tr problem

[Gene Heskett]

On Saturday 14 June 2008, Ric Moore wrote:
>On Sat, 2008-06-14 at 10:20 -0400, Gene Heskett wrote:
>> I have an old Xerox Diablo 1650-ro printer, the fastest daisy wheel ever
>> made at 40 cps.
>
>Whoops! You ferget the NEC Spinwriter at 50 cps! It was smart and tabbed
>over spaces to do it. Diablo's (I've had several) needed software
>drivers to do the same thing. I wish I still had mine. <sighs> Ric
>
Ahh Ric, but the Spinwriter was not IIRC a real daisy, it was more like an 
overgrown thimble that IIRC had more then one char per leaf, so it moved in 2 
directions to put the right character under the hammer.  It spun, and moved up 
and down but it didn't have to move near as far as the daisy wheel did to put 
the right char under the hammer.

Diablo's by now, have a platen roller that is as hard as glass, this in spite 
of, or perhaps because of, repeated applications of rubber renu, so their much 
vaunted quality of the finished product hasn't been like new in 30 years.  I 
was going to buy one for mine when zerox said to do our lifetime parts buys 
about 20 years ago now, until I found that zerox wanted $800 for that 20 inch 
long roller.  'scuse me, but I bought that thing at a hamfest, $25.  No way in 
hell could I justify putting $800 in that tank.  A $50 bill, maybe.

But I still own it till the next time it gets in my way out in the storage shed.  
Then it goes onto a 2 wheeler, and to the curb.  It was nice, very nice, for as 
long as it lasted, about 15 years of fairly steady use here. I probably ran 30 
cartons of std tractor feed through it myself.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
In Minnesota they ask why all football fields in Iowa have artificial turf.
It's so the cheerleaders won't graze during the game.