- IBM 519
The IBM 519 Electric Document Originating Machine, introduced in 1946, was the last in a series of unit record machines designed for automated production of
punch card s. It could reproduce all or parts of the information on a set of cards; copy the information from a master card onto a group of detail cards; printing up to eight digits on the end of the card; compare two decks of cards, punch summary information provided by an accounting machine. It could operate at 100 cards per minute.Optional features allowed the 519 to read pencil marks on cards and punch the data they contain, and to number cards consecutively. The 519 was programmed by wiring a removable control panel.
IBM called the operation of converting cards marked with pencil marks into punched cards “mark sensing.” Mark sensing allowed a person to enter data to be used in punched-card data processing without using a key punch machine. It was used for tasks like recording long distance calls and meter readings.
Unlike other types of IBM unit record equipment, the 519 fed cards face down 12 edge first. The advantage of this was worn out decks from other equipment (which fed cards face down 9 edge first), having frayed 9 edges would still feed reliably through the reproducer, allowing a fresh copy to be made.
References
*cite book
last = IBM
title = IBM Reference Manual: 519 Document-Originating Machine
date = 1959
id = A24-1017-0
url = http://www.bitsavers.org/pdf/ibm/cardProc/A24-1017-0_519_docOrigMach.pdfExternal links
* [http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/reproducer.html Columbia University Computing History: IBM Reproducing/Summary Punches] .
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