"mobile computing" in the beginning EIGHTIES ???
Posted by Laser_Krypton7000@reddit | vintagecomputing | View on Reddit | 12 comments
(See 2nd pic for bigger text)
Some people would eventually call this a typewriter.
Well, depending on the personal point of view:-)
This old Digital DECwriter Correspondent is up and running again, but still needs some love. (cleaning, oiling some mechanics)
Introduction of those has been 1982.
Functionality is given, but there are no User Guides or Maintenance Guides available.
The ribbon is pure unobtainium, i managed to get this into a useable status for now; have to figure out another ribbon which will fit here. (pointers are welcome!)
Did somebody here work with those, especially with integrated modem ?
Tell us your stories:-)
NF6X@reddit
They are adorable little machines. I didn't use one back in the day, but I do have one now which I acquired several years ago. Mine is unresponsive, and it is in my to-be-repaired-someday pile. Naturally, the ribbon which came with mine is no good, and the foam re-inking roller is just a hard puck of decomposed rubber. At least I have the dead ribbon cartridge to either refurbish or to help me design a functional replacement.
Laser_Krypton7000@reddit (OP)
What ink are you using ?
There are oil based and non oil based ones.
NF6X@reddit
I have not tried to re-ink it yet, since my terminal doesn't work anyway. I recently (well, several months ago!) bought some oil-based ink to try out for making new ink rollers for my mechanical cipher machines, but like most of my projects, that is also waiting for attentiuon.
I assume that oil-based ink would be preferable for a Correspondent ribbon rebuild, right?
Laser_Krypton7000@reddit (OP)
A few years ago i talked to an old ink specialist at the "Pelikan" ink company here in germany and he told me to use non oil based ink for refreshing of those ribbons.
What i sometimes tried when one ribbon was not so good anymore at printing is just spray some wd40 oil on it to refresh. This does work 1-3 times. Well, but oil is no ink so the writing will be not so dark anymore the more often one uses it. Also too much oil also is not good for the paper.
IMO it makes sense what the technician told me to use non oil based. I also want to try to refresh with an old little machine i once got, but the machine needs overhaul work first:-)
mrspelunx@reddit
That acoustic coupler is sick!
j-random@reddit
When I was in college (in the early 80s) we had a bunch of field specialists running around the state using TI Silent 765 terminals. They had local storage, but for the more advanced stuff they would dial in to the VAX in my office and run things there.
hughk@reddit
The TIs were quite nice from the looks of them. I think they had some kind of mini data cassette.
hughk@reddit
Well done.
GerlingFAR@reddit
Honestly I’ll take that carry case. So many uses for other electronic test equipment.
random_red@reddit
Dang want one. Have you tried connecting via a phone line?
gcc-O2@reddit
Is the ribbon a cartridge or on two spools that you have to thread through different components inside like a sewing machine?
Laser_Krypton7000@reddit (OP)
It is a cartridge:-( -- two spools would be easy.