High-voltage static eliminators for teletypewriters

Highly unfavorable operating conditions are often created by the depositing of static charges on teletypewriter paper tape and rolls. This phenomenon of static electrification will cause delays and require the attention of operating personnel. Messages can even be lost as the copy may jam in moving mechanisms and be mutilated. Although radium devices have been employed for a number of years by the Bell System for static control,1 the increasing number of state laws regulating the use of radioactive substances made it desirable to find some suitable substitution. The paper discusses the operating principles and design features of a static eliminator utilizing a high-voltage discharge.