Keyboard actuator

From: Richard Erlacher <richard_at_idcomm.com>
Date: Thu May 11 15:47:06 2000

Yes, that's the "rate" for the selectric. However, there were at least two
selectric mechanisms, and the 134.5 baud rate was for the ruggedized printer
for the 1130 system. Those would last over a year under pretty hard useage
(I was the user and watched the same mechanism run for about a year).
However, the normal desktop selectric typewriter would fall apart within a
very short time with a mechanical actuator. I tried this myself once, but
was dissuaded from continuing it when a friend's selectric broke under the
actuator he'd bought through an ad in BYTE.

The selectric mechanism is a VERY complicated one in terms of the linkage
between the typeball and the keys. The keyboardless 1131 printer was much
more rugged, owing to the fact that it didn't have that complicated
mechanism of bails and cams that was the "keyboard encoder" and set the
rotation of the typeball.

There was also a selectric model that had a data cable that went to/from a
computer system. I never had the opportunity to use one of those, but I
recall reading that it had the separate mechanism of the 1131 printer but an
electronic keyboard encoder, hence, relied on the computer to tell it what
to type. In that sense it was full duplex. When the cable was detached, it
would echo directly to the typeball.

Dick

----- Original Message -----
From: <allisonp_at_world.std.com>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 11, 2000 2:13 PM
Subject: Re: Keyboard actuator


> > Depending on how you count words, spaces, etc., 14.8 or 15 characters
per
> > second is APPROXIMATELY 150 words per minute.
>
> Well back then if someone said 134.5 for the baud rate you could bet the
> printer was a selectric.
>
> Allison
>
>
Received on Thu May 11 2000 - 15:47:06 BST

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