Name/Title
1976- SWTPC PR-40 Printer (11/2024)Tags
SWTPcDescription
The SWTPC PR-40 printer was first produced in 1976. It was manufactured by the Southwest Technical Products Corporation (SWTPC) and is known for its role in the early days of personal computing, particularly with systems that required a reliable dot matrix printer1.General Notes
Note
The SWTPC PR-40 is a vintage alphanumeric dot matrix printer that was popular in the 1970s. Here are some key details about the PR-40 printer:
Type: It’s a 5 X 7 dot matrix impact printer, similar in operation to the well-known Centronics printers of the time.
Character Set: It prints the 64 character upper case ASCII set.
Printing Speed: The printer can print 40 characters/line at a rate of 75 lines/minute on standard 3 7/8" wide rolls of adding machine paper.
Buffer Memory: One complete line is printed at a time from an internal forty character line buffer memory.
Data Transfer: The printer can accept character data as fast as one character per microsecond or as slow as needed.
Compatibility: Its seven parallel data lines are TTL compatible and may be enabled by a single “data ready” control line or by separate “data ready” and “data accepted” handshake control lines. This makes the printer compatible with all computer and terminal systems having an eight-bit parallel interface, including the MITS 8800 and SWTPC 6800 computer systems1.
Dimensions: The printer mechanism is attached to a black anodized aluminum chassis with front trim panel which houses the unit’s circuitry including its own 120/240 VAC 50 to 60 Hz power supply. This makes the printer’s overall dimensions 9 5/8" wide X 10 1/2" deep X 8 3/4" high1.
Accessories: Each unit is shipped with one ribbon and one roll of paper. Extra ribbons are available from the manufacturer, while the standard adding machine paper may be purchased in office supply stores1.
