The Bell Punch Analyser

The Bell Punch Analyser combines an adding machine with a lab counter. It was intended to be use in combination with Bell Punch's Automacheckit ticketing machine which generated a paper strip with carbon copies of all the tickets that are issued. Such a strip can be fed through the metal guide on top of the machine. On the adder you would enter the ticket price, and then increment one of the five counters depending on the type of ticket. The latter action also activates a feeder that advances the strip to the next ticket.
For more information on this and other calculators in my collection, please visit my website:
www.jaapsch.net/mechcalc/
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Adding
1:42 Clearing
1:53 Lab counter
2:44 Clearing
3:10 Outro

[@GrumpyTim]

Oooh, Mrs Grumpy is very jealous - she's been looking for one of those to add to her Bell Punch "Plus" collection - currently she has a model F (farthings), model T (time) and model Y (weight), one of the small 506 models and an Automaticket Check Adder version. The Analyser looks fantastic, thanks for doing the video Jaap.

[@jaapsch2]

I don't even know if there is another one in existence, cause this is the exact same one that is shown on Nigel Tout's site ( anita-calculators.info/html/bell_punch_analyser.html ). It took a lot of effort to get the register working as it was completely gummed up. A few months ago I bought a large calculator collection, which included about 65 Plus adders (various kinds including one Check Adder), but later when the opportunity came to add this one to the collection too I just could not say no. I don't know when I'll get around to properly cataloguing those 65 Plus machines.

[@GrumpyTim]

@@jaapsch2 Coo, that would explain why a) I've only seen photos of one machine and b) that machine looked a lot like yours. I'll still keep my eyes peeled in case there's another one out there. The gummed up register is a familiar problem - I've had to deal with those on multiple Bell Punch machines - the annoying cover plate over the number wheels that you need to get off to access the wheels but you can't get off because the wheels are seized to the axle pin that you need to slide to one side in order to remove the cover plate. It would have been fine when the machines were in use because they wouldn't have sat for years, allowing the oil to dry up. I've just finished restoring a Comptometer 993s (aka a Sumlock 912/VZ/S) - one of the dual register electric machines - absolutely everything throughout the machine was seized and once I'd got all the mechanical parts working I finally got to the stage of testing the electrical side and it had some failed capacitors in the suppressor box too, so I had to replace those as well. Finally I understand why they bothered to electrify the key driven machines, it really IS quite fast and easy to use - video coming soon. Wow, 65 Plus Adders, now Mrs Grumpy is even more jealous!!!!! PS, there's an Automacheckit ticket machine on ebay at the moment - it would sit nicely with your Analyser.

[@jaapsch2]

That Automacheckit is a bit too expensive considering its simplicity and it not being my main interest. That collection I bought includes a couple of Almex ticket machines which are mechanically much more interesting. Looking forward to your video. I have a Comp993s as well as an earlier Sumlock Duolectric, but haven't tackled them yet so I'm not sure of their working condition.

[@GrumpyTim]

@@jaapsch2 Ooh yes, I just had a look online and the Almex ticket machines do look a bit more exciting!!! I figured you'd have a 993 or a Duolectric in your collection. I actually ended up with 2 993's - the second one was for spare parts but turned out to be the better of the two so I fixed it first. Interestingly, both machines had all the same faults including failed capacitors but on the one machine someone had tried running it at some point while it was jammed and damaged several of the carry gears in the register. I will probably repair that one at some point in time, either if I find a real wreck of a machine to get spare gears from or potentially I could 3D print some gears but that'll be sometime in the future, when I have a 3D printer.