[game_preservation] Preserving TTY paper tape

[Andrew Armstrong]

Oh, BTW, I did check up on this; we do have digital copies of all the 
important information where needed, although a lot of random data and 
tapes with non-essential programs are not done; just simple volume there 
(and said programs and data being really boring I guess!).

It's done through simply reading it in on a tape reader for it onto a 
digital format via. I presume serial/COM, since it is usually 6 hole 
punch I think just standard ASCII storage is enough, since the various 
systems usually build in checks and balances into the stream more or 
less. Newer systems which do tape/magnetic tape etc. might even have 
terminal input/output to do read/writes of data directly (we do this on 
a newer PDP-8 machine). Generally if it can be read in a terminal it can 
be digitally captured reasonably easily (although just a tape reader is 
enough).

For emulation take this for example; Peter Onion works on our Elliott 
803 which uses paper tape, he's written an emulator (and more besides) 
and has digital files to run on it so might be a good example. 
http://www.peteronion.org.uk/Elliott/ - see the 803B Tape Reader :)

We have the facilities to do more if anyone needs some doing in the UK. 
Less so on site, since some good facilities are simply in volunteers own 
homes. :)

Andrew

On 20/01/2012 17:54, Andrew Armstrong wrote:

> Any tape programs made at TNMOC are just recorded in simple text files 

> I think, although there is no concentrated effort to get everything 

> recorded just yet - some tapes are so old we will need to do them by 

> hand.

>

> We put the data back on tapes pretty easily. All serial stuff 

> connected to the punchers I think, but I can get more information 

> tomorrow on how it is done from the experts :)

>

> Andrew

>

> On 20/01/2012 15:08, Devin Monnens wrote:

>> What is the best way of preserving TTY paper tape? I think since it's

>> visual if the image is scanned with a black background, you would then

>> have a white image with black holes, but I don't know how you'd

>> translate any of that into machine-readable data (i.e. to replicate

>> the code for an emulator) or to make a copy of the tape for use in a

>> restored computer.

>>

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