All of the machines and systems shown here are preserved in the depths of the "Computer Garage" and most are in operational condition! (many are used on a regular basis)
All images and video clips herein are Copyright ©
1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001 James Willing
Permission is granted for reproduction for non-commercial use only with
inclusion of the above copyright notice. Any other use is prohibited without
written permission from the copyright owner.
Click on any picture to view/download a larger image (apx. 640x480)
I/O Devices (terminals,
printers, and such things)
Apple 'Silentype' Thermal Printer
The first printer introduced by Apple Computer
(more details to follow...)
Cardamation CR-300 Punched Card Reader
Yes, 80 column punched cards. Once the primary input device for most computers, this example can read up to 300 cards per minute and differs primarily from the DEC unit shown below in that this unit has a serial interface rather than the parallel interface found in most units. From the days of "Unit Record" equipment, so called because each card ("Unit") was considered to contain one item/line ("Record") of data.
Chatsworth Data OMR-500 Mark Sense Card Reader
A very compact (about 5 inched square) mark-sense card reader originally released (I believe) for use with the Apple ][ computer.
As with so many things, I have the unit but no docs or interface card. If you have one laying about that you don't need...
Commodore 1702 color video monitor
Originally released for use with the Commodore 64 and related machines, this is a good all-around critter for use in the workshop since it is a composite color monitor with built-in audio amplifier, and switch selectable audio/video jacks on the front and rear of the unit.
Digital CR-11 (Documation M-200) Punched Card Reader
Yes, 80 column punched cards. Once the primary input device for most computers, this example can read up to 300 cards per minute (if the particular computer that it was connected to could handle data that fast. From the days of "Unit Record" equipment, so called because each card ("Unit") was considered to contain one item/line ("Record") of data.
Digital Decwriter II (LA-36) Printing Terminal
(picture to follow)
A speed demon at heart, (if not in practice) this dot-matrix printer handled data at the blazing speed (well, compared to a teletype) of 30 characters per second. (under severe duress, it could managed burst speeds of 60cps) With a 9 pin dot head, full upper and lower case ASCII keyboard, and RS-232 or 20ma Current Loop serial interface, this unit was the workhorse system console for many systems for years.
This unit is a later variant in the series, adding some extra control buttons located on the left side of the keyboard.
Digital Decwriter III (LA-120) Printing Terminal
(picture to follow)
Digital Decprinter III (LP-120)
(picture to follow)
Digital LN-03 Laser Printer
(picture to follow)
Digital "ScriptPrinter" Laser Printer
(picture to follow)
Based on the same print engine as the LN-03, this unit added a PostScript graphics engine.
Digital PC-11 high speed Paper Tape Reader/Punch
Dec's standard 8 level (1 inch) high-speed paper tape reader/punch unit for the PDP-11 line. Very similar in appearance to the units used on the PDP-8 and other lines. Optical reader and mechanical punch.
Hazeltine model 1500 video terminal
(picture to follow)
Heathkit H-10 Paper Tape Reader/Punch
(details to follow)
Heathkit H-14 Dot Matrix Printer
(pictures and details to follow)
Heathkit H-19 Video Terminal
Not the first (commercial) video terminal in a kit, (I believe that honor went to the Lear Siegler ADM-3) but one of the most widely and heavily modified (hot-rodded?) both by the manufacturer (add a board with CPU, memory, a disk drive and sell it as the H-89 computer) but by third-parties as well! One of the more popular third-party upgrades for the H-19 terminal was a board that allowed the terminal to emulate a Tektronix 4010 vector graphic storage terminal. (some times a little too closely... like the bright flash when you cleared the screen, or some of the well known plotting bugs of the original 4010)
It was after all just about the perfect platform for such modifications. Standard parts, full documentation and schematics, and a basic design with lots of places to tap into... So much simpler then!
...and the H-19 was also popular with a number of OEMs. 'Omegabyte' was an Oregon based company that marketed a bundled business system built around a North*Star Horizon microcomputer with H-19 terminals. Both with revised front panels displaying the 'Omegabyte' brand.
Hewlett Packard 7550B Pen Plotter
(details to follow...)
Hewlett Packard 7586B Pen Plotter
(pictures and details to follow...)
Hewlett Packard 9872C Pen Plotter
(details to follow...)
IBM Model 029 Card Punch
Yes, 80 column punched cards (again). With a fast operator at the keyboard, this unit was capable of punching up to 20 cards per minute. Like its predecesor the model 026, the 029 had the capability of printing the information punched into the card across the top edge of the card. This unit was later followed by the model 129 which could buffer the entire contents of a card prior to actually punching it. (this allowed for a more advanced form of error correction that simply throwing the card away...)
