Type 83 Card Sorter

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  • Details
  • Description
Date Introduced
1955
Photographer
Richards, Mark
Dimensions
overall: 47 in x 65 in x 21 3/4 in
Manufacturer
International Business Machines Corporation (IBM)
Credit Line
Gift of Albert J. Gubiotti
Copyright Owner
© Mark Richards
Location
United States
Keywords
Unit record equipment
Object ID
X1640.99E

These sorters use a metal brush to detect the position of the hole in the column being sorted. When the brush contacts a metal roller or bar through the hole, it closes an electrical circuit that causes an electromagnet to direct the card into one of 13 chutes leading to the appropriate bin. The type 83 could process 1,000 cards a minute – almost 17 per second.