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Carmatic card questions

After 10 years I can't recall if my Hickok Cardmatic LS-15874-L2 or
AN/USM-118A or B cards were ever returned or what. My remainder set is not
compplete and I wonder if anyone has a set or partial set for sale. I'd
also like to know if anyone has figured out an economical way to duplicate
them at reasonable cost? Did Hickok make them or a contractor, anyone from
Ceveland know?
On another tangent I wonder if anyone knows of any solenoids that are
small enough to install on 0.25 inch spacing. With 185 of these, using
extended matrix switch pins one could control the switching with a PC. I
wonder if anyone recalls seeing some device that uses small solenoids that
are small enough and cheap enough to homebrew a matrix. I know that this
plus more has already been accomplished with relays but at $1000.00 the mod
is unjustifiable for me.
Another alternative would be to have a "crossbar" of 11 by 17 rods or
slats with each one driven by a solenoid, requiring the a row and column
solenoid to be driven to select a pin. Having a solenoid at each end of the
rod might balance the operation. This would require 28 solenoids or double
that if one is needed at each end. These could be spaced on 1/2 inch
centers by staggering.
If anyone has a better idea please me know but the best would be to find
an orphaned set of cards.

73
hank wd5jfr

Evening all,

This is a good question. I too have a LS-15874-L2 that came with the small
deck that supports only Western Electric tubes and have thought about seeing
if I could get new blanks made so I could program my own tubes as needed.
Has anyone done this in the past? If so were the cards usable?

Rob

"Henry Kolesnik" wrote in message
...
After 10 years I can't recall if my Hickok Cardmatic LS-15874-L2 or
AN/USM-118A or B cards were ever returned or what. My remainder set is
not
compplete and I wonder if anyone has a set or partial set for sale. I'd
also like to know if anyone has figured out an economical way to duplicate
them at reasonable cost? Did Hickok make them or a contractor, anyone
from
Ceveland know?
On another tangent I wonder if anyone knows of any solenoids that are
small enough to install on 0.25 inch spacing. With 185 of these, using
extended matrix switch pins one could control the switching with a PC. I
wonder if anyone recalls seeing some device that uses small solenoids that
are small enough and cheap enough to homebrew a matrix. I know that this
plus more has already been accomplished with relays but at $1000.00 the
mod
is unjustifiable for me.
Another alternative would be to have a "crossbar" of 11 by 17 rods or
slats with each one driven by a solenoid, requiring the a row and column
solenoid to be driven to select a pin. Having a solenoid at each end of
the
rod might balance the operation. This would require 28 solenoids or
double
that if one is needed at each end. These could be spaced on 1/2 inch
centers by staggering.
If anyone has a better idea please me know but the best would be to
find
an orphaned set of cards.

73
hank wd5jfr

"Henry Kolesnik" wrote in message ...
After 10 years I can't recall if my Hickok Cardmatic LS-15874-L2 or
AN/USM-118A or B cards were ever returned or what. My remainder set is not
compplete and I wonder if anyone has a set or partial set for sale. I'd
also like to know if anyone has figured out an economical way to duplicate
them at reasonable cost? Did Hickok make them or a contractor, anyone from
Ceveland know?
On another tangent I wonder if anyone knows of any solenoids that are
small enough to install on 0.25 inch spacing. With 185 of these, using
extended matrix switch pins one could control the switching with a PC. I
wonder if anyone recalls seeing some device that uses small solenoids that
are small enough and cheap enough to homebrew a matrix. I know that this
plus more has already been accomplished with relays but at $1000.00 the mod
is unjustifiable for me.
Another alternative would be to have a "crossbar" of 11 by 17 rods or
slats with each one driven by a solenoid, requiring the a row and column
solenoid to be driven to select a pin. Having a solenoid at each end of the
rod might balance the operation. This would require 28 solenoids or double
that if one is needed at each end. These could be spaced on 1/2 inch
centers by staggering.
If anyone has a better idea please me know but the best would be to find
an orphaned set of cards.

73
hank wd5jfr

There is already an excellent computerized version of the Cardmatic
available by Signal Systems--Phil Frakes. This machine apparently
works very well and is in use by SND Tubes and AES. So--no need to
reinvent all of this--plus the software is done for you. You can have
your tester converted to this system by Phil and then no cards are
required. I believe he has something on the web about the machine.
The conversion is not cheap, but you are talking about a major amount
of wiring and relays. Plus--a full set of Cardmatic cards is worth
over $500.

I do have a complete card set, and have made a few cards for
people--one hole at a time. This just is not practical. My hand
gives out after two cards. Wendell Hall has a friend with an original
Hickok fixture for punching the cards. I'd like to get that fixture,
but Wendell says the guy won't part with it.

