Bits&Terminal JeffSide by side view of my two Epson LX-80 dot matrix printers. The one on the right I got free at #VCFEast really needs a good cleaning before I'll start testing it.
Completely unrelated to the above: 500 sheets of perforated 9.5" paper have been purchased.
Well, this cat decided he likes this 80s-style bed.
Well, internal test works - ribbon is pretty much dead but that was to be expected. Still, it sounds pretty good now. Will try to revive the ribbon.
Warning: might be loud.
Edit: Connected it to my Apple IIe's parallel printer card later on and I was able to print from BASIC. So it works.
While I did order a new oooold stock ink ribbon cartridge for my printer, I decided to try the WD-40 trick to revive an old ribbon.
Verdict: it mostly works!
Joe's Computer Museum@jf_718 It DOES work. Until the WD-40 evaporates. :P
@MuseumJoe That's fine, getting a bit of extra life out of an old ribbon is a nice bonus even if short-lived. I guess I'm easy to please 😀
@jf_718 It's fine. I do the same thing every #MARCHintosh to my ribbons. :D
just_one_bear@jf_718 I had great luck with that back in The Day. After the spritzings I'd let it sit for a while so the ink in the edges of the ribbon had time to wick back to the beat up middle section.
The risk I was warned of back then was that there comes a point where the beatings on the ribbon get it threadbare enough to snag a pin and damage it.
gmc@jf_718 Now there's a sound I haven't heard in a while. Gosh, I remember as a teen I once had to take over from the resident ink ribbon re-inker at the local computer club. Gosh, how I hated that, I wasn't really good at it :)
Jake in the desert@jf_718 😹 epic
AlanGrassia@jf_718
Oh man, the memories that come back just seeing those printers…
The nostalgia is strong! 🥹
@AlanGrassia The clean one sounds just right when powering up and printing. The other one sounds not so good, so cleaning and lubrication need to happen.
Angela Scholder@jf_718 I've got my MX-80 still somewhere in a moving box. Had that one initially with my Apple II clone in '80.