8 May
2004
8 May
'04
2:04 p.m.
I have an extra Mohawk Data Services 7 track (!) tape terminal
available. Basically, it is a tape drive with a keyboard - oh the weird
stuff they used to do back then!
Anyway, this is a late 60s (probably) all transistor and core box, about
five feet tall and 300 pounds. It takes standard tapes. I don't think the
thing is completely working right now, as I can't get it to do much, and a
light blinks as in "something wrong!".
I have no docs on the thing. I should also say that the keyboard on this
thing moved the bar as far as how bad human engineering can get.
Anyway, I want to make it go away, so if anyone has stuff to trade (no
micros, please - (cruddy) big stuff or docs are good) or has a little cash
(were not talking much here folks - scrap value is probably only $100), we
can deal. I can deliver to VCFeast or anywhere near NY/NJ/CT/RI. I could
ship it as well, as I do have a sort of crate thing.
Let me know! Please, I need the room!
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org
8 May
8 May
2:21 p.m.
On Sat, 8 May 2004, William Donzelli wrote:
I have an extra Mohawk Data Services 7 track (!) tape
terminal
available. Basically, it is a tape drive with a keyboard - oh the weird
stuff they used to do back then!
The "first" key-to-tape. A pretty useful device, really, for that era.
Tap data directly to tape and then load it onto the mainframe.
But are you sure it's 7-track? I haven't been able to tell for sure on
mine because the head is tucked away such that you can't really see the
surface.
I have no docs on the thing.
I have a copy of the sales brochure that I found while going through
several thousands documents at the Computer History Museum.
I should also say that the keyboard on this thing
moved the bar as far
as how bad human engineering can get.
Yep.
Anyway, I want to make it go away, so if anyone has
stuff to trade (no
micros, please - (cruddy) big stuff or docs are good) or has a little cash
(were not talking much here folks - scrap value is probably only $100), we
can deal. I can deliver to VCFeast or anywhere near NY/NJ/CT/RI. I could
ship it as well, as I do have a sort of crate thing.
How come RCS/RI doesn't want this? It's a nice piece of old iron.
Hopefully someone gets it (someone other than the scrapman). Yours and
mine are the only ones I know of, though I'm sure there are at least a few
more still in existence.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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7:41 p.m.
>>>>How come RCS/RI doesn't want this?
It's a nice piece of old iron
perhaps they lack vision!
ed!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vintage Computer Festival" <vcf(a)siconic.com>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 12:21 PM
Subject: Re: 7 track tape terminal
On Sat, 8 May 2004, William Donzelli wrote:
cash
I have an extra Mohawk Data Services 7 track (!)
tape terminal
available. Basically, it is a tape drive with a keyboard - oh the weird
stuff they used to do back then!
The "first" key-to-tape. A pretty useful device, really, for that era.
Tap data directly to tape and then load it onto the mainframe.
But are you sure it's 7-track? I haven't been able to tell for sure on
mine because the head is tucked away such that you can't really see the
surface.
I have no docs on the thing.
I have a copy of the sales brochure that I found while going through
several thousands documents at the Computer History Museum.
I should also say that the keyboard on this thing
moved the bar as far
as how bad human engineering can get.
Yep.
> Anyway, I want to make it go away, so if anyone has stuff to trade (no
> micros, please - (cruddy) big stuff or docs are good) or has a little > (were not talking much here folks - scrap value
is probably only $100),
we
can deal. I
can deliver to VCFeast or anywhere near NY/NJ/CT/RI. I could
ship it as well, as I do have a sort of crate thing.
How come RCS/RI doesn't want this? It's a nice piece of old iron.
Hopefully someone gets it (someone other than the scrapman). Yours and
mine are the only ones I know of, though I'm sure there are at least a few
more still in existence.
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
----
International Man of Intrigue and Danger
http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage
mputers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at
http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
9 May
9 May
10:49 p.m.
The "first" key-to-tape. A pretty useful
device, really, for that era.
Tap data directly to tape and then load it onto the mainframe.
Are you sure it was the "first" (good use of Quites, by the way)? I am
pretty sure IBM had them for some time.
But are you sure it's 7-track? I haven't been
able to tell for sure on
mine because the head is tucked away such that you can't really see the
surface.
I can look again, but I am pretty certain I saw only seven things on the
head. I don't know if this is important, but these are ex-Western Union
machines, and they liked to be difficult. Perhaps a special oder from MDS?
How come RCS/RI doesn't want this? It's a
nice piece of old iron.
Space.
Hopefully someone gets it (someone other than the
scrapman). Yours and
mine are the only ones I know of, though I'm sure there are at least a few
more still in existence.
I actually have two. I am getting rid of the "spare".
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org
11:48 p.m.
On Sun, 9 May 2004, William Donzelli wrote:
Which is why I use quotes :) I've been around long enough to know you
rarely (if ever) claim anything is the "first" of anything. This is as
far as I know, without having researched it in depth. If you know of an
earlier IBM product then I'd like to know about it.
Possibly. I haven't been able to get a good look myself. I tried
removing a plate from the opposite end of the head block that I thought
would allow me to peer at the head but there wasn't a hole where I thought
there would be one. In the process, I dropped one of the screws for
affixing the plate to the head block down the tape take-up bin. Nice.
Now I have to go fishing for it with a magnetic tipped telescoping rod or
something (I'm not going to try tipping this thing upside down to get it
;)
The final frontier.
Yep, worst cast put it on the VCM (or eBay if you must). Perhaps the
Computer History Museum might want it...
