def _is_ascii_tipsy(f):
    """
    Checks if a tipsy auxiliary array is ascii
    """
    if isinstance(f, str):
        with open(f, 'rb') as fstream:
            return _is_ascii_tipsy(fstream)
    
    ascii = True
    try:
        l = int(f.readline())
    except ValueError:
        ascii = False
    return ascii