[GreenKeys] Model 12

[Duncan Brown]

The Model 12 was the first practical 5-bit printer and almost 12,000 
units were produced between 1922-1943. the M12 was originally designed 
by the Morkrum Company. In 1924, they merged with the Kleinschmidt 
Electric Co. to become the Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Corp. That name was felt 
to be too unwieldy and in about 1928, the company name was changed to 
the Teletype Corporation. (Morkrum had been previously using the name 
"Teletype" as  a model name.)

The printer was originally designed to be used in multiplexed systems 
where the printer signal line consisted of five wires, each connected to 
an individual selector magnet (one for each bit). So it was a 
parallel-input printer.  The printer was popular with newspapers to 
receive news from multiple sources.





Doug beat me to it with more pictures, so I'll refer to his at 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8zVHnSHYYbe16jAa9

Note that the keyboard is a separate plug-in module with its own motor. 
It was an add-on to allow operation in a serial Start-Stop system, which 
was developed in the early 1920s. If you are familiar with the M15, you 
will recognize the cam-driven, goose-neck levers on the right, that 
generate the serial data from the keyboard.  There is another set of 
goose-neck levers in the middle. These are a serial-to-parallel 
distributor to drive the five selector magnets.

Gerry already offered his unit to me for the AWA Museum, but we already 
have one.  Hopefully someone can take this historic unit and save it.  
There are probably only a dozen or so of these units still around.

have fun,

Duncan Brown, K2OEQ
USASA    31J30

Antique Wireless Association
  Communication Technologies Museum
    Asst. Curator, Commercial Equipment
(also chief TTY op & repairman)

i-Telex: 212503

www.antiquewireless.org

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