This is for Dan about the ticker codes. You can figure out how to do that by how the old teletype units worked. It is simply the repsentattion of the asci codes punched into a line of holes in the paper. For a while there was an attachment you could use to interface the rs232 and have it talk to the reader.
Anyhow, the first hole if I remember right on the left side is the index pulse and the next seven holes correspond to the asci code for the character being sent. Since the index hole tells the system when there is a charater ready, the timing is left to it. No specific speed to maintain. We sometimes loaded code by pulling it through the reader by hand. "dating myself here a bit

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If you intend to keep using it, try and switch to the old heavy milar mag tapes as they are more forgiving and wont tear so easily. Just cut down to the right width and punch away.
thaelin
A dream will be nothing but a dream unless you go after it.