Mécanographe

90 

A tribute to punched cards

A historically inspired set, revisited with a touch of modernity, to remind us of the importance of these little cards that shaped an entire industrial era.

Quick technical specifications
Set de 128 touches

128 keycaps set
(details)

Plastique PBT de 1,5mm d'épaisseur

 

1.5mm thick PBT

Profil Cherry

Cherry Profile

Disposition ISO et ANSI

ISO & ANSI layouts

Compatibilité MX

MX-Compatibility

Ci-dessous

More details below!

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Where do punched cards and mécanographe come from?

Punched cards first appeared in Lyon, not far from our production site, in the form of punched ribbons. In 1725, Basile Bouchon sought to automate the weaving industry. His work was later expanded by Joseph Jacquard, who developed a punched card system that, by 1801, was adopted worldwide. These humble pieces of cardboard, produced by a mécanographe, marked the beginning of an industrial revolution — enabling the precise programming and reproduction of complex weaving patterns.

An evolution in programming

In 1884, Herman Hollerith adapted punched cards to process data for the U.S. census, transforming them into an essential computing tool. He would go on to found the company now known as IBM. In 1928, IBM standardized the 80-column punched card format, which directly influenced the design of early computer screens displaying 80 characters per line. This legacy even contributed to the infamous Y2K bug, as programmers saved precious columns by storing years as two digits, writing “63” instead of “1963.”

Today, punched cards are more than historical artifacts, they are a source of inspiration, blending technological heritage with modern design.

Composition of the 128-keycaps set

Legend

R1

R2

R3

R4

F13 & Delete

Macros – Novelties

For 65% et 75%

For 7U spacebars

For ANSI layouts

If some of the diagram’s elements seem obscure, don’t worry!
Our guides to keycaps properties and language arrangements are here to support you.

Weight0.72 kg
Dimensions51 × 33 × 4 cm