SilverReed EB50
The Silver Reed EB50 is a roller plotter with ballpoint pen refills .
function
It can be controlled by programs (connected to a computer) and used as a portable typewriter .
The unusual combination of typewriter and plotter has been in production since around 1984. The plotter uses four very short ballpoint pen refills of the type EA 850 for writing. The printing mechanism was manufactured by the ALPS company and built into a number of plotters from the early 1980s, including the Commodore VC-1520 . The plotter writes on normal paper, e.g. B. in size A4 .
The connection to a computer is made (as was common at the time) via the parallel interface . The plotter can only be controlled using special programs because it does not understand any of the common output languages such as HPGL .
particularities
As a typewriter, you can write texts and simple graphics directly with the plotter. No power connection is required; the plotter can be operated with 5 type D batteries . The pen can be moved freely across the page to the desired writing position using the keyboard. Using special keys, simple graphics such as B. Bar charts are output. Equally unusual for a typewriter is the use of up to four colors and the rotated output of the text.