With the rollout of data transmission services with speeds ranging between 1200 and 2400 bps in 1966, Oki Electric developed the 2400B line printer as a terminal device for online, real-time processing systems that could take advantage of these services. The printer was designed for business operations requiring fast production of slips such as those used in securities and banking operations.
Oki Electric went to great lengths to make the mechanical assembly as compact as possible and used a magnetostrictive delay line memory unit for the printer’s controller instead of magnetic core memory, which was expensive at the time. Costs were further slashed with the use of a single-motor drive system that powered the belt, paper feed mechanism, and ink ribbon.
| Model | 2400B line printer |
|---|---|
| Printing method | Flying printing with a type belt |
| Communication speed | 2400 bits per second |
| Word length | 8 bits (7 data bits + 1 parity bit) |
| Error detection method | Horizontal and vertical parity checks |
| Error correction method | Resend requests made when errors detected |
| Print speed | 150 lines per minute (when receiving data at 2400 bits per second) |
| Character types | 128 characters (identified with ISO codes) |
| Characters per line | 132 |
