IBM 82
| Company type | Product line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Data processing equipment |
| Founded | 1925 |
| Headquarters | Armonk , United States |
| Products | Punched card sorters (models 80, 81, 82, 83, 84) |
| Parent | IBM |
A punched card sorter is a device engineered to organize stacks of punched cards, an essential step in data processing using unit record equipment. During processing, decks frequently underwent multiple reorderings. For instance, the IBM 80 series sorters categorized cards into 13 distinct pockets according to the presence of holes in a specified column and the machine’s sorting configuration.
Basic operation
The sorter inspects a single column on each card and channels it into one of thirteen compartments—twelve designated for data rows and one reserved for blanks or errors. Cards travel face down with the bottom edge leading beneath a metal brush or an optical sensor that identifies punched holes. Depending on the detected holes and the sorter’s settings, metal chute blades direct each card into the correct output pocket.
Sorting operations
Sorting across multiple columns employed a least significant digit methodology, proceeding from the rightmost column toward the leftmost. Numeric columns, punched in rows 0 through 9 and potentially including sign overpunches, could be sorted in a single pass. Alphabetic columns necessitated two passes due to their combination of zone and digit punches.
Alphabetical sorting techniques differed based on sorter model and data specifics. Early IBM machines such as the 082 conducted alphabetic sorting over two passes per column—initially focusing on digit rows (1-9), followed by zone rows (12, 11, 0). Operators could disable certain rows during the second pass to enhance sorting efficiency for alphabetic characters.
Complex characters and punctuation marks involved multiple punches per column; advanced models like the IBM 083 and 084 were capable of interpreting these intricate codes and would divert cards with irregular punch patterns into error pockets.
Earlier sorters
The challenge of sorting cards emerged prominently during the 1900 agricultural census, prompting Herman Hollerith’s company to develop the 1901 Hollerith Automatic Horizontal Sorter, which featured horizontal pockets.
In 1908, Hollerith released the more compact 070 Vertical Sorting Machine, which could process up to 250 cards per minute.
The Type 71 Vertical Sorter, introduced in 1928, contained 12 pockets each holding 80 cards and operated at a speed of 150 cards per minute.
Subsequent models included the Type 75 Model 1, capable of sorting 400 cards per minute, and Model 2, which sorted at a rate of 250 cards per minute.
IBM 80 series Sorters
The IBM 80 series card sorters—sometimes identified with a leading zero such as IBM 080 or IBM 081—included:
- IBM 80 Electric Punched Card Sorting Machine, model 1, launched in 1925, with a sorting speed of 450 cards per minute. This magnetically driven horizontal sorter nearly doubled the throughput compared to the earlier Hollerith 70 vertical sorter. By late 1943, IBM had leased more than 10,200 units.
- IBM 80, model 2, introduced around the early 1920s, operating at a rate of 250 cards per minute.
- IBM 81 Sorter, with unspecified details.
- IBM 82 Sorter, introduced in 1949, capable of processing 650 cards per minute.
- IBM 83 Sorter, released in 1955, increasing speed to 1000 cards per minute.
- IBM 84 Sorter, debuted in 1959, achieving a throughput of 2000 cards per minute.
In August of 1957, rental fees were set at $55 monthly for an IBM 082 basic model and doubled for an IBM 083. By the year 1969, only models IBM 82, IBM 83, and IBM 84 remained available for rental.
Contemporary card sorting devices
During the early 2020s, TCG Machines introduced a card sorter specifically intended for trading card game cards. Today's sorting machines have transitioned from using punched cards and mechanical brushes to employing image sensors (cameras) combined with computer vision technology, although their overall design and functionality remain largely similar to earlier versions.
See also
Further reading
- IBM Archives: IBM Type 80
- (rental rates, descriptions, photographs)