--
Sellam Ismail Vintage Computer Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Man of Intrigue and Danger http://www.vintage.org
[ Old computing resources for business || Buy/Sell/Trade Vintage Computers ]
[ and academia at www.VintageTech.com || at http://marketplace.vintage.org ]
The
"first" key-to-tape. A pretty useful device, really, for that era.
Tap data directly to tape and then load it onto the mainframe.
Are you sure it was the "first" (good use of Quites, by the way)? I am
pretty sure IBM had them for some time. But are you
sure it's 7-track? I haven't been able to tell for sure on
mine because the head is tucked away such that you can't really see the
surface.
I can look again, but I am pretty certain I saw only seven things on the
head. I don't know if this is important, but these are ex-Western Union
machines, and they liked to be difficult. Perhaps a special oder from MDS? How come
RCS/RI doesn't want this? It's a nice piece of old iron.
Space. Hopefully
someone gets it (someone other than the scrapman). Yours and
mine are the only ones I know of, though I'm sure there are at least a few
more still in existence.
I actually have two. I am getting rid of the "spare". 
10 May
10 May
1:55 a.m.
Vintage Computer Festival wrote:
On Sun, 9 May 2004, William Donzelli wrote:
Which is why I use quotes :) I've been around long enough to know you
rarely (if ever) claim anything is the "first" of anything. This is as
far as I know, without having researched it in depth. If you know of an
earlier IBM product then I'd like to know about it.
ISTR reading somewhere that UNIVAC had these well before most other
companies.
[ Sounds of rummaging around google]
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/gvu/people/randy.carpenter/folklore/v5n1.html :
No punched card devices were provided with the UNIVAC, so the
UNITYPER data entry machine was
developed. The data entry clerk typed on a keyboard, and the UNITYPER
recorded the values on a reel
of metal tape. This lack of integration with punched card systems
became a marketing handicap. Many
prospective customers already had significant investment in
tabulating card systems. When IBM entered
the computer business, it made sure that it offered computers that
fit easily into existing card processing
installations. To fill this gap, Eckert-Mauchly developed a
stand-alone card-to-tape unit, which could
process 100 cards per minute. Since Eckert-Mauchly was an independent
company at the time the design
of the card-to-tape converter was done, it naturally followed the
market and built a machine that handled
IBM's 80-column cards. Sometime after the acquisition by Remington
Rand, a version to handle 90-column
cards was developed.
That would have to be in the early 50's....
-- HansP
The
"first" key-to-tape. A pretty useful device, really, for that era.
Tap data directly to tape and then load it onto the mainframe.
Are you sure it was the "first" (good use of Quites, by the way)? I am
pretty sure IBM had them for some time.
9 May
9 May
12:30 a.m.
From: "William Donzelli" <aw288(a)osfn.org>
Subject: 7 track tape terminal
I have an extra Mohawk Data Services 7 track (!) tape
terminal
available. Basically, it is a tape drive with a keyboard - oh the weird
stuff they used to do back then!
Back in 69-70, I was an operator in a shop where they used Mohawk data entry
systems for (mainly) salary-related work. The model they used, only had 1
reel. The "used" part of the tape was just falling down into a drawer. The
systems worked like shit (sorry to say so), as we had read errors on just
about every tape we attempted to read. We read them on 9-track IBM drives.
One day, IIRC, we started to read them (about 20 tapes or so), at 1600. We
were supposed to be finished at 5-ish, but had to sweat through countless
errors, cleaning cycles, etc. until we sort-of finished at 2100. Some tapes
just couldnt be read, on any of the 5 drives we tried.
Nico
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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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12:41 p.m.
there really are not too many of these around......
they were scrapped by the pile load as many folk that re-used equipment for
hobby purposes had no use for them. but..... they are indeed part of the
history of things.
ed sharpe
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nico de Jong" <nico(a)farumdata.dk>
To: "General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts"
<cctalk(a)classiccmp.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 10:30 PM
Subject: Re: 7 track tape terminal
From: "William Donzelli"
<aw288(a)osfn.org>
Subject: 7 track tape terminal
entry
I have an extra Mohawk Data Services 7 track (!)
tape terminal
available. Basically, it is a tape drive with a keyboard - oh the weird
stuff they used to do back then!
Back in 69-70, I was an operator in a shop where they used Mohawk data systems for (mainly) salary-related work. The model
they used, only had 1
reel. The "used" part of the tape was just falling down into a drawer. The
systems worked like shit (sorry to say so), as we had read errors on just
about every tape we attempted to read. We read them on 9-track IBM drives.
One day, IIRC, we started to read them (about 20 tapes or so), at 1600. We
were supposed to be finished at 5-ish, but had to sweat through countless
errors, cleaning cycles, etc. until we sort-of finished at 2100. Some
tapes
just couldnt be read, on any of the 5 drives we
tried.
Nico
---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.674 / Virus Database: 436 - Release Date: 02-05-2004
10:52 p.m.
Back in 69-70, I was an operator in a shop where they
used Mohawk data entry
systems for (mainly) salary-related work. The model they used, only had 1
reel. The "used" part of the tape was just falling down into a drawer. The
systems worked like shit (sorry to say so), as we had read errors on just
about every tape we attempted to read.
Sounds right! I have to wonder how many times tape was damaged by just
falling into the slot improperly.
William Donzelli
aw288(a)osfn.org
7551
days inactive
7553
days old
8 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
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aw288＠osfn.org -
esharpe＠uswest.net -
hansp＠citem.org -
nico＠farumdata.dk -
vcf＠siconic.com