origins of "kludge"

[Tony Duell]

> joystick to keyboard presses for an emulator.  Since this is now only
> remotely on-topic; what would you consider to be your most "artless
> hack?"  I mean, what klu(d)ge are you most proud of, and yet at the
> same time a bit abashed (-fun- to say) to cop to?

This is probably on-topic. I did it almost 20 years ago, and it relates 
to a classic computer peripheral.

I was given a Commodore 2023 printer (GPIB interface) because the bottom 
pin of the printhead was broken. Not having a printer on my PET, I wanted 
to get it going, but no way could I afford a new printhead [1]. So I did 
a real kludge. I shorted the outputs of the bottom and next-to-bottom 
drivers together, disconnecting the coil for the broken pin, so that both 
drivers operated the next-to-bottom pin. The result was a 
strange-looking, but readable font, and it sure beat copying down 
listings from the screen by hand.

[1] It's actually the same as an Epsom printhead -- TX70 (or is it TX80) 
I think. I was given a large box of Epsom spares at a radio rally 
(basically, I was buying all the ancient computer stuff, and the chap 
gave me this rather than carry it home) with a suitable head in it, but 
I've never bothered to replace it. More fun to keep the kludge, I guess.

Other kludges would include using a 6B pencil to repair the key contacts 
in a TRS-80 M4 keyboard, using 2lb fishing line as the transfer corona 
guard in Canon CX and SX printers, the 4 AA cells in a holder to replace 
the expensive lithium battery in this PC/AT (no, they don't last as long, 
but they're a lot cheaper to replace and easier to get), and more that 
I'll remember later.

-tony