[GreenKeys] What moves the ribbon on a Teletype 43?

[H_E_Robert]

Hi Lee,

There were at least two, (probably more), configurations for the 43, 
that  I am aware of.  One has an RS-232 DB-25M connector, the other had 
RJ-11's for telephone line, and telephone set to place and receive calls 
using the internal 300BPS modem.

The ribbon is merely a continuos loop that passes by a re-inking sponge 
roller inside the cartridge.  The ribbon movement occurs when the 
printhead does a "return" as it has one-way rollers that pull the ribbon 
in a counter-clockwise loop, but allows the the printhead to travel 
across the ribbon during left to right printing.

Since these machines were only lease-able through the Bell System, and 
there were no field repairable components, save for the printhead, there 
were never, (to my limited knowledge), any schematics, outside of block 
diagrams, released to the TTY Repair folks.  Add to that, the fact that 
the IC's and such only bear Western Electric part numbers, trouble 
shooting at the component level, is near impossible!

There is an inter-lock switch that has to be operated by the white cover 
being in place and closed, or the unit will do nothing, and I think 
there was also a paper-out detector, that also will disable the machine. 
  Otherwise, the "LOCAL" button/indicator when lit, should provide local 
copy from the keyboard, if the unit is functional.

I know that's not much help, but it's all I got!

Would it be possible to disclose your source for the ribbons?  I've 
tried every place I can think of, and have come up empty???

Best of luck!

Just Bob!

Lee Mushel wrote:
> Charles, I think you are someone with coattails I would like to hang on to.  You have a model 43.   So do I, one I got on ebay and when it arrived, the print head was "floating" around loose, doing all the damage it could.   After a couple of months, I found a source for the ribbons which arrived yesterday.   I plugged this thing in and got a row of red lights but no indication of any desire to do anything else.  If you are past the point of worrying about getting the ribbon to advance you are ahead of me.
> 
> I have no info on it.   Perhaps you can point me in some direction so I can download a manual or at least a schematic.
> 
> 40 years ago I had no trouble getting models 14, 19 and 26 working (and they sit about 20 ft. behind me at the moment.   But this creature is something else.   I would at least like to get it in a "local loop."
> 
> 73
> 
> Lee, K9WRU
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