IBM Model 082 Card Sorter
Introduced: ???
Price at Introduction: $?,???.00
(more pictures and details to follow...)
This was actually the model that I learned on in school, and was the first card sorter that came into the collection way back when along with an '026 keypunch. Those particular units moved to a new home in a trade some years back, but when this one came looking for a home who was I to refuse?
Not quite as fast as the '083 seen in the next entry, or with as many options, but a good reliable unit.
This unit is shown as currently interred in (one of) the infamous Computer Garage warehouses...
IBM Model 083 Card Sorter
The answer to the question: what do you do when you have just completed punching your program into something like 1500+ cards, start toward the computer room, and promptly drop the entire card deck which then proceeds to scatter itself randomly across the floor in several different directions?!?
You need to have a talk with this bad boy! (with apologies to Tim Allen, it's not a Binford product B^} )
The IBM 83 card sorter has a feed hopper capacity of (apx.) 3,500 cards, can hold up to 800 cards in each of its 13 output hoppers, and can process a blazing (for it's time, it was around 1958 after all) 1,000 cards per minute!
If this machine looks somewhat familiar (even if you did not learn on it in school), then you have been watching too much '60s TV. Since this machine looks quite 'busy' in operation and was impressively large it was used as a "computer" in many shows when the characters needed a computers assistance in determining a "suspect" to become the target of that weeks adventure.
After much dramatic build up, the mighty '83 would be called into action; flinging cards into the many hoppers like there was no tomorrow until the suspects card popped out alone, into a single hopper from which the character would dramatically pull the card and announce the name of the vile villan! (Hawaii Five-O worked this one a lot!)
The point that tended to cause endless amusement amongst those 'in the know'. was that the magic hopper that the suspect card always dropped into was the "reject" hopper. Not because of the nature of the suspect whos information was (supposedly) contained thereon, but because it made it very easy for the prop people to ensure that the shot worked the first time. You see... the "reject" hopper would always receive the one card in the deck that had no hole punched into the column that was being sorted on!
Integral Data Systems Model 460 "Paper Tiger" Printer
(pictures and details to follow)
Lear Siegler 'ADM-3A+' video terminal
(picture to follow)
Mountain Computer 1100A "Intelligent" Card Reader
Orginally known as 'Mountain Hardware', the company made their name in the microcomputer business by providing add on products. One of the first, and best known (at the time) was the "100,000 day" clock, a battery backed-up real time clock for S-100 bus systems. One of these boards served as the primary system clock for CBBS/NW for a good many years and still resides in the collection. They later went on to a successful line of add on products for the Apple II line of computers. As time progressed, the name changed to reflect a wider product focus.
This was one of their first products that was truly platform independent. The 1100A connected to the host system via an RS-232 serial connection which made it usable by nearly any computer on the market. Its original market focus was data collection rather than program loading as many organizations still (at the time) generated a lot of data on punched card while at the same time were beginning to migrate their operations onto these newer and increasingly capable microcomputer systems. This unit became the bridge between the worlds. (although somewhat short lived)
The unit shown is serial number 709.
NCR "Towerview" X-Terminal
(details to follow)
Oliver Audio Engineering OP-80 Paper Tape Reader
For the people who just could not deal with the price/speed of the tape reader on a teletype, this little box was a major arrival on the market. Offered as a kit for around $100.00, all you needed to go with it was a small desk lamp, a parallel port, and a marginally steady hand!
This unit used a manual drive mechanism to feed the tape (read that - you pull it!) and it was capable of reading the tape as quickly as you were capable of pulling it through the reader. The only thing you had to watch out for was not to let the tape slip backwards...
You had to be a bit careful on setting the lamp over the unit, especially with the yellow oiled tapes as they were a bit more translucent than the black and non-oiled tapes, but once you had that figured out... OAE also offered a lamp kit for the unit on later models.
...and for those who have one of these, but no docs (a far too common
occurrance)... Scanned images of the OP-80 docs are
here.
NOTE: pages 2 and 10 are rather large... Page 2 is a parts list that was
originally printed rather poorly, and page 10 is the component layout and PC
board outline.
Radio Shack DWP-210 Daisy Wheel Printer
(details to follow...)
Scantron 800MP Test Scoring Unit
"Ok class... pick up your #2 lead pencils, when instructed to begin make sure that you fill in the bubble for your answer completely, and if you need to change an answer make sure that you erase completely!"
