IBM Displaywriter

From: Lawrence Walker <lwalker_at_mail.interlog.com>
Date: Wed Feb 3 16:12:26 1999

On 3 Feb 99 at 11:02, Philip.Belben_at_pgen.com wrote:

> > I picked up an IBM Displaywriter keyboard unit in a local thrift after
> eyeing
> > it for a couple of weeks and finally couldn't resist adding it to my
> > living-space challenged collection.
> > I remember seeing mention of it in an old 81 datamation mag and a 50s
> > style picture of a dedicated secretary busy at work on one and other info
> in
> > possibly an old Byte. It was touted as being very popular to the point
> that it
> > was touted over the PC and that CP/M programs were being ported to it.
> > I opened it up and it has only a small I/O board with a 15 pin connector
> and
> > takes it's power off that. It looks like an oversized C64.
> > It obviously doesn't have enough electronics to be more than a keyboard
> > terminal, but I don't recall seeing a box in the picture. I had
> understood the
> > displaywriter to be a stand alone machine. Did it have an additional box
> or was
> > it meant to connect to a CRT terminal hooked to a mainframe ?
>
> Displaywriter system generally consisted of the following boxes:
>
> System unit. PC-sized, half the case == power supply, other half == card
> cage. Card cage contains system board with 8088 and other cards.
>
> Keyboard. The thing you've got
>
> Monitor. Very similar to IBM original (mono) PC monitor, I think
>
> Printer. Daisywheel, EBCDIC, current loop.
>
> Disk drives. Usually a dual 8" unit. Could be SSSD or DSDD iirc.
>
>
> > At present it would seem to be about to join the 3270 monitor I have
> (can't
> > remember the model #) as interesting but unusable.
> > Or could I get gadzillion bucks for it on e-pay ? Any info ?
>
> My advice is: keep it against such time someone needs it...
>
> Philip.
>
 Thanks for the info Kevan S. and Phillip. If Rax's theory of old computer
synchronicity holds true I have some more IBMs that are going to acquire me.
 Damn, space considerations will require that I vacate my bedroom.

ciao larry
lwalker_at_interlog.com
Received on Wed Feb 03 1999 - 16:12:26 GMT