UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - MK14 computer with a OK-80a paper tape reader

TonyDuell · 11th May 2021, 3:28 pm

I don't think I've ever seen a paper tape reader on an MK14.

It would be quite easy to interface one to one of the ports of the IND8154 chip, but as you say there's no standard software to drive it. You'd have to write your own routine, at which point the paper tape format could be just about anything you like.

I would avoid raw binary, simply because you would have to start the tape at exactly the right point. But 'skip over nulls until you find a non-zero character, ignore it, and read following characters into memory' would work. So would using 2 characters on the tape per byte, low nyble is a nybble to store, upper nybble is anything non-zero. Intel hex, while standard is probably a bit too much work.

11th May 2021, 3:28 pm	#2
TonyDuell Dekatron Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK. Posts: 5,224	Re: MK14 computer with a OK-80a paper tape reader - what data required for the paper I don't think I've ever seen a paper tape reader on an MK14. It would be quite easy to interface one to one of the ports of the IND8154 chip, but as you say there's no standard software to drive it. You'd have to write your own routine, at which point the paper tape format could be just about anything you like. I would avoid raw binary, simply because you would have to start the tape at exactly the right point. But 'skip over nulls until you find a non-zero character, ignore it, and read following characters into memory' would work. So would using 2 characters on the tape per byte, low nyble is a nybble to store, upper nybble is anything non-zero. Intel hex, while standard is probably a bit too much work.