Chris

I'm aware of the computerized unit at
http://www.tubesontheweb.com/index.htm, but it's out of my range. Is there
any way to find out what the fixture looks like, better yet a pix?. Now I'm
wondering if an old IBM keypunch card maker could be the base. I can't
recall the model number., but there was no shortage.of them 40 years ago but
I'll bet you could find one cheap if you looked hard enough.
73
hank
"Chris Haedt" wrote in message
om...
"Henry Kolesnik" wrote in message
...
After 10 years I can't recall if my Hickok Cardmatic LS-15874-L2 or
AN/USM-118A or B cards were ever returned or what. My remainder set is
not
compplete and I wonder if anyone has a set or partial set for sale. I'd
also like to know if anyone has figured out an economical way to
duplicate
them at reasonable cost? Did Hickok make them or a contractor, anyone
from
Ceveland know?
On another tangent I wonder if anyone knows of any solenoids that
are
small enough to install on 0.25 inch spacing. With 185 of these, using
extended matrix switch pins one could control the switching with a PC.
I
wonder if anyone recalls seeing some device that uses small solenoids
that
are small enough and cheap enough to homebrew a matrix. I know that
this
plus more has already been accomplished with relays but at $1000.00 the
mod
is unjustifiable for me.
Another alternative would be to have a "crossbar" of 11 by 17 rods
or
slats with each one driven by a solenoid, requiring the a row and
column
solenoid to be driven to select a pin. Having a solenoid at each end of
the
rod might balance the operation. This would require 28 solenoids or
double
that if one is needed at each end. These could be spaced on 1/2 inch
centers by staggering.
If anyone has a better idea please me know but the best would be to
find
an orphaned set of cards.

73
hank wd5jfr

There is already an excellent computerized version of the Cardmatic
available by Signal Systems--Phil Frakes. This machine apparently
works very well and is in use by SND Tubes and AES. So--no need to
reinvent all of this--plus the software is done for you. You can have
your tester converted to this system by Phil and then no cards are
required. I believe he has something on the web about the machine.
The conversion is not cheap, but you are talking about a major amount
of wiring and relays. Plus--a full set of Cardmatic cards is worth
over $500.

I do have a complete card set, and have made a few cards for
people--one hole at a time. This just is not practical. My hand
gives out after two cards. Wendell Hall has a friend with an original
Hickok fixture for punching the cards. I'd like to get that fixture,
but Wendell says the guy won't part with it.

Chris

Henry Kolesnik wrote:

I'm aware of the computerized unit at
http://www.tubesontheweb.com/index.htm, but it's out of my range. Is there
any way to find out what the fixture looks like, better yet a pix?. Now I'm
wondering if an old IBM keypunch card maker could be the base. I can't
recall the model number., but there was no shortage.of them 40 years ago but
I'll bet you could find one cheap if you looked hard enough.
73
hank

The old IBM key to card punches that I have seen (and scrapped) were
the model 19 and the model 29. They were small steel desks full of
mechanical and electrical parts that no one wanted, so they were
scrapped for the steel frames and made into small work benches.

--
We now return you to our normally scheduled programming.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

"Henry Kolesnik" wrote in message ...
I'm aware of the computerized unit at
http://www.tubesontheweb.com/index.htm, but it's out of my range. Is there
any way to find out what the fixture looks like, better yet a pix?. Now I'm
wondering if an old IBM keypunch card maker could be the base. I can't
recall the model number., but there was no shortage.of them 40 years ago but
I'll bet you could find one cheap if you looked hard enough.
73
hank

I have never seen the punching fixture, but think it consists of a
number of punches with a plate and die that matches the plates in the
tester. Punches are added or removed, depending upon whether a hole
is to be punched in a certain location. When all punches are in place
the (guessing) lever is pulled and a cam drives the punches through
the card into the die. Even this method is pretty darn slow. You
would be working for a long time to make up a set of thousands of
cards. Now there was a guy selling some cards on Ebay a year or so
back--he was in California. I don't know if he has any cards left.

In article ,
Michael A. Terrell wrote:
Henry Kolesnik wrote:

I'm aware of the computerized unit at
http://www.tubesontheweb.com/index.htm, but it's out of my range. Is there
any way to find out what the fixture looks like, better yet a pix?. Now I'm
wondering if an old IBM keypunch card maker could be the base. I can't
recall the model number., but there was no shortage.of them 40 years ago but
I'll bet you could find one cheap if you looked hard enough.
73
hank

The old IBM key to card punches that I have seen (and scrapped) were
the model 19 and the model 29. They were small steel desks full of

better make that a model "026", and "029". There was also a model "129".

the 026 and 029 were distinguishable by the _round_ keys that stuck up from
the keyboard, like a forest of dowels. The "129" had a contemporary-looking
keyboard. with a grid of square keys.

mechanical and electrical parts that no one wanted, so they were
scrapped for the steel frames and made into small work benches.

I don't know anything about the cardmatic, but if it uses a 'standard'
Hollerith-style punch-card format 'card', then I know where _lots_
of "surplus" card-maker devices would be available. _Everywhere_ that
governments used "punch-card *VOTING*MACHINES*". You could even make up
a 'ballot form' that had a crib-sheet on it for what each hole in the
card meant. grin