All this discussion of Wayne Stahnke's work has made me think that
I ought to include some account of piano roll technology in my lectures
to students on a Media Technology degree next year.  I don't have an
Ampico player, but it would be nice to have a roll to show them.

Does anyone in the UK want to sell me a not very important, perhaps
slightly damaged, roll that would be suitable for passing around a
class of students?  It needs to show the scalloped edges that Wayne
used in his recovery process.

It could be related to the paper tapes from the Monotype printing
machine and from early computers, as well as Jacquard looms.

Please mail me direct.

Kind regards

Don Cox
doncox@enterprise.net

 [ Punched paper tapes have sprocket holes down the middle which
 [ actually serve as the "read clock strobe" in optical tape readers.
 [ The sprocket holes at the edge of computer paper serve a similar
 [ purpose -- to synchronize the paper with the "reading and writing"
 [ machinery.  The master rolls which controlled the Ampico perforators
 [ were much like computer paper and punched tapes: the sprocket holes
 [ along the edge kept the machine synchronized.  But the production
 [ piano roll has no sprocket holes, and so the synchronization must be
 [ recovered from the tiny scalloped points created by overlapping
 [ punched holes.   -- Robbie