Selectric Typewriter conversions

From: Tom Owad <owad_at_applefritter.com>
Date: Tue Feb 4 11:54:02 2003

>The more clever (IMHO) mod was to attach seven solenoids to the
>Selectric between the keyboard encoding mechanism and the print
>mechanism, to directly control the tilt and rotate. And two more
>for the carriage return and paper advance. This has the advantage
>that you can still use it as a typewriter without having to attach
>and remove the solenoid box, and it's potentially less expensive
>since it takes nowhere near as many solenoids. I seem to recall
>that Don Lancaster wrote a do-it-yourself article about this
>approach.

Lancaster's "TV Typewriter" book includes a description.

>Either way, though, you don't end up with a particularly great printer.
>The Selectric typewriters weren't meant to be pounded on continuously
>at anywhere near their full speed, since that wasn't how typewriters
>were used (even by *very* good typists).
>
>IBM made "I/O Selectrics," which had heavy-duty mechanisms intended
>for continuous output. Model numbers that come to mind are the
>1052 and 753, though my memory regarding these seems more than a
>little fuzzy.

This is disappointing. I'd been on the lookout for a Selectric for the
purpose of performing this hack (Powerbook G4 USB->Parallel->Selectric),
but chances of finding one of these models looks pretty slim.

Maybe I'll dig out my Xerox MemoryWriter and try to interface that...

Tom

Applefritter
www.applefritter.com
Received on Tue Feb 04 2003 - 11:54:02 GMT