Keyboard Builders' Digest
Save 5% at pkkeyboards! Code: KBDNEWS
Keyboard Builders' Digest / Keyboard Spotting

Teletype Model 33

The Teletype Model 33, an electromechanical teleprinter from the '60s with actual cylinders as its keys.

KBD.news
Published February 24, 2022
Would you like to contribute to this year's MK Advent Calendar? Here are the guidelines for authors, along with last year's edition for reference.

You think you know what a cylindrical keycap profile looks like, don't you? I'm talking about OEM, Cherry or MoErgo MCC.

Then you haven't seen this one, the real CYLINDER profile you may have been unaware of. The whole key of a Teletype Model 33 is a regular cylinder. What's more, modifiers are even bigger cylinders with larger diameter. :D

This is the type of chonker vintage stuff that I'll probably never own due to geographical reasons, despite the relatively huge number of pieces manufactured: in 1976, Teletype celebrated the specimen with the serial number 600.000.

Pic: Top view of the Teletype Model 33 ASR (click to enlarge)

Top view of the Teletype Model 33 ASR (click to enlarge)

According to this wiki page, Teletype Corporation's Model 33 terminal, introduced in 1963, was one of the most popular terminals in the data-communications industry until the late 1970s. It's a legendary electromechanical teleprinter designed for "light-duty office use", but it was usable as a computer terminal as well.

These machines not just predated video terminals like the Tektronix, appearing in 1969, but were also much cheaper ($600-1000 vs. $3,950).

Model 33s came in three versions with the Model 33 ASR aka ASR33 (depicted above) being the most premium – fitted with a punched tape reader, tape punch, and keyboard. The KSR version featured only the keyboard, while the RO model was the cheapest read-only alternative.

Pic:

Since the Model 33 is such a lovely piece of history, it's no wonder that, similarly to e.g. ballpoint typewriters and plotters, it still has an active fan base.

Hugh Pyle runs @33asr, a Twitter channel dedicated to the ASR33, and he also maintains a GitHub repo with his Model 33 related hacks, projects and resources.

Pic: Teletype Model 33 art

Teletype Model 33 art

Thanks to his efforts, beside ASCII art and punch tape art, it seems you can play even Wordle on these relics. (For posterity after the span of millennia, Wordle was a word-guessing game and Internet phenomenon in early 2022.)

Finally, here is a close-up of a key, which happens to be Hugh's profile picture on GitHub:

Pic: Teletype Model 33 key

Teletype Model 33 key
Do you like this post? Share, donate, subscribe, tip me off!

Published on Thu 24th Feb 2022. Featured in KBD #67 (source).


Related

CPT Phoenix Jr

The elusive CPT Phoenix Jr word processor keyboard spotted by u/catsontuesday.

A lucky postal worker

A lucky postal worker in an episode of How It’s Made. Spotted by Gorbitron1530.

Siemens KBA-D2911B-ECO2

Siemens KBA-D2911B-ECO2 posted by Austinmc3232.

Ballpoint typewriters

Typewriters from the '80s that used small ball point pens to draw text and graphics.

TeleVideo terminal keyboard

FoxGaming spotted this vintage TeleVideo terminal keyboard with NMB Yellow Space Invader switches.

Vintage Lexmark M15

A vintage Lexmark M15 split keyboard spotted by Theotherab at garage sale.

×
top