Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
I wanted to introduce my retro computing projects to punched paper tapes. Reading paper tapes is conceptually fairly simple, and there are numerous options out there including DIY. However, punching is more difficult because the mechanism is more demanding. I bought an AKI Typesetter Keyboard on eBay. It was advertised as being nonfunctional. I repaired the device, and then reverse-engineered enough of it to be able to figure out how to drive it with a raspberry pi. These typesetter keyboards were typically used in the 1970s for large newspapers and other production facilities, where operators would type documents using the keyboard to a paper-tape. The paper-tape would have then been taken to a slugcasting machine / linotype for production. The keyboard has no display mechanism, no serial or parallel interface -- the operator simply types and the result goes directly to paper tape. I was able to control is using the raspberry pi and wrote a program to issue test patterns and print novelty banners. For more retro computer projects, please see smbaker.com
I wanted to introduce my retro computing projects to punched paper tapes. Reading paper tapes is conceptually fairly simple, and there are numerous options out there including DIY. However, punching is more difficult because the mechanism is more demanding. I bought an AKI Typesetter Keyboard on eBay. It was advertised as being nonfunctional. I repaired the device, and then reverse-engineered enough of it to be able to figure out how to drive it with a raspberry pi. These typesetter keyboards were typically used in the 1970s for large newspapers and other production facilities, where operators would type documents using the keyboard to a paper-tape. The paper-tape would have then been taken to a slugcasting machine / linotype for production. The keyboard has no display mechanism, no serial or parallel interface -- the operator simply types and the result goes directly to paper tape. I was able to control is using the raspberry pi and wrote a program to issue test patterns and print novelty banners. For more retro computer projects, please see smbaker.com
