Original Soviet-era aluminum programming punch card for the PROMIN (ПРОМІНЬ) computer, dating from the 1960s.

This is a vintage metal/aluminum perforated programming card used with the Soviet Promin (Промінь) computer, an early Soviet electronic computer developed in the 1960s.

The card is marked in Cyrillic “КАРТА №” (CARD No.) and “ВСЕГО КАРТ” (TOTAL CARDS). It contains 30 programming positions and uses the 16–8–4–2–1 binary coding system to represent operation codes.

Historical documentation

The use of this type of metal programming card is documented in contemporary Soviet technical literature:

• Y. N. Maliyеv, “Computing Technology in Engineering and Economic Calculations, Part II: Programming for the Promin Computer,” 1967. The publication specifically illustrates a “Перфокарта машины ‘Проминь’” (Punch card of the Promin machine) and describes the use of the 16–8–4–2–1 coding system.
• The same 1967 manual explains that programs could be entered using metalized punch cards and that up to 10 instructions could be recorded on one card.
• The Russian magazine “Наука и жизнь” (Science and Life) has also published historical material showing metal/aluminum punch cards for the Promin computer.

This makes the item an interesting piece of early Soviet computer history and Ukrainian computing heritage.

The card offered here is an original vintage artifact, not a modern reproduction.

Condition: Used vintage condition with age-related discoloration, scratches and signs of storage/use. Please examine the photographs carefully as they form part of the description.

Language: Russian/Cyrillic
Material: Metal / aluminum
Period: 1960s
Origin: USSR
Computer: PROMIN / ПРОМІНЬ

Sources:
Maliyev, Y. N., Vychislitelnaya tekhnika v inzhenernykh i ekonomicheskikh raschetakh. Chast II. Programmirovanie dlya EVM “Promin”, Kuibyshev, 1967.
Наука и жизнь — historical material on metal/aluminum punch cards for the Promin computer.