Reading MT/ST Tapes

[Chuck Guzis]

On 7/31/21 8:55 AM, Paul Berger via cctalk wrote:

> Since there was still a few 360s around when I started I also got to see
> the inside of a 1052 a few times, they are a really stripped down
> keyboardless selectric.  They used a function cam to space and since
> they did not have a tab rack they would space a lot which would cause
> the space cam to wear, I remember one that was so worn  that when it
> cycled it wobbled very noticeably, the customer would not let us replace
> it as this was the console for the 360 and they did not want it
> unavailable for the time it would take to replace it.  Some customers
> apparently would have a spare 1052 onsite.  The keyboard on the 1052 is
> the keyboard from a keypunch machine.

Did the 1620 Mod II and the 1130 use the same Selectric mechanism as the
S/260 1052?  I remember that the Model B on the CADET always felt as if
it would shake itself to pieces every time the carriage returned.

And given the relatively high failure rate for motor drive belts, why
did IBM persist in making replacement such a bugger of a job?

--Chuck