On Sat, Feb 27, 2021 at 11:58:32PM -0500, 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. I wonder why she didn't contact them?
If you look at the scans http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/ScansForConversion/Colossus249-Martin/ The characters shift vertically so most likely a drum. The band/chain tend to shift more side to side. Side to side shift is said to be less objectionable than vertical shift so the 1403 was considered to have good print quality. Some of the DEC maindec listing have really annoying vertical shift.