fourjawchuck
It’s black wax 5 hole paper tape and the controllers the use it are Allen Bradley, manufactured in early 80s I believe but I’d have to check dates.
We also have a few machines that read from magnetic tape so lots of old almost historical computer equipment, but still being used amazingly and making money.
In fact there is a fixture in the shop we just finished on one of those machines that is for an aerospace customer of ours.
It’s very interesting to me and something I hadn’t seen before working at this shop.
It’s amazing what is still out there running.
Then understanding battery storage for the solar and integrating this.
You should become licensed to do all of this or be prepared to build a business that employs people to do so.
Next would be to build a solar grid in your yard or buy some land to build on. Then offer to sell it at below market rates to neighbors and integrate your solar grid into their homes.
The end goal being something analogous to a WISP which you could continue to add on to as capital and experience permits.
I recently left software development partially because of the complaints you mentioned.
Machining doesn’t pay much these days though so don’t expect software money