On Sun, Feb 28, 2021 at 11:50 AM Glenn Holmer via vcf-midatlantic < vcf-midatlantic@lists.vcfed.org> wrote:
On 2/27/21 10:58 PM, Mike Loewen via vcf-midatlantic wrote:
On Sat, 27 Feb 2021, Jeffrey Brace wrote:
So someone else pointed out that dot matrix printout isn't historically accurate. So what kind of printer would have actually been used for the Apollo 8 code?
A chain-train or drum printer, such as an IBM 1403. The CHM has a working 1403 on their 1401 system.
Ugh, memories. The 1403 had a worm gear to raise the lid, and occasionally ours would fail. If that happened, the only way to operate the printer until the CE arrived was to prop it open with a two-by-four like a car hood. We even had a specially measured two-by-four with a "V" notch cut in one end for this purpose. One of the guys before me had written on it in magic marker "IBM Butt-Whacker, Part No. ..."
LOL! Thanks for sharing Glenn! I love hearing stories like this. It's nice to hear how machines were used years ago in a production environment.
We had this kind: https://bit.ly/2P9tC15
Of course, hearing loss was almost inevitable if you used it that way...
-- Glenn Holmer (Linux registered user #16682) "After the vintage season came the aftermath -- and Cenbe."