Kroy 80k Lettering machine (2024 Update)

You HAD to remind me of them!

I remember covering the tapes with Scotch bookmending tape because the lettering wore off too easily on control panels.

The best use is to pot it in wax and donate it to a time capsule.

I dunno Jim -- if the memories are that painful, wouldn't it be better to pot it in clear epoxy? Reduces the chances of someone chipping it out, y'know.

If this is them, ask them, mon.

-- Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. -- Scott Adams, 'The Dilbert Principle'

My nephew toured a military nuclear facility of some sort in Idaho; he was told by one of the guides that for the really _hard_ problems they'd convince the Russians that we were close to a breakthrough, wait two years, then steal the technology.

No heat. Just mechanical pressure. The one which I find on a search is one which I used a bit at work, and which I have a manual version of at home which I can no longer use. The URL

Does yours look like this one above? I think that the 'K' means "Keyboard".

It has two tapes in a cartridge -- one of which sticks onto paper for making headlines and such for preparing documents for photo production. Our local folklore group used one for making the newsletter.

You are limited by which wheels you have for styles and font sizes.

The lower tape has a backing paper, and the other is a very thin one with the ink on it.

The thin tape goes through a staple like thing under the bar, then up and around a 45-degree metal plate (red anodized in what I remember), and then to a hub which winds up the used ink tape. (The hub comes packaged with the tape cartridge.)

I have a bunch of wheels, one manual printer (no keyboard), and

*no* tapes which are still any good. They go bad, especially if stored where it is hot. I don't know whether the tapes are still available.

The tapes (ignoring the paper backing) are clear, and the inks are usually either black or white, though probably other colors are (were?) available as well.

Presumably the "XL" means "Extra Large", and it produces larger fonts for signs you can read from a distance. This must use even wider tapes -- perhaps 1" or 2" instead of the 1/2" which the 80 series used.

There was also a 40 instead of 80 series -- smaller wheels and smaller fonts only.

You just turn it on and type in what you want it to display. It produces a clear tape with your message, which you can stick onto whatever. (I liked the white on clear for marking controls and connectors on things I built -- both at work and at home.)

And there were accessories -- one which rolled the tape (with the paper backing) through a pair of rollers with some 3M "Magic" tape to cover the lettering and allow it to wear a lot better. The other accessory was a rolling slitter, to cut the tape to half width for smaller fonts.

Do you see anyone actually finding a buyer?

To use it, just put in a *good* cartridge, turn it one, type your labels or whatever onto the one line LCD screen, and then hit "print". IIRC, you could ask it to print more than one copy, but not much more.

It *may* have been interfaceable to a PC to load the messages, but that was not done with the one at work, so I don't know.

Instructions on installing and threading the cartridge are on the underside of the hinged gray plastic bar which covers the working part.

The wheels have a stepped circle molded inside the ring of letters which set how far to advance the tape for the next letter, compensating for the different width of the letters.

These days, the same thing is done electronically, printing on the tape thermally and making up the shapes of the letters from data in memory. As a result, you don't need the separate "Symbols" wheels. :-)

*If* you can get good tapes for it (I tried to find them a couple of years ago, and had no luck -- and if your tapes were not stored in a cold air conditioned room, they are almost certainly dead), and really want to use it, I can ship you the wheels which I have (make more room here), and even the manual one I have. (Turn the wheel by hand, then press a button to turn on a motor to cycle the impression.)

You can have them for the cost of shipping. Probably the cost to ship the manual printer would be more than the shipping cost for all the wheels which I have (unless the bulk plays games with it).

But -- if you can't get good ribbons/tapes there is no point, just as there is no point to me keeping mine. :-)

Enjoy, DoN.

