KLund1 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 I got a broken 820 off ebay. I got it to work. But it needs new ink ribbon and the correct type of grease. The ribbon looks in good condition, but dry. It also looks fairly generic. Anyone know where to get new ribbon? (besides BEST) Or an equivalent size that I could re-spool. What would be the grease needed? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 White Lithium or Silicone grease from Auto Parts store. Most Office supply places should have a ribbon, maybe not a direct fit, but they should have one that's the correct width. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KLund1 Posted February 20, 2017 Author Share Posted February 20, 2017 Good idea about office supply stores. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidMil Posted February 20, 2017 Share Posted February 20, 2017 When Epson dot matrix printers were all we had, we would spray some WD40 on a rag and wipe the rag over the ribbon as we manually advanced the ribbon. This rejuvenated the ribbon for some time. DavidM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 I hear ya about not wanting to use Best. I only use if there is NO other place to go. The shipping is crazy expensive these days. Do some searches in the net, Atari 820 equivalent (something like that). The ribbon is used on another machine. I forget now what it is. When you discover it, you can find ribbons for it. I can verify they work great! Buy a dozen or so. Use one and freeze the rest. That will make them last longer. As for the WD-40 trick, only do that if you come up empty. It makes a mess. Lithium grease, a little, works well on the gear. I use the stuff that you get for garage door opener tracks (lithium used to grease the rail). Works great. Again, use it sparingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted February 21, 2017 Share Posted February 21, 2017 oh, and those Atari 820s are workhorses. I have used mine for over 30 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 (edited) Has anyone identified a commercial ribbon that can be used in the 820? Part number? I see Best sells them (limit 1) but I assume this is NOS. Thanks! Edited November 21, 2018 by scitari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+sm3 Posted November 22, 2018 Share Posted November 22, 2018 Has anyone identified a commercial ribbon that can be used in the 820? Part number? I see Best sells them (limit 1) but I assume this is NOS. Thanks! There was a thread here on AtariAge from 2010 that stated: "A. Talked to the guys in the warehouse John. Here are the generic printer ribbons that fit the Atari 820 Printer. DTC / Data Terminal LRC / Micros / MKD Unitote Regital 400 & 430, Unitote/Regitel ECR" But not much more info than that. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) There was a thread here on AtariAge from 2010 that stated: "A. Talked to the guys in the warehouse John. Here are the generic printer ribbons that fit the Atari 820 Printer. DTC / Data Terminal LRC / Micros / MKD Unitote Regital 400 & 430, Unitote/Regitel ECR" But not much more info than that. Yeah, saw that but a Google search on that string was not helpful. Thanks! Edited November 23, 2018 by scitari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) don't use google anymore, it only shows stuff that makes money, or favors an agenda... use other search engines and you get results like... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/161999-atari-820-printer-dishwasher/?p=1996224 Edited November 23, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kyle22 Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 don't use google anymore, it only shows stuff that makes money, or favors an agenda... use other search engines and you get results like... http://atariage.com/forums/topic/161999-atari-820-printer-dishwasher/?p=1996224 I use the Evil Goo as little as possible. I have most of their spy / ad network blocked as well. Use the Goo against them. Goo "Google Adreno", then "Google Chrome", and finally Use the Evil Goo to search for "AdrenoChrome". Yeah, it's that bad. This is bigger than anyone can imagine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+adamchevy Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I would be interested in finding a commercially available ribbon as well as some paper. Best Electronics really has the corner on the market on what used to be a very common paper size and ribbon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I'm confused what about paper? did staples stop? I bought a case a couple years ago... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 I'm confused what about paper? did staples stop? I bought a case a couple years ago... Got a link to what you bought? Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 (edited) How about this for paper? Hard to find 4 inches - 100mm. Much of what I see that is about this size is thermal. Edited November 23, 2018 by scitari 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 (edited) ZEBRA, SEIKO, and Alpha were the brands it said it fit. As far as a link would go? That was a couple years ago... even if I would have it in my history (doubtful) it would be changed by now... It was the same paper they used at my wife facility at the time for printing bar-coded slips for packing bottles.. the facility moved and uses new equipment now. I can ask off handedly if old paperwork moved with them or not... The printers were Zebra as were the guns. Edited November 24, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Here are the tech specs for the Atari 820 printer from the original manual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 (edited) Was able to find Atari 1025 compatible ribbons online for $8.95 each. They sell ribbons for a bunch of old DM printers. The 820 is not mentioned. Maybe one of the ribbons they sell for other printers will work with the 820??? Edited November 24, 2018 by scitari 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 (edited) https://www.possupply.com/paper-rolls/other-paper-rolls/ https://www.staples.ca/adding+machine+paper/directory_adding+machine+paper_20051_1_20001?akamai-feo=off try variations found here in other search tools, then plug in results at other sites to find best prices... 3.875 3 7/8 and their metric equiv. the 3.875 width is that of a common envelope size here in the US it is also a common craft fabric ribbon width as well as a common tp size.. cue beavis and butthead... some where in my head I remember a 4 inch wide roll that was not 4 inch that worked it was short enough to fit Edited November 24, 2018 by _The Doctor__ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 I may have found a source of ribbons. In the middle of an email exchange now. Will update when I have confirmation of the price. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 I know this is gonna seem strange, but paper rolls can be cut to fit (well close enough) the 820. I had several rolls in my attic (not a good place to store, paper gets weak) that I bought many years earlier, cheap from an old Atari store in San Antonio. Well, it was about an inch too long. So, I cut it down to size with a hacksaw. Worked pretty well, still using that roll a couple of years on. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scitari Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 I worked with a company called Ribbons Unlimited. They were able track down compatible ribbons and added them to their website under Atari 820. They might have made them. Not sure. I ordered three and will let you know if they work. They sell them for $8.95 each. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_The Doctor__ Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 That kicks *ss, I think folks should order them just in case... you never know when you will need it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Looks like the ones I got. The colors are correct as well. Since these are fabric, can these be reinked? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilsaluki Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I think I ordered ribbons from http://ocla.com/makepagebak8.php?SUBCAT2B=EATONRIBBONS a few years ago, not certain. But, they list the ribbon for the mechanism, the Eaton LRC 7000. It even says the ink is purple, which is what is original ink color. I emailed them yesterday to find out if they still had them in stock. No answer yet. Holiday? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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