NAC Card readers

[Alex Kowalski]

No, sorry, not those card readers -- you're talking credit cards.  I was referring to IBM Hollerith-style punch card readers, the kind that mainframe programmers everywhere used to spend hours toiling away at a keypunch creating, and then feeding into a machine to run their jobs.  We used to have a small room (the size of a big walk-in closet) filled with these cards, probably amounting to less than a million lines of code, which you can now transfer in about ... well, lickety split.   I'm talking REALLY OLD SCHOOL.  ;)

These card readers were a constant source of frustration and amusement to anyone who has ever used, jammed, or repaired one, on a daily basis:

http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/cards.html
http://www.fourmilab.ch/documents/univac/case1107.html
http://www.columbia.edu/acis/history/2501.html

As for the magnetic strip readers for credit cards, I'm sure it's possible to fabricate a reader that would interface with a PC and let you read and write your own magnetic strips.  Although I've never investigated it, I'm sure some hacker has, and suggested a kit.

Try a search for "Magnetic Strip Reader" on Google.  And don't tell them I sent you ;)

Cheers,
Alex Kowalski
'87 5KCSTQ  -- Jam-packed with the advanced solid state electronics of the future.

--
"If You're Not Part Of The Solution, You're Part Of The Precipitate."
-- John Callas, CTO, PGP Corporation


>Alex said it: 
>Is it possible to get a card reader to plug into your computer so you can read your own credit card magnetic strips? 
>
>I'm curious to see what the card company says about me and my card. 
>
>Any way to do it? 
>-SCott by BOSTON 
>
>
>In a message dated 2/27/2005 4:27:12 PM Eastern Standard Time, quattro-request at audifans.com writes: 
>
>and assorted card reader and tape drive parts,