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1976 IBM Mag CardA Serial # 24-0317691 1976 IBM Mag CardA typewriter, Serial # 24-0317691 Erik Bruchez's 1976 IBM Mag CardA typewriter. 2022-04-16 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Erik Bruchez: 1976 IBM Mag CardA Serial # 24-0317691 Another first on TWDB!

This IBM Mag Card/A was kindly given to me. It was in pretty sad cosmetic condition, but it turns out that his was mostly dirt and dust.

This is a machine in the "Mag Card II" family, to which the Memory Typewriter also belongs, it turns out, as well as the Electronic Composer, and the Mag Card Executive. These machine all shared the presence of a "planar" (electronics board) with memory (typically from 4,000 to 8,000) characters. The Mag Card/A has 6,000 characters of memory. The Mag Card/A is very similar to the Mag Card II, but doesn't have the ability to process stacks of magnetic cards. Unlike the Memory Typewriter, it is not a self-contained unit: it comes with a console (the "Mag Card unit") which contains power supply, electronics, and magnetic card drive. This is also how the IBM Mag Tape (MT/ST) and first Mag Card (MC/ST) were organized.

This machine doesn't work yet. I won't turn it on until I can do some cleaning and check the power supply. But I gave it a first round of cleaning. I managed to open the Mag Card unit to check it out. It had a lot of sand (!) and dust inside.

I am dating it to 1976 as this model came out in 1975 and the papers I found inside, alongside the two test mag cards, bear the date 1976.

1976 IBM Mag CardA #24-0317691

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)
Created: 04-16-2022 at 08:12PM
Last Edit: 04-16-2022 at 08:18PM

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Description:

Another first on TWDB!

This IBM Mag Card/A was kindly given to me. It was in pretty sad cosmetic condition, but it turns out that his was mostly dirt and dust.

This is a machine in the "Mag Card II" family, to which the Memory Typewriter also belongs, it turns out, as well as the Electronic Composer, and the Mag Card Executive. These machine all shared the presence of a "planar" (electronics board) with memory (typically from 4,000 to 8,000) characters. The Mag Card/A has 6,000 characters of memory. The Mag Card/A is very similar to the Mag Card II, but doesn't have the ability to process stacks of magnetic cards. Unlike the Memory Typewriter, it is not a self-contained unit: it comes with a console (the "Mag Card unit") which contains power supply, electronics, and magnetic card drive. This is also how the IBM Mag Tape (MT/ST) and first Mag Card (MC/ST) were organized.

This machine doesn't work yet. I won't turn it on until I can do some cleaning and check the power supply. But I gave it a first round of cleaning. I managed to open the Mag Card unit to check it out. It had a lot of sand (!) and dust inside.

I am dating it to 1976 as this model came out in 1975 and the papers I found inside, alongside the two test mag cards, bear the date 1976.

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Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)

Erik Bruchez's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 11371

I started collecting my first pre-WW2 standard typewriters in 2017. Since then I have added a few machines to my collection, which now ranges from the 1880s to the 1980s. As of 2024, I have more big standard (desktop) typewriters than portables, a few standard electrics, and some unusual machines like Varitypers, uncommon IBM machines, and more. I am not a pro restorer, but I have restored a few of my machines beyond simple cleaning.


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