Large (~30 cm diameter) tape reels began to be employed at CRNL with the G-20 for input and output around 1962. These reels were often assigned to a particular project or user and were stored in the central computing center to store data and programs. To protect the tape surface from dust and damage, the reels were stored in plastic storage cases. The upper two photographs show a reel both inside and outside its plastic storage case. The lower two photos show the 12.5 mm (nominal ½ inch) tape and the indicator scale to show the number of turns of tape. These tapes were especially valuable during that era when solid-state memories were still unknown.
