What's a "computer console" selectric called?

From: John Lawson <jpl15_at_netcom.com>
Date: Fri May 28 01:53:55 1999

On Fri, 28 May 1999, Tony Duell wrote:

> Don't forget the (totally crazy) ICL Termiprinters. There were at least 4
> models :
>
> These were _strange_ machines. The printing mechanism was that of a
> band-type line printer. There was a rubber belt that ran round a pulley
> at each side of the machine Slotted into this belt were metal fingers
> with the characters on them. And there was a hammer bank to press the
> character fingers onto the ribbon/paper.


  Sounds like a re-badged Terminet to me. I had three GE Terminets
at one time, two ran and one for parts. I had the ASR version with
the twin cassette ('DataSette') box that functioned like a punch/reader.

  FWIW, I have the complete manual sets for these machines, service,
operation, and reference.

  They were a lot of fun and I wish I had kept one. They were
capable of 300 baud upper and lower case ASCII, and made the neatest
'rack-rack-rack' sound as the hammers progressed across the paper.
One could remove and replace the type fingers (which travelled in
the rubber belt) to get different fonts.

  I used them for several years back in the late 70's BBS days,
before I finally got to experience the luxury of an old decrepit
Lear ADM-3... woo-hoo! no more meter-deep scrolls of paper all over
the room at the end of the night! No more noise at three AM! No more
ribbon running dry at the most critically inoportune moment....


  Them's was the Days


  Cheers

John
Received on Fri May 28 1999 - 01:53:55 BST