Paper tape and Cards (and maybe ttys)

From: Chuck McManis <cmcmanis_at_freegate.com>
Date: Wed Jan 13 15:27:01 1999

When I got the PDP-8/e I wanted to add a Teletype (ASR-33) for its console.
This being the one true console for a PDP-8. So I started looking around,
then deeper, then deeper still. After going to many ham swaps, lots of the
Silicon Valley surplus scene, and the Internet I determined that 1996 was
the year of the great TTY purge. Literally dozens of people told me, "I
junked n of them last year." (in 1997 of course). I then began advertising
and eventually put up posters in a couple of the more well known "surplus"
places around town offering $100 for one in good condition. I got serveral
calls, many because and ASR-32 (5 bit TELEX machine) had shown up, and a
few "How about an KSR-43?" (got one of those), and a couple of "I've only
got pieces of one." I've collected a bunch of pieces and have been
restoring some of them. I then was contacted by a wonderful person in Utah
who actually had a running one and I bought it from him. However, that one
was not wired for current loop (it had some home brewed RS-232 converter on
it) and it's reader is not functioning. (No idea why yet.)

I say "at the moment" because I cannot tell if this lull is permanent or
temporary. Lots of machine shops had ASR-33's and they might be converting
them at some point. Jim Willing was looking for one too, I don't know if he
found one or not. I know of two others, but how they will go is unknowable
to me.

--Chuck

At 12:47 PM 1/13/99 -0800, you wrote:
>> Western Numerical Supply in Grass Valley California sells paper tape. I
>> bought some from them for an ASR 33 I've been restoring. Getting mechanical
>> TTYs is somewhat difficult at the moment.
>> --Chuck
>
>What do you mean "at the moment"?
>
>I've thought about buying a Teletype for fun (haven't decided which model --
>I suppose the 5-bit ones are a lot simpler to maintain). The sources I
>would check are this list, ham radio swapmeets/rallies, organizations for
>the deaf (since Teletypes have had long and honorable service as TDD's), and
>all the other usual places. But I don't know the prospects or the prices.
>
>So your message had me a bit worried -- What made you write that? Do you
>expect the situation to improve?
>
>OK, there is a local museum with a nice collection -- they might have
>pointers too but somehow I doubt they would sell any of their machines.
>
>-- Derek
Received on Wed Jan 13 1999 - 15:27:01 GMT