[GreenKeys] AN/UGC-143A teleprinter info/parts wanted - long shot

Chuck Rehor chuck at rehor.com
Sun Apr 20 17:06:58 EDT 2025 

For my ASR33, it has a DB50m, but there are only 24 pins, and the rest are
missing pins altogether.

I got the Teletype from Tom Kleinschmidt’s friend, Dan, about 1.5 years
ago.  He said he had it connected serially to a computer before but
couldn’t remember anything about the interface. I have no idea what to do
about interfacing it to a modern-day RS-232 9- or 25-pin interface.

Thanks, again, Eric for your expertise in getting my M33 a few steps closer
to working. I was amazed at how stuck many of those rods and keys could be,
and what it takes to unstick them. I still have a long way to go (keys are
still stuck and the “marriage” is completely locked up) but thanks to you,
I’m finally able to see there’s light at the end of the tunnel (and it
isn’t a freight train)!

Chuck
W9CFR


On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 2:06 PM Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> wrote:

> Ah no this was 3 rows.
>
>
>
> On Sun, Apr 20, 2025, 1:59 PM Jeffrey Golas <jeffg at junknet.net> wrote:
>
>> Heres a DB37, just bought this for an HP Protocol analyzer.
>>
>> amazon.com
>> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z9PXW69?ref_=icdp_ba_mweb_mb_pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&clientRefMarker=pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&heartsTeamIdentifier=buyagain&psc=1&heartDisabled=true>
>>
>> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z9PXW69?ref_=icdp_ba_mweb_mb_pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&clientRefMarker=pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&heartsTeamIdentifier=buyagain&psc=1&heartDisabled=true>
>> <https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Z9PXW69?ref_=icdp_ba_mweb_mb_pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&clientRefMarker=pd_bap_m_grid_rp_0_4_gf&heartsTeamIdentifier=buyagain&psc=1&heartDisabled=true>
>>
>>
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>> On Apr 20, 2025, at 2:48 PM, Eric Moore <mooreericnyc at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> 
>> DB-37, ever a DD-50?
>>
>> I just saw a TTY33 ASR yesterday with a DD-50 we were puzzling over.
>>
>> Maybe it was a DB-37 and we mis-counted, Chuck is on the list and can say.
>>
>> -Eric
>>
>>
>> On Sun, Apr 20, 2025, 1:24 PM Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> The keyboard is attached via a DB37 (no documentation on what
>>> signal/power is on there)
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/IMG_1452.JPG
>>>
>>> The keyboard processor board has two 5v regulators on it and its logic
>>> chips seem to have +5 OK - I was hoping to find just a shorted tantalum
>>> killing a power rail, but no such easy problem! (and the damn thing is
>>> conformal coated so a pain to make measurements.)
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/IMG_1460.JPG
>>>
>>> It looks like the keyboard itself and the fluorescent character display
>>> are standard commercial parts - they are connected to the processor board
>>> via ribbon cables
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/IMG_1461.JPG
>>>
>>> Access is via the bottom of the keyboard so it is pretty awkward - I may
>>> make an extender cable so I can more easily probe things.
>>> First I will look at the Z80 to see if it active (I think it must be
>>> because during power-on the character display gets initialized and then it
>>> says "PLEASE WAIT". Then the printer finishes its power-on sequence and
>>> prints "READY", but the BIT status code says "keyboard not installed",
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/IMG_1463.JPG
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/IMG_1465.JPG
>>>
>>> Then I will look at the TX and RX lines on the keyboard USART that talk
>>> to a USART in the control unit.
>>> There must be some attempted handshake during power-up BIT because the
>>> BIT status at that point says "keyboard not installed". And thereafter the
>>> internal software thinks this is an RO with no keyboard.....
>>>
>>> But I got no flow diagram or much about how the controller, keyboard,
>>> and printer microprocessors actually interact, other than that they use
>>> serial links.
>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143/message-generation-01.jpg
>>>
>>> -----------------
>>> Keyboard unit A3
>>> applies serial data directly to backplane interface A2A1A3A1, backplane
>>> A2A1A1, I/O connector assembly
>>> A2A1A2 and I/O connector assembly A1A4 to the receiver section of a
>>> USART on port card A1A2A1 of electronic
