On Fri, 13 Jan 2017 18:23:13 -0500, Randy Hudson wrote:

>In article <[email protected]> Edward Finnell wrote:
>
>> I started at Southern Bell Co-op student in '66 on a 33ASR writing Basic
>> Programs on I think it was a GE635 at one of the Banks in Atlanta.
>
>BASIC?  I think Dartmouth BASIC was created around 1964, but I didn't
>realize it was used in banking by 1966.
>
>> There were eight holes but the 4th from left was the sprocket feed.  If
>> you put the tape in upside down it would saw it in two.
>
>As I recall it, there were 8 possible holes punched, and a smaller
>pinfeed/timing hole, on the ASR-33.  In theory, the 8th data hole was to be
>used for parity, though the ASR-33 punched 7-bit ASCII plus an always-on 8th
>bit by default.
>
>> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_33
>>
IIRC, and wikipedia seems to confirm, TTY-33 automatically generated even parity
automatically.  One could cause incorrect parity by pressing too many modifier
keys (SHIFT, CTRL?) simultaneously.  Some 8-bit UARTs used that 8th bit as a
DATA READY flag, thus the "always-on" perception.  It would have taken at least
one more instruction to clear it.

For transmitting, the TTY-33 used wall electric power only to turn a motor;
everything else was mechanical, or powered by the data lines.

>> One of my early adventures was converting the Long lines accounting tapes
>> to punch cards on an 029. It was like cloak and dagger as to what pins did
>> what.  We couldn't show the IBM guy our manual and he couldn't show  us his.
>> After  a couple of attempts cooler heads prevailed and the IBM guy says I'm
>> going  for coffee and left his 029 manual open to the pin-out diagram. When
>> he came  back the 029 was punching cards.
>
Early 029 or late 026 era?

-- gil

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