NeXT
Veteran Member
Normally when I expect a piece of equipment to be rebranded it's just a faceplate swap but then we learn something every day.
So for years like most other computer folk I've been keeping my eyes out for a Model 33 Teletype machine. I've seen them in museums and I've even seen Paul Allen's machine but it seems that for something like the model 33 where 600000 were made they were elusive. Eventually I grew optimistic enough and when I got my LA120 the best I could pull off was an optical tape reader addon. While I was at my local electronics shop RTS Electronics I mentioned I was working on the tape reader. Unexpectedly back the guy behind the counter asks "you interested in my model 33?"
Well damn. I was already in talks with someone else for a system which MIGHT be teletype at all and suddenly here was one in the town that I spent the last 13 years in, INSIDE the shop I frequented.
Anyways after justifying the cost of $350 (which is the average going price these days before you would pay another hundred or so to ship it from elsewhere) I ended up with a model 33, the printwork and service instructions, additional schematics and a TWX CCU with faceplate.
There was also an additional item which was the power supply for the tape reader should the TWX module be installed however that brought up a critical part I was missing. I don't have the pedestal which would of also held the Bell 101 or 103 modem . I walked away from a pedestal once before because it was really useless without the machine. Perhaps one day I'll find another and see what it takes to modify in another variety of modem even though most of the early modems I'm aware of were either acoustic or their minimum data rate was far too fast for a teletype machine.
anyways, the one thing you notice when you see the system is that it has no Teletype branding at all. In fact it's all for Marsland.
Hell, whatever parts are not from Teletype's HQ in Chicago seem to of been manufactured in the surrounding Southern Ontario Region where I grew up.
Marsland was a pretty big thing even though I was born 21 years after they were closed. They were HUGE in Canada. I lived one town over from their offices and both my parents and most of my relatives know the company well. Here I am now some 3500km away and I'm finding stuff from my home turf. Small world.
One of the other things that's in good condition in my unit is the WRU cogs.
The idea is that you can use them to hard-code a text string into a session by breaking off the tabs which means once set you can't undo it without replacing the wheels. I might look into getting them 3D printed. On the topic of making spares there's my print drum.
I've never seen a plastic one. I always thought they were metal units. It makes me curious if I could get away with casting new print heads in a resin because there's a demand for new heads.
Beyond that there was only two other things that needed repair. After a few minutes of use after some 30 years in storage one of the clutches froze up but an adjustment and a bit of sewing oil cleared that up. The second problem was not as easy. The control for the reader uses a spring and metal hook to latch the selector in different positions. This spring hooks to a piece of plastic on the electrical block and somehow it had broken. I ended up rigging a small piece of wire around the solenoid , through the sense arms and up to where the plastic piece would of sat and hooked the spring to that. It seems to work but it took several tries because the tension has to be near perfect.
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0141.jpg<<<
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0143.jpg<<<
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0144.jpg<<<
Now I have the system reliably running. I have to source some paper and a few rolls of tape but there isn't much else I can do now without a pedestal (by the way, if you got a spare please don't hesitate to get in touch with me. )
>The rest of the images form my machine are here.<
So for years like most other computer folk I've been keeping my eyes out for a Model 33 Teletype machine. I've seen them in museums and I've even seen Paul Allen's machine but it seems that for something like the model 33 where 600000 were made they were elusive. Eventually I grew optimistic enough and when I got my LA120 the best I could pull off was an optical tape reader addon. While I was at my local electronics shop RTS Electronics I mentioned I was working on the tape reader. Unexpectedly back the guy behind the counter asks "you interested in my model 33?"
Well damn. I was already in talks with someone else for a system which MIGHT be teletype at all and suddenly here was one in the town that I spent the last 13 years in, INSIDE the shop I frequented.
Anyways after justifying the cost of $350 (which is the average going price these days before you would pay another hundred or so to ship it from elsewhere) I ended up with a model 33, the printwork and service instructions, additional schematics and a TWX CCU with faceplate.
There was also an additional item which was the power supply for the tape reader should the TWX module be installed however that brought up a critical part I was missing. I don't have the pedestal which would of also held the Bell 101 or 103 modem
. I walked away from a pedestal once before because it was really useless without the machine. Perhaps one day I'll find another and see what it takes to modify in another variety of modem even though most of the early modems I'm aware of were either acoustic or their minimum data rate was far too fast for a teletype machine.anyways, the one thing you notice when you see the system is that it has no Teletype branding at all. In fact it's all for Marsland.
Hell, whatever parts are not from Teletype's HQ in Chicago seem to of been manufactured in the surrounding Southern Ontario Region where I grew up.
Marsland was a pretty big thing even though I was born 21 years after they were closed. They were HUGE in Canada. I lived one town over from their offices and both my parents and most of my relatives know the company well. Here I am now some 3500km away and I'm finding stuff from my home turf. Small world.
One of the other things that's in good condition in my unit is the WRU cogs.
The idea is that you can use them to hard-code a text string into a session by breaking off the tabs which means once set you can't undo it without replacing the wheels. I might look into getting them 3D printed. On the topic of making spares there's my print drum.
I've never seen a plastic one. I always thought they were metal units. It makes me curious if I could get away with casting new print heads in a resin because there's a demand for new heads.
Beyond that there was only two other things that needed repair. After a few minutes of use after some 30 years in storage one of the clutches froze up but an adjustment and a bit of sewing oil cleared that up. The second problem was not as easy. The control for the reader uses a spring and metal hook to latch the selector in different positions. This spring hooks to a piece of plastic on the electrical block and somehow it had broken. I ended up rigging a small piece of wire around the solenoid , through the sense arms and up to where the plastic piece would of sat and hooked the spring to that. It seems to work but it took several tries because the tension has to be near perfect.
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0141.jpg<<<
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0143.jpg<<<
>>>http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a166/ballsandy/Computer related/teletype/CGS_0144.jpg<<<
Now I have the system reliably running. I have to source some paper and a few rolls of tape but there isn't much else I can do now without a pedestal (by the way, if you got a spare please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.
)>The rest of the images form my machine are here.<
