My fuzzy recollections about it...
In 1973 I had my first brief exposure to a timesharing computer at a college. When I saw the Sept. 1973 issue of Radio Electronics with the TV Typewriter project, I thought I could use it to somehow dial into the timesharing system from home. This was long before the days of modems, so the exact means of doing this were a little hazy :) But I figured those details would somehow work themselves out later. Meanwhile the TV Typewriter was an essential link in the chain, so I'd better get started.
I was a poor high school student, so I couldn't afford to buy the full kit. I somehow talked two buddys into investing in the project (I promised to let them use it to dial into the system too). I decided to save money by purchasing just the bare components and building as much as possible myself. It took quite awhile to track down all the oddball parts (I had to write Don Lancaster to get a tip on locating the 2513 character generator chip). I etched the printed circuit boards from the patterns in the instructions using tape and a Sharpie pen. I hand-drilled all the holes-- a real pain. Installing and aligning the Molex stack connectors was an even bigger pain. All told I spent about $150 on it, of which $50 was for the SWTPC keyboard kit.
The tedious construction and my lagging motivation delayed
completion, and then it was time for college, which really stalled
the project. When I finally finished construction, it didn't
function. It sat for a few more years until a friend helped me
isolate a couple bad chips. Then it worked, but the output looked
*terrible* and carriage control was a problem. By then it was
1978 and the project was basically a curiosity with no useful
purpose. But I did learn a great deal about TTL electronics and
construction techniques. I take it out of the closet to admire
it now and then.
Bob Retheneyer, December 2004.
Photographs by Bob Rethemeyer, November 2004. Released as public domain,
February 2, 2008.
Reuse of the photos for any purpose is allowed and encouraged.