The
IBM Electromatic Table Printing Machine was a typesetting-quality printer, consisting of a modified
IBM Electromatic Proportional Spacing Typewriter connected to a modified
IBM 016
A keypunch is a device for precisely punching holes into stiff paper cards at specific locations as determined by keys struck by a human operator. Other devices included here for that same function include the gang punch, the pantograph punch, ...
keypunch. A
plugboard
A plugboard or control panel (the term used depends on the application area) is an array of jacks or sockets (often called hubs) into which patch cords can be inserted to complete an electrical circuit. Control panels are sometimes used to di ...
control panel was used for programming and formatting of the printout.
A deck of
punched card
A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to di ...
s containing the table (calculated and punched by other
unit record equipment
Starting at the end of the nineteenth century, well before the advent of electronic computers, data processing was performed using electromechanical machines collectively referred to as unit record equipment, electric accounting machines (EAM) or ...
) to be printed was put into the IBM 016, which read them and then controlled the typing of the typewriter through a box containing
solenoids
upright=1.20, An illustration of a solenoid
upright=1.20, Magnetic field created by a seven-loop solenoid (cross-sectional view) described using field lines
A solenoid () is a type of electromagnet formed by a helix, helical coil of wire whose ...
that depressed the keys. Printed output could then be photographically reproduced on a
printing plate
Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ea ...
, which would be used in a
printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in which the ...
to make as many copies as needed.
Development
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
Astronomy Professor
Wallace Eckert
Wallace John Eckert (June 19, 1902 – August 24, 1971) was an American astronomer, who directed the Thomas J. Watson Astronomical Computing Bureau at Columbia University which evolved into the research division of IBM.
Life
Wallace John Eckert ...
was examining the process used by the Navy to produce Air Almanacs. Deciding that the manual computation techniques used were too slow and error prone, he recommended automating the process with existing punched card based unit record equipment. One of the hardest problems was getting a high-quality printout of the tables. Initially
IBM 405
__NOTOC__
Year 405 ( CDV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Stilicho and Anthemius (or, less frequently, year 1158 ''Ab ...
accounting machines with special modifications were used, but he wanted something better. In 1941 Eckert developed a specification for a card-driven composing typewriter and asked IBM to design and build it.
The first Electromatic Table Printing Machine was delivered to him in 1945. It produced it first Air Almanac in 1946.
References
{{Reflist
External links
The US Naval Observatory Table Printer - 1945
Electromatic Table Printing Machine
Impact printers
Electromatic
Electromatic Table