Digital Press. p. 50. ISBN 0-932376-14-2.
2. The IBM 711 Punched Card Reader's card-feeding mechanism was similar to the IBM 402's card-feeding mechanism
3. Documation M-200 Card Reader Manual, 1972
4. Documation M-200 photo
5. Documation M1000L Card Reader

See also

• Plugboard discusses how early card readers worked in some detail.