13 Jun
2006
13 Jun
'06
8:37 a.m.
Forgot to mention that chain/train printers weren't the only type that
worked like this. Teletype had a printer that used an embossed steel band
instead of a chain (Model 40?) that worked the same way, although at a
lower speed. One used to be able to pick those up pretty cheaply on the
surplus market; if you had a lot of tractor-feed wide-carriage printing to
do from a PeeCee or other micro, it was an attractive alternative to
daisywheel and early dot-matrix printers.
I don't know if any still are in use--without a sound hood they could be
very noisy. I do have circuit diagrams and maintenance documentation on
one if anyone needs it.
Cheers,
Chuck