[GreenKeys] Introduction and ASR-33

[Seth Morabito]

Hello everyone,

I just joined the list and I wanted to introduce myself and say hello.

I'm an amateur radio operator and vintage computer enthusiast, so I hope I'm going to fit right in here. I've been collecting and restoring vintage electronics for many years.

Last week I received an ASR-33 from a friend, and I'd very much like to restore it and get it in tip-top shape again. I hope it doesn't sound like sacrilege to too many of you, but I don't intend to use it for RTTY - instead, I want to use it as the console terminal on my PDP-11/35.

It has some cosmetic problems and it's very dirty and greasy, but otherwise it looks like it's in excellent mechanical shape. I have a gallery of photos here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twylo/sets/72157635606350546/


The cosmetic problems are pretty minor.

1. It's missing one of the clear plastic tape punch buttons.

2. It's missing the knob for the LINE / OFF / LOCAL rotary switch.

3. The platen knob shaft is split and held together with masking tape.

4. The plastic shell is very brittle and has lost a few studs and heat stakes, causing the clear plastic window to come off.

5. It has a very small crack in the tape reader cover.

But really, this all seems pretty minor to me. How hard is it to come by the two missing parts? I can always make suitable replacements from modern parts if I have to, of course, but it's so nice to have originals.

I'm not quite ready to dive in and start restoring it yet, so in the meantime, I'm going to read through the archives of this reflector to see what I can learn from everyone. 

Best Wishes all,

- Seth, NF6Q