If you have taken a test and been handed one of the infamous "multiple choice bubble forms" and received it back the next day or so with your score printed across the form in red 'dot-matrix' print, you've likely come up against one of these little critters.
The 800MP is a microprocessor controlled standalone unit. The instructor (or assistant, etc.) feeds a 'key' form (answer form) into the unit, followed by the tests. The unit compares the test forms to the stored 'key form' information, and displays the number of correct answers and percentage correct on the displays on the console while printed (selected) grading information on the form as it passes through the unit.
Interestingly enough, a later (though identical looking) model of this unit is still in production.
Scantron 8800 Mark Sense Page Reader
Another 'bubble form' reader. A bit larger and somewhat more capable unit than the 800MP, although the 8800 is intended to be coupled to a host computer for processing of the information read from the forms. The 8800 also incorporates an auto-feeder for improved throughput.
The 8800 has a larger read head, capable of scanning a full 8.5. inch wide page and is also capable (with the 'ink read head' option which this example has installed) of reading forms filled out with ink pens as well as the more common #2 lead pencil.
In operation, the host computer uploads an encoded form description table to the onboard microprocessor in the unit, which will do a basic validity check as the forms are read prior to passing the data back to the host computer.
Tektronix 4006-1 Storage Tube Graphics Terminal
Introduced: ???
Price at Introduction: $?,???.00
Tektronix 4010-1 Storage Tube Graphics Terminal
Based in part on the 'storage tube' technology developed for their oscilloscope products, the Tek 4010 series display terminals provided high-resolution (for its time) graphics at a time where semiconductor memory was far too expensive to allow for such capabilities on a 'raster-scan' type of display tube.
The '-1' update to the terminal supported the connection of a 'hard-copy' unit which could print out any information and/or graphics that were displayed on the unit on command from the host computer or by pressing a control switch on the 4010-1 console.
Tektronix 4027 Color Graphics Terminal
(pictures and details to follow...)
Tektronix 4662 Interactive Digital Plotter
(details to follow...)
Teletype Corp. Model 28 Tape Reperforator
Curiously named, this unit contains a five level paper tape punch unit and printing unit., The printed output is actually printed on the paper tape right along with the punched data.
Not shown here is the unit's power supply, which resides in an external enclosure.
Teletype Corp. Model ASR-33
The classic all-around I/O Device. Capable of printing a blazing (for its time) 10 characters per second (upper case and symbols only), generating input at the same speed from keyboard or it's built in punched paper tape reader, and punching paper tape for output and storage at the same speed, nearly everyone worked with this unit at one time or another.
Some models of this unit could even start and stop the paper tape reader or punch by command from the host computer which accounted for the "ASR" (Automatic Send & Receive) designation in it's name.
Other models in the '33 family included the "KSR-33" (keyboard and printer, no paper tape reader or punch), and the "RO-33" (printer unit only, no keyboard, paper tape reader or punch).
This unit was later followed by the model 35 series (heavy duty unit capable of upper and lower case), and the model 38 series (standard duty, upper and lower case, and wide carriage)
Teletype Corp. Model KSR-35
The heavy duty version of the Teletype, frequently found as the system console on many classic computer systems such as the PDP-8, PDP-10, and PDP-11
Sadly, also in this case a prime example of why you do not trust classic, antique, and very heavy equipment to UPS pretty much regardless of how well it is packaged. What started out as a classic piece of heavy-duty equipment in very good condition, is now a major restoration project.
...more details to follow...
Teletype Corp. Model ASR-38
The oft-rumoured, and rarely seen upper/lower case version of the classic ASR-33 teletype.
In addition to the model 38's lower case printing capability, it also features a wider carriage allowing printing of 132 characters on a line, and forms control! Yep, you can do a 'form feed' on this one and really get it to skip to top-of-page. (assuming that you loaded the paper correctly)
...and assuming that there was no body near by with a sense of humour and a penchant for practical jokes...
You see, the forms control unit in the model 38 was rather simplistic, and the top-of-page stop could be easily disabled. (do you see where this is going?) So... someone with the motivation, a little knowledge, a screwdriver, and about 30 seconds, could easily cause the next 'form feed' to become a non-stop paper fling!
Teletype Corp. Model 40 Chain Printer
(details to follow...)
Teletype Corp. Model 43 TelePrinter
(details to follow...)
Televideo 910C Video Terminal
(details to follow...)
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