Signal puncher

A signal puncher is a type of long-distance communication device invented in T'vaqi. Signal punchers have been rendered mostly obsolete by the advent of radio communication, though infrastructure dedicated to routing signal messages is maintained to allow for long-distance messaging in the event of a radio blackout or other communication failure. Signal punchers reached the peak of their popularity around 301 TT, a time when most of the island had access to electric power but not a more efficient means of communication.

Design and use

The signal puncher alphabet.

The actual machinery of a signal puncher consists of a rectangular box typically no larger than 2 doqoni (22.4cm) in width and height, known as the reader. A reader is electrically powered and connected to its power source via cable. The reader's main feature is a thin slot where paper can be dispensed. Communication begins by writing a message on signal paper, specially-marked paper consisting of several squares in a grid, each divided into four smaller squares. Writing is performed by cutting holes into the signal paper using a square hole puncher; each square on the grid represents the space needed for a single letter. As the T'vaqi alphabet has exactly 16 unique characters, each can be represented by a unique pattern of holes on a 2x2 grid. Once the message has been written and marked with the locations of the sender and recipient, the signal paper can be fed into the slot of the reader. The reader then interprets the holes present on the paper and converts the message into an electrical signal. This signal is then routed via underground wire to a signal puncher routing station, where the message is sent from station to station until it can be delivered to its recipient. At the height of their popularity, this process took an average of two hours, though a decline in overall use and improvements in routing efficiency have considerably improved this transmission time.

Traditionally, when a message reaches the routing station closest to the intended recipient, the signal is decoded, transcribed, and sent to the recipient by hand. As this process has been deemed inefficient, most modern readers have the ability to receive and decode signals in addition to sending them.

History

The first prototype for the signal puncher was developed in 375 TT by the electrical engineering pioneer Iniriqo Hrshal. The reader prototype, which could only process one character per minute, nonetheless proved successful as an efficient means of long-distance communication. Hrshal, aged 70 at the time of the invention, passed away three months after developing the first prototype. He wished for his son, Oqi Hrshal, to continue his work after death; Oqi would develop a much more efficient machine, eventually commercializing the product under the name Toha Electronics. As the signal puncher grew popular across the island, others began developing and distributing their own models. By the time of Oqi's death, signal puncher routing stations had been established island-wide. Despite the invention of radio technology in 50 TT, signal punchers would remain the most popular long-distance communication device until 2 TT, when radio systems had become affordable for the majority of the populace. Toha Electronics, having already shifted away from signal puncher technology, remained in business while other companies dependent on revenue from the devices disappeared.