
USB Typewriter - autumntraveler
http://www.usbtypewriter.com/
======
delish
I'm glad that device convergence and device divergence are happening at the
same time.

I've said this here before, but I cannot recommend highly enough Alphasmart's
Neo. 700 hour battery life, sunlight readable display (!), made in America, no
moving parts 'cept for the keyboard (i.e. durable), plug-and-play USB, thirty
US bucks on eBay[0]. Check out the Dana for a bigger screen and Palm apps (!).

[0] ebay search for alphasmart:
[http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m5...](http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xalphasmart.TRS0&_nkw=alphasmart&ghostText=&_sacat=0)

~~~
julian_t
I've got an old Psion Series 5 that someone gave me... fantastic for taking
notes, and one of the best keyboards I have ever encountered on a pocket-size
device.

~~~
joakinen
I regularly use one of those Psion 5mx machines for taking notes. You can even
exchange documents with MS Office and print through your PC. Sadly the PC
component (PsiWin) barely works on 64-bit Windows so I have a Windows XP
machine for this. Also you must replace the flexi ribbon cable on your Psion 5
after some years of use, but if you do, you have an almost indestructible
pocket computer.

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derekp7
I had an idea once to hook up a solenoid with a weight attached to it to the
inside of an old Model M keyboard, and have it activate on each keystroke.
That way I can turn my all-to-quiet Model M into something that sounds like a
good old fashioned Selectric typewriter.

~~~
kevin_thibedeau
Still would need a margin bell which, incidentally, the IBM Displaywriter
provided along with more typewriter-like keys.

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endgame
I emailed a typewriter-collecting friend who expressed concerns about the
platen getting dirty or damaged with conversions like these. Is there a way to
avoid that?

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arh68
Darn, I was hoping this would be nearly the opposite invention.

Is there a USB teletype out there? I'm trying to imagine something that
converts keystrokes over USB to ink-on-paper. Not a full-blown printer w/
PostScript, just inking one letter at a time, manual carriage return, etc.

~~~
sitkack
I had an idea for something like this, it would be like a daisywheel
typewriter from the early 90s.

[http://www.typewritersupply.com/brother_printwheel.JPG](http://www.typewritersupply.com/brother_printwheel.JPG)

But it might just be easier to use a parallel linkage, two small steppers and
a 500 mw laser diode. Although not faster.

Not sure how much power a mems mirror could take, but it might speedup writing
fancy glyphs.

~~~
arh68
Interesting! I hadn't seen a daisy wheel before. Nice to see they could print
proportional fonts [1]. Pretty good for printing one character at a time.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFC5PyJdVIg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFC5PyJdVIg)

~~~
sitkack
I am trying to figure out how to get rid of the ink ribbon. Ink sponge? Silk
dam? Both would require a small pump to soak the medium with ink. Or make it
gravity/capillary fed.

Now that we are on the subject of inappropriate low technologies, why not a
reusable screen printing method? stainless steel screen, uv cured resist (use
an xy laser to create pattern). Resist should disolve in hot water.

Or maybe use aluminum foil and laser to drill holes in the screen? I like
this.

------
andrewfelix
I had a similar idea, but utilizing a microphone instead that listened for the
subtle tonal differences in each key strike.

To the naysayers: Typewriters have all sorts of appeal beyond visual
aesthetics. Just because it doesn't appeal to you personally, does not make it
a silly thing.

~~~
crimsonalucard
What kind of appeal does it have other then aesthetics?

~~~
6stringmerc
1 - It doesn't need batteries to work

2 - The written product does not need batteries to be read

3 - By writing in a "permanent" form of communication, the typewriter
encourages more active engagement with crafting words and sentences

4 - Some of the greatest written works of non-fiction and fiction were
products of typewriters

5 - A good used manual typewriter can be found and purchased for approximately
50 times less than a new Apple Laptop (I purchased a West German Olympia
portable for $25)

~~~
epochwolf
Why use a typewriter instead of hand writing then?

