10 Jun
1997
10 Jun
'97
12:01 p.m.
I couldn't resist going into a favorite thrift store today, and boy what
a find I made. First there's the Tandy 1000EX. Cool, but definitely not
as cool as the Burroughs adding machine! I have no idea what year this
thing is from, but it's case is made of a steel frame with glass sides so
you can see the mechanisms inside. I don't know how much it's worth, but
I picked it up for $50. This thing is heavy (about 50-60lbs). I love
it! I'm going to make it the centerpiece of my in-home museum (someday).
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
11 Jun
11 Jun
3:30 a.m.
In message <Pine.SUN.3.91.970610165848.18922A-100000(a)crl2.crl.com>om>, dastar@crl.
com writes:
Cool but definitely not
as cool as the Burroughs adding machine! I have no idea what year this
thing is from, but it's case is made of a steel frame with glass sides so
you can see the mechanisms inside. I don't know how much it's worth, but
I picked it up for $50. This thing is heavy (about 50-60lbs). I love
it! I'm going to make it the centerpiece of my in-home museum (someday).
Sam
Is this the one that has a row of digits for output at the bootom of the
front glass panel and a printing mechanism in back. If so, I've got one
of those too. It had been the adding machine my grandfather used when
he founded the family business (a cotton gin). Some years ago, I found
it lying out in a pile of scrap metal. Even then (I was probably in
high school or college then) I guess I had a collector's instinct. Ok,
that really means that I'm a packrat and cheapskate. Unfortunately on
mine the carriage mechanism for the printing is rusted solid. But I
do have plans to someday restore it. It'll be one of may favorite
pieces in my museum (again someday).
Brian L. Stuart
Math/CS Dept, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
stuartb(a)acm.org
http://www.mathcs.rhodes.edu/~stuart/
3:41 a.m.
On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Brian L. Stuart wrote:
Yes, it does. It has a typewriter-like carriage on the back with a paper
tape roll. It also has a display on the front that can go up to 999,999.99.
Cool but
definitely not
as cool as the Burroughs adding machine! I have no idea what year this
thing is from, but it's case is made of a steel frame with glass sides so
you can see the mechanisms inside. I don't know how much it's worth, but
Is this the one that has a row of digits for output at the bootom of the
front glass panel and a printing mechanism in back. If so, I've got one of those too. It had been the adding machine my
grandfather used when
he founded the family business (a cotton gin). Some years ago, I found
it lying out in a pile of scrap metal. Even then (I was probably in
high school or college then) I guess I had a collector's instinct. Ok,
that really means that I'm a packrat and cheapskate. Unfortunately on
mine the carriage mechanism for the printing is rusted solid. But I
do have plans to someday restore it. It'll be one of may favorite
pieces in my museum (again someday).
Mine sort-of works. I can only press down a digit in the
hundred-thousands column though, and a few other buttons work. I can't
shift it from add to subtract mode. Any idea what year these things are
from?
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
5:49 a.m.
In message <Pine.SUN.3.91.970611083827.24942I-100000(a)crl10.crl.com>om>, dastar@crl
.com writes:
It's been a while since I tried it, but I seem to remember that mine
works except for the carriage. But it's at my parent's house right
now so I can't refresh my memory regarding operation.
As to date, I'm not really sure. Granddad started the gin in 1949
and I'm pretty sure he told me that he used it when he started it.
I've seen a sketch of the original Burroughs machine introduced in
1887 and it looks significantly more primitive. For no particularly
good reason, the 1920s has always stuck in my head for it. That tends
to be very vaguely supported by a picture in Stan Augarten's book.
It's an advertising photo showing a secretary carrying a portable
Burroughs machine in about 1922 and some of the features (shape of
buttons, shape of cutouts for the digits, etc) seem to be at least
similar. I'd believe just about anything in the '20-'40s.
Brian L. Stuart
Math/CS Dept, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN
stuartb(a)acm.org
http://www.mathcs.rhodes.edu/~stuart/
On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Brian L. Stuart wrote:
Yes, it does. It has a typewriter-like carriage on the back with a paper
tape roll. It also has a display on the front that can go up to 999,999.99.
Yep, that sure sounds like it.
