Selling Calcomp 565 plotter

[Dave McGuire]

On Feb 9, 2010, at 11:30 AM, Philipp Hachtmann wrote:
>>>  I find it amusing when people on here say "oh, that's not rare,  
>>> it so
>>> trivial to find them."  In 99% of cases, it's not.  Just because  
>>> you might have a stash of something doesn't mean that there's any  
>>> more available from anywhere else.
>>
> I find those plotters on a regularly basis. Not one time several  
> units. But one here, one there etc. The first came from scrap, the  
> second for EUR 1 from eBay (complete with cables), the third one  
> came with the 11/40 (that cost me some money - about a quarter of  
> the transport costs). The fourth (long one) was luckily found  
> elsewhere. And between all finds lay several months. And they were  
> not related by any means. So I can say that those units are still  
> dropping in from time to time.

   I have been looking for a 565, no joke, for fifteen years.  I had  
one on my very first PDP-8/e when I was about 15, I loved the thing,  
then I stupidly sold it.  I regretted it badly about a year later and  
have been looking for one ever since.  If they're so common over  
there, would you consider shipping me one?  (when I can afford it,  
which should be soon)

> What I don't have are the ink pens. I'm still looking for them.

   If you have the solenoid assembly, it's not difficult to take a  
standard ball-point pen ink tube, trim it down and fit it in there.   
I last did it 25 years ago, and I don't recall the details, but I  
don't remember it giving me much trouble.

> BTW it's the same with Teletype ASR33 and 35. In fact it's not  
> always easy to get rid of those if they're not in pristine condition.

   ...it took me nearly a decade to find one of those.  I'm not  
particularly bad at finding stuff, but I live in a part of the (my)  
country where there is NO classic hardware.  "Old computer" here  
means "2GHz Pentium-4".  Yes, sometimes I really want to move, and I  
probably will, because this area doesn't support the lifestyle that I  
want to live...which includes getting cool computer hardware on a  
regular basis.

   My ASR-33 came from Boston; I picked it up when I was up there  
with a truck moving a mainframe for my employer.  I'd have driven up  
there just for that if I had to.  I know YOU find a lot of this  
stuff...I assure you that's not the norm.  I sure wish it were!

             -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL