[GreenKeys] FW: Computer Memory Lane

[Jim Haynes]

Indeed.  One of my sayings is something along the line of - in the mid
1960s we at Teletype were making Mode 32/33 keyboards and figured they
cost about $50 to make.  We never would have imagined that you'd be
able 40 years later to buy a keyboard with 104 keys at Walmart for $10.

I don't have any price information for Teletype equipment prior to 1979.
Model 35 ASR sets at that time were in the $5000-6000 range.  For Model
28 equipment they list all the parts separately, so it would be a chore
to configure a typical set and find its price.

I'm not sure if 1978 was before or after the big pricing change. 
Originally Teletype charged everybody the same price, which was the
price to the Bell System, regardless of quantity.  Some time later they
went to a more conventional pricing scheme where the prices were a lot
higher to start with and there were substantial quantity discounts.

I think nearly all the 28 equipment in amateur hands early on, like
circa 1960, probably came through Ray Morrison.  I don't know how
much he charged, but wealthy hams like W0BP had 28s they got through
Ray.  Theoretically an individual could buy a machine straight from
Teletype, but it wasn't easy; they just were not set up to sell to
individuals.

Certainly individuals bought 32/33 sets.  Both hams and deaf persons
were interested in the 32 sets.  You'd be better off with a 15, but
if you really wanted to have a brand new machine then you could buy
a 32.  And if you wanted an ASR then a 32 was a lot more compact than
a 19, or even a 28.