The First key punch (80 column card punch) used by Royal Malaysia Police Computer Division (1976 to 1986)

(The photo shows Herman Hollerith's Type 001 manual (non-electric) numeric key punch. The nameplate indicates it was manufactured by The Tabulating Machine Co., Hollerith's company that was to become IBM. The 1901 patent diagram [44] is shown at left (CLICK image to magnify). This was the first key punch (i.e. card punch operated from a keyboard), allowing a skilled operator to punch 200-300 cards per hour. Also see Baehne [91] Plate 3. Photo: [74] Ref:  http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/oldpunch.html )

2. You must be wondering; what is this all about? Here I wish to make a quick note of what we in the
Royal Malaysia Police Computer Division "used" to make our Mainframe computer ticked in the 70s and 80s. We have (2) of the above monster and both we laid to rest. One is in the Police Muzium and the other is with someone or maybe lost in action.

3. The ##beauty## about this machine is this. Today: if you were to key in your text into the computer, or tablet or what not have you; you just use the keyboard. But those days, one of our ways to do so is through this faithful monster. Mind you, this fella doesn't talk to the computer. You have to do the tricks. First you have to take a blank  80 column card. Then you have to slot into this friend and using your fingers you have to punch the card manually. To type the word HELLO you have to punch in 5 times. Each time you punch;  you have to punch in at less 2 holes
simultaneously. And you have to punch the correct code combination to get it right (eg: code 10, 3, 8 is a full stop (3 holes)). 

4.  Once you have got your HELLO card correct, you have to feed it into the CARD READER to get it read.

5.  If you make one mistake in the process of punching the hole, you are finished. You have to throw away the card. As time goes on, we don't waste the error cards  anymore. We innovated and simply paste back the wrong hole with its original residue. It worked; but at times, it will fall off during reading by the card reader. Then it will reflect "card error". If it work with the trick, we have saved the government one card. That was our small contribution to Malaysia. Bravo!

6.  Woow..... We** really had hardtimes those days. But we enjoyed doing our computer work with  all the handicaps, hardship, critics, and the time consuming efforts.

7.  Today it will remain with us as our sweet memories. He he he....Bravo to my fellow team.

8.  As for today, things have been made easy. We too are enjoying it with the rest of the world.


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Note:
We**: ( Sorry: All Salutations are removed. And also not in proper order of seniority.)
Mariman, Foong, Nasir,Koe CJ,Jamil, Hamzah, Zubaidah, Sheikh, Zaleha ,Nahariah ,Moin, Malek, Ng Koon Yoo, Tan Jooi Hong,Patrick,  Teoh SB, Tan, Rafik, Raja, and many many more which I will update later......