I used to work with the machines all the time. You had a big circular plastic disc with the letters in raised plastic on the back. You rotated the disc to reach the letter you wanted, and then clicked on (something? Damn, I forgot) There was also a typewriter machine that would print out letters on transparent tape. I was my first day on a brand new job. Very cold introduction. Creepy guys. Then I went over to the drafting typewriter that printed out the tapes and began banging away. All of a sudden, every man there was staring at me. I asked my new boss if my slip was showing or something. He said "No, that's the fastest anybody has ever worked on that machine." I went back to my desk, thought a bit, and went back to boss. Said "I quit! I'm a drafter and technical illustrator and graphic artist. But these guys will turn me into their personal typist, and I won't do that. Besides, I've never in my life been so coldly treated when going to a new job. Sorry, but I'm outa here!" I packed up and left. Went back to my old job. Maybe they treated the next person a little better. And by the way, the place I left so fast? A major engineering company.

Besides, I've never in my life been so coldly treated when going to a new job. Sorry, but I'm outa here!" I packed up and left.

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In high tech establishments those without STEM skills are replaceable commodities, a concept my father told me about after attending management classes. The clerical staff tended to be noticeably insecure about their job security while I think the tech staff watched out for themselves and ignored the others unless they needed something. At times I became the designated liaison between engineering and production because the engineers plainly didn't want to deal with the very sarcastic girls. If I wanted them to do something particularly delicate I had to demonstrate by doing it myself first, then they couldn't let me embarrass them. My theatre experience with touchy and difficult people paid off.

Since I lack formal credentials I've often had to prove myself to be accepted. At Mitre I was tasked to explore a reported problem with equipment used on a satellite link. I set up a bit error test of 10 million bits at

2400 bits per second and waited for the result. Soon an engineer asked when I would be finished tying up the link, and I mentally calculated that the test would take 1 hour, 9 minutes and 26.7 seconds, because I had memorized reciprocals to do mental division and convert fractions to decimals, period to frequency, etc. He tried to check and then admitted he didn't know where to start. That finally earned me respect and soon I was accepted as a circuit designer. They were mainly radio engineers while I had learned computerized measurement. I was the right person in the right place when radio became digital, as in cell phones.

While I understand the physics it was still weird to watch signals disappear into empty space and return noticeably later, fully intact.

I always find it interesting how little quality support staff is valued. The higher the "skill" level of the "workers" the worse it seems to be. In the medical profession for example the single most frequent complaint AHEAD OF malpractice, maiming, and death is unpleasant front office staff. They also have the highest turnover. Not because of firing, but because they quit. Their poor attitude is projected on clients, a frightened mother with a sick kid fights back, and it all goes badly. This is indirectly the fault of the staff, but its more directly the fault of the managers, doctors, nurses, and other "skilled" workers for not appreciating and respecting the fact that those front office staff are important and the face of the whole business.

My wife had her own medical practice for 25+ years (now she works for a clinic owned by hospital), and she had low turnover and high client ratings. She paid her staff better than entry level workers, and took the time to explain that they were as important to the patient experience as any other person there. This really translates to any business. I'm terrible as a personnel manager. I just expect you to do it right, and if I tell you how you did it wrong understand that next time I expect you to do it right, and here is what you did wrong.

An Army officer's memoir stated that some people respond rationally to logic, others emotionally to threats, and to be effective a manager needs to control both, but not the same way.

Reminds me of an experience I had. I was a licesed mechanic and had "moved up" to the service manager's position. After a number of years another larger local dealership was advertising for a service manager and I thought "what the heck - let's see what they have to offer" Went for interview and the job was mine for the taking -so I asked what the position payed. He asked what I needed, and I told him if I wasn't worth $40,000 within the first 6 months, forget it. His reply was "service managersdon't make $40,000. My reply was "here is one that does" and as I turned to leave I told him "i know how your sales department works - doesn't matter HOW much a salesman sells, the lowestselling guy in the dealership every quarter is OUT - Right????" he sheepishly nodded in agreement - and I told him "your BEST salesman sells your customer his FIRST car - I sell him Number 2, 3, and 4"

They went through at least 3 service managers in the next 2 years.

Please do not respond again. I have found I no longer need the product. Thanks.