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Here's a table summarizing what I can find out about different IBM interpreter models:
Type | Name | Introduced | Repertoire | Columns | Rows | Feed | Stacker | Speed |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
541 | ||||||||
542 | ||||||||
550 | Automatic Interpreter | 1930 | Numeric | 45 | 1 | 800 | 1000 | 75 |
551 | Check Writing Interpreter | 1946 | Alphanumeric | 45 | 5 | 60 | ||
552 | Alphabetical Interpreter | 1946 | Alphanumeric | 60 | 2 | 60 | ||
557 | Alphabetic Interpreter | 1954 | Alphanumeric | 60 | 25 | 800 | 900 | 100 |
548 | Interpreter | 1958 | Alphanumeric | 60 | 2 | 700 | 900 | 60 |
Columns: | How many card columns can be interpreted in one pass. |
Rows: | On how many different rows can printing be done? |
Feed: | How many cards can go in the card (input) feed. |
Stacker: | How many cards can go in the (output) stacker. |
Speed: | Throughput, cards per minute. |
The 551 or its successors (if any) is/are known to millions of people who received US government or other checks printed on IBM cards or punched-card bills from public utitilities up until the not-too-distant past. Special features of the 551 included regular plus double-width type (e.g. to emphasize the amount of a check) and automatic asterisk fill (to prevent additional digits from being added after the fact), as shown in the following sample check:
Tabulators, Sorters, Key Punches, Collators, Reproducers, Calculators.
Language | Link | Date | Translator | Organization |
---|---|---|---|---|
Danish | Dansk | 2022-06-02 | Marcus Insgaard | Beste forbrukslån |
Norwegian | Norsk (Nynorsk) | 2022/02/06 | Stian Skjelbred | Beste forbrukslån |
Ukrainian | Українська | 2022/05/30 | Emily-Hannah Watts | Fixgerald |
Columbia University Computing History | Frank da Cruz / fdc@columbia.edu | This page created: January 2001 | Last update: 2 June 2022 |