CMS:Teletype Collection

The Teletype Collection consists of several teleprinters manufactured from the 1920s to the 1980s. Most of them were made by the Teletype Corporation, a subsidiary of the AT&T Corporation. Two models on display are from Europe. One was manufactured by Siemens & Halske, and another by C. Lorenz AG.

History

AT&T began offering teleprinter service in the 1920s, which expanded on the existing use of their network for sending telegraph messages. By 1930, AT&T had purchased the Teletype Corporation and began selling or leasing the machines to customers.

Teletype usage continued throughout the early and mid 20th Century for business, military, and journalism applications. In the 1960's and 1970's, ASCII teletypes were used to communicate with mainframe and minicomputers. Notably, the Model 33ASR was a favorite of early programmers before more modern "glass Teletypes" became common.

Museum Life

When the museum was in its formative stages in the 1980s, a wide range of Teletypes were acquired, and this exhibit was created by Bennie Bendickson. The machines, ranging from the 1920s to the 1980s surround a central wall, and their data lines appear at a No. 9 Testboard on the far wall. From that board, they can be patched to one of several loops to communicate with each other, or receive an automated feed of news and weather.

List of Machines

Front wall

Wheatstone Perforator and Boehme Automatic Transmitter
Teletype Model 12
Teletype Model 15 RO from the Associated Press
Teletype Model 26, a light-duty machine
Teletype Model 28 KSR with modem attachment
Teletype Model 33 ASR
Teletype Model 37 ASR, the last of the printing teletypes
5410 Teletype with 1984 Olympics branding

Back wall

Teletype Model 14 Typing Reperforator
Teletype FRXD Reperforator Transmitter
Teletype Model 14 ROTR
Teletype Model 15 with the cover off
Teletype Model 19
Teletype Model 28 ASR
Teletype Model 35 ASR
Lorenz German copy of a US Model 15
Siemens Model 100

List of Auxiliary Equipment

Test equipment

Repeaters

The three frames to the right of the 9-A testboard contain solid state repeater equipment from 1940s to 1970s including 144A1s, 144B2s, Regens, and 90C loop repeaters. There is also a polar relay tester. The repeater equipment is from the same era as the 2B Electronic Hub testboard despite being installed near the 9-A.