>>> control unit A1. The electronic control unit A1 USART converts the data
>>> back to parallel form for processing
>>> by the IOC microprocessor and storage in the dual port RAM of DSC
>>> A1A2A3. Based upon receipt of
>>> KYBD ONLINE data in the dual port RAM, the storage control functional
>>> group ( paragraph 3-4) develops
>>> appropriate control signals. Control signals are sent back to keyboard
>>> unit A3 by reversing the path followed by
>>> the KYBD ONLINE data except for the substitution of USART transmitter
>>> section for receiver sections and
>>> receiver sections for transmitter sections. Character keys typed by the
>>> operator, thereafter, follow the same path
>>> as the KYBD ONLINE data to be stored in the DSC dual port RAM. The
>>> control microprocessor on the DSC
>>> (figure FO-5-3) transfers data in the DSC dual port RAM into the print
>>> and communications lists of the buffer
>>> memory. From that point keyboard originated characters are transferred
>>> to the print and transmit buffers in the
>>> dual port RAM for routing to the message print and message transmit
>>> function circuits.
>>> ------------------
>>>
>>> Nick England K4NYW
>>> www.navy-radio.com
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 12:44 PM Jeffrey Golas <jeffg at junknet.net>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Id start by seeing if the keyboard port has any dc rails to it. Is it a
>>>> db9?
>>>>
>>>> Jeff
>>>>
>>>> On Apr 20, 2025, at 11:45 AM, Nick England <navy.radio at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> 
>>>> That “180 lbs” may be an OCR mistake for “130 lbs”.
>>>>
>>>> For the ASR version which I have, the control unit is 28 lbs, the
>>>> printer 61, the keyboard 11, and the mag tape 32 - so I hauled it from the
>>>> garage downstairs to my workbench one piece at a time. I don't have the mag
>>>> tape unit, which might be fun, but you can also edit and store messages via
>>>> a paper tape I/O port. If I can't figure out the keyboard, I suppose it
>>>> will just be a printer. At the least it is yet another interesting project.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Nick England K4NYW
>>>> www.navy-radio.com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sun, Apr 20, 2025 at 10:43 AM Jeffrey Golas <jeffg at junknet.net>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> I have a bunch of UGC-74s and at 100lbs their definition of portable
>>>>> was pushing it already.
>>>>>
>>>>> Jeff
>>>>>
>>>>> On Apr 19, 2025, at 7:17 PM, Duncan Brown <duncanancy at earthlink.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  At 180 pounds (!), it is what the Navy would consider "portable"
>>>>> ("anything that can be carried on a battleship").
>>>>>
>>>>> The UGC-143 looks similar to the Space Shuttle teleprinter Curious
>>>>> Mark did a series on a few months ago -
>>>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HihKMIVnbs
>>>>> Initially, he refers  to it as a "Navy teletype", but later shows
>>>>> pictures of the AN/UGC-74 (which was more Army & Marine Corps)
>>>>>
>>>>> A block diagram of the UGC-74 & UGC-143 would probably be pretty
>>>>> similar, but was there any connection between the two?  Or just two
>>>>> different manufacturers trying to solve the same problem?
>>>>>
>>>>> Have fun,
>>>>>
>>>>> Duncan,
>>>>> K2OEQ
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> On 4/19/2025 2:33 PM, Nick England wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> This is a circa 1988 machine I am trying to revive with not enough
>>>>> technical info. To my surprise the control unit and the printer appear to
>>>>> work - but not the keyboard.
>>>>> A description and photos of the beast are at
>>>>> http://www.navy-radio.com/tty/ugc143a.htm
>>>>>
>>>>> It, of course, uses multiple microprocessors - It will pass BIT
>>>>> diagnostics except that evidently the printer Z80 isn't talking to the
>>>>> keyboard Z80 so it doesn't think that the keyboard is actually plugged in.
>>>>> I believe that the keyboard Z80 is alive because the one-line display on
>>>>> the keyboard says PLEASE WAIT.
>>>>> I have an operation and troubleshooting manual which covers the
>>>>> built-in test routines, but that stops at the "replace the keyboard
>>>>> assembly" stage.
>>>>>
>>>>> So does anyone have a spare keyboard or a tech manual with schematics
>>>>> that I could borrow?
>>>>> This is a very long shot, but you never know what someone has
>>>>> accumulated.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>> Nick England K4NYW
>>>>> www.navy-radio.com
>>>>>
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