Hi all - A while back I wrote about an ASR33 with a printer issue and I am still working to resolve. The symptom is that 5th and the 8th "channel" are always punched or printed, vs. what was intended to be typed). When I punch two papertapes from one good teletype and the problem teletype, I can overlay the tapes to see what's happening. A tape of each key on the keyboard in succession (QWERTY...) shows the effect.

I can use a screwdriver to hold in place to "block" the associated 5th bar that is misfiring and in doing so I can get the linefeed character to print / punch correctly. That trick does not fix all problems though.

It appears that what's sent to the printer is the same incorrect codes.

I have carefully removed the printer from the chassis to inspect the underside of the printer. I have compared and contrasted with a working teletype. I did not see any obviously misaligned springs or bars. It's a pretty clean machine too. I have swapped the UCC-6's with no effect. I have verified mykeyboard against the photos Wayne sent me to verify that the keyboard was ok - At least the thin metal pins are all in line. I have disconnected the reader to eliminate this variable.

I read the suggestions from the last time I asked about this machine but none lead to a solution. There could be a weak spring or a stuck metal bar or a code bar out of place I did not notice. Not easy.

I recognize that I will need to continue to drill down into the machine and as I have time I will keep working on it on this end, but I thought I'd at least report my progress because I got a few replies to my initial inquiry this past summer. If there a spot on the teletype that I could photograph to help one of you help me diagnose the cause of this problem I would be happy to post them someplace.

Thanks and best wishes.

Bill Degnan

kennettclassic.com

Kennett Square, PA