Punched Paper Tape Reader (1)

A paper tape reader can be used to input instructions and data onto some computers (for example, the WITCH) by reading five hole punched paper tape. Punched paper tape is a binary method of data storage, where holes (the exact location of which represent numbers or letters) are punched onto a long strip of paper. The tape reader is able to read the strip of punched paper tape using small pins that poke through the holes. The WITCH, the oldest working example of a First Generation computer, can read paper tape at a speed of roughly three characters per second. To put this into perspective, it would take the WITCH 11 years to read 1GB of data!