The IBM 1402 was a high speed card reader/punch

Punched card reader

A punched card reader or just card reader is a computer input device used to read data from punched cards. A card punch is a output device that punches holes in cards under computer control...

 introduced on October 5, 1959 as a peripheral input/output device for the IBM 1401

IBM 1401

The IBM 1401 was a variable wordlength decimal computer that was announced by IBM on October 5, 1959. The first member of the highly successful IBM 1400 series, it was aimed at replacing electromechanical unit record equipment for processing data stored on punched cards...

 computer. It was later used with other computers of the IBM 1400 series

IBM 1400 series

The IBM 1400 series were second generation mid-range business decimal computers that IBM sold in the early 1960s. They could be operated as an independent system, in conjunction with IBM punched card equipment, or as auxiliary equipment to other computer systems.1400-series machines stored...

 and IBM 7000 series

IBM 700/7000 series

The IBM 700/7000 series was a series of large-scale computer systems made by IBM through the 1950s and early 1960s. The series included several different, incompatible processor architectures. The 700s used vacuum tube logic and were made obsolete by the introduction of the transistorized 7000s...

 product lines. It was adapted as the IBM 1622 Card Read-Punch for the IBM 1620

IBM 1620

The IBM 1620 was announced by IBM on October 21, 1959, and marketed as an inexpensive "scientific computer". After a total production of about two thousand machines, it was withdrawn on November 19, 1970...

 and provided the basic design for the models 2501, 2520 and 2540 equipment used with the IBM System/360 product line.

Card reader

• Card read speed up to 800 punched card
  Punched card
  A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...
  
  s per minute (models 1, 2 and 3) or 450 cards per minute (models 4, 5 and 6).
• Card input file for 3000 cards (models 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) or feed hopper for 1200 cards (model 5).
• Three stackers (NR, 1, 2/8) with approximately 1000-card capacity hold cards after they are read.

Card punch

• Card punch speed up to 250 cards per minute (all models).
• Feed hopper for 1200 cards (all models).
• Three stackers (NP, 4, 2/8) of approximately 1000-card after cards are punched. The 2/8 stacker is shared by the card reader and punch, but timing considerations make it difficult to use for merging operations.
• Option to read from the punch feed.

Punched card format

The 1402 uses IBM 80-column punched card

Punched card

A punched card, punch card, IBM card, or Hollerith card is a piece of stiff paper that contains digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions...

 format, although an option was available to process 51-column cards. A column Binary option allowed cards with any combination of holes to be read and punched.

Error checking

Both the reader and punch mechanisms count the number of holes in each column at a separate station. An error is indicated and the mechanism stops (if the I/O check stop switch is on) if the number of holes counted at the read station differs from the number of holes counted at the first, check station (for reading) or punched at the first station (for punching).

In addition, when not operating in column-binary mode, the reader indicates an error and stops (if the I/O check stop switch is on) if the punch combination in any column does not indicate a valid character.