Cool but
definitely not
as cool as the Burroughs adding machine! I have no idea what year this
thing is from, but it's case is made of a steel frame with glass sides so
you can see the mechanisms inside. I don't know how much it's worth, but
Is this the one that has a row of digits for output at the bootom of the
front glass panel and a printing mechanism in back. If so, I've got one of those too.
It had been the adding machine my grandfather used when
he founded the family business (a cotton gin). Some years ago, I found
it lying out in a pile of scrap metal. Even then (I was probably in
high school or college then) I guess I had a collector's instinct. Ok,
that really means that I'm a packrat and cheapskate. Unfortunately on
mine the carriage mechanism for the printing is rusted solid. But I
do have plans to someday restore it. It'll be one of may favorite
pieces in my museum (again someday).
Mine sort-of works. I can only press down a digit in the
hundred-thousands column though, and a few other buttons work. I can't
shift it from add to subtract mode. Any idea what year these things are
from?
10:22 a.m.
On Wed, 11 Jun 1997, Brian L. Stuart wrote:
Acutally, I found what the problem was this morning. There was an
(unidentified) lever stuck in place. I had to unjam it, and then
everything started working. What a mind-blowing contraption.
Mine sort-of
works. I can only press down a digit in the
hundred-thousands column though, and a few other buttons work. I can't
shift it from add to subtract mode. Any idea what year these things are
from?
It's been a while since I tried it, but I seem to remember that mine
works except for the carriage. But it's at my parent's house right
now so I can't refresh my memory regarding operation. It's an advertising photo showing a secretary
carrying a portable
Burroughs machine in about 1922 and some of the features (shape of
buttons, shape of cutouts for the digits, etc) seem to be at least
similar. I'd believe just about anything in the '20-'40s.
I figured that same range myself. But I'm more inclined to think the
20s. The older the better. I'm hoping this will be a nice antique which
I can put on display in my livingroom. It definitely adds charm to any
setting.
Sam
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass
10:34 a.m.
Mine sort-of works. I can only press down a digit in
the
hundred-thousands column though, and a few other buttons work. I can't
shift it from add to subtract mode. Any idea what year these things are
from?
This is going towards being off-topic, so feel free to (gently) flame me,
but I also have obtained a few very nice mechanical calculating machine
over the years. A friend sold me (for \pounds 10 - no way its true value,
but that's all he'd payed for it as scrap metal) a very nice hand-cranked
Facit machine about 2 months back. It was in _perfect_ condition (the
mechanism was gleaming), and after a minor adjustment, works fine. It
still use it - it sits on my bedside table along with an HP67 for
late-night calculations...
I've got a few motorised machines, none of which work yet, but which may
well be repairable when I get some time. Among them is a Monroematic which
was mistreated by its previous owner (when I resuced it, it was partly
dismantled, but I think I have all the important bits). I was also given a
Dheil (?spell) which is complete, but needs dismantling, cleaning, and
oiling. One day I'll give it a go. My father remembers ordering a very
similar machine (costing about 300 pounds) for scientific work in the
1950's
An interesting related machine (probably UK only) worked in the old UK
money system ((4 farthings = 1 penny), 12 pence = 1 shilling, 20 shillings
= 1 pound). I rescued a couple of these, one missing (alas) the platten
roller and paper feed mechanism, the other complete, but with a few
problems. Again, they'll get restored.
Probably the most interesting mechanical 'calculator' I have isn't a
calculator at all, but a printer. A place where I was working was throwing
out some data logging equipment, and I was offered any bits of it that I
wanted. I rescued :
The friden paper tape punch and reader (the mechanisms are _identical_ to
those used on my flexowriter, but are mounted on 19" panels, and have
their own drive motor).
The Sequence controller which was patchboard programmable, with DM160
valves (tubes) to display the current state
A large pile of schematics, etc.
And the printer. This was made by the Victor Comptometer Corporation, and
is one of their adding machines (possibly with some linkages removed) and
a bank of solenoids mounted over the keys. Very strange, and I guess, not
common.
Sam
--
-tony
ard12(a)eng.cam.ac.uk
The gates in my computer are AND,OR and NOT, not Bill
10056
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stuart＠colossus.mathcs.rhodes.edu