~~~
6stringmerc
I do both, but have you ever written 3-4 pages by hand in one sitting? I've
got exceptionally strong and flexible hand and finger muscles, but even I have
to take breaks and shake out the lactic acid build up. Alcohol only helps so
much. A manual typewriter can take its own toll, but it's different. Pen and
paper are very portable. Manual typewriters are portable and efficient.

My IBM Selectric III is not portable but that monster can bash out words so
fast and with audacity that I'm glad it's an option. Granted, I bought two
Selectrics before (a I and II) and both died due to being worn out and gross,
but for $50 and in mint condition, I've enjoyed it immensely.

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AbraKdabra
Taking the mechanical keyboards concept to a whole new level.

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RankingMember
Can you imagine how muscular your fingers would get from using this as your
primary work keyboard?

Or how quickly any coworkers within earshot would want to kill you?

~~~
zyxley
Coworkers? Don't be silly.

What you do is take it to a coffeeshop for typing on your iPad.

~~~
avn2109
In Williamsburg or Bushwick this would be the ultimate social status indicator
and it would probably get your band signed to an indy label immediately.

~~~
mhink
Pssh, it's already passé. I've seen four in Seattle already: three in Capitol
Hill and one in Fremont. The Stranger's already speculating about the possible
opening of a coffee shop/bar down in Georgetown with teletypes available for
rent by the hour.

If you're not carrying printouts of your Node.js microservice written using
'ed', you might as well be using _Windows_.

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teddyh
Reminds me of this old thing: “ _The Guy I Almost Was_ ” by Patrick Farley:
[http://electricsheepcomix.com/almostguy/](http://electricsheepcomix.com/almostguy/)

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spc476
Previous discussion:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3029144](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3029144)

------
rootbear
I've thought in the past of how I might turn my grandmother's Underwood No. 5
into a terminal. Now I can just get this! As for all of the hipster
references, I'm don't know much about that subculture but I can say that an
Underwood No. 5 computer terminal is Steampunk heaven. Just the thing for my
Analytical Engine!

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stox
We used to have devices to convert typewriters into output devices. I never
thought about going in the other direction.

~~~
Luyt
I remember having a daisy-wheel printer at the office. It gave nice, crisp,
typewritten and kerned output. Much better than the matrix printers. (This was
before laser printers became commonplace).

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johntaitorg
I went to the site, looked at its many impressive pages, went to Youtube and
left a joke, came back to site, came to HN comments and finally clocked it
wasn't all a sophisticated joke.

Big shout out to all the other Alphasmart people here though!

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TeMPOraL
Damn it, someone already commercialized what was my idea for a personal
gift... I even have a typewriter waiting for me to get around modding it...

But anyways. Cool execution of the conversion kit. I like that.

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yoanizer
I don't understand how people would want to invest in this. But that's just
me.

~~~
dspillett
Its a gimmick. A toy. A silly play thing. A nostalgia trip. Some or all the
above. People spend more money on less useful things all the time!

 _> But that's just me._

Exactly. I'd not buy one or invest the tie into making one either, but I don't
assume that because I don't like it nobody else will/should.

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wbsun
Ohhh, the good old days :)

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iuguy
For the hipster who thinks hemingwrite.com is too mainstream, perhaps?

~~~
DanBC
Some people just like typewriters.

I can find my typewriter, load an envelope, and type a name and address much
faster than I can open the word processor and then print that name and address
to a sticky label (or an envelope if I'm brave enough to risk a jammed
printer).

I've been working on my hand-writing so it's not as important now as it used
to be.

~~~
stevewillows
I really made a conscious effort to improve my penmanship last year. I started
tracing at first [1] to build up the muscle memory, but it didn't take long
before the movements became natural.

[1]
[http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/cursive/index.htm](http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/flash/cursive/index.htm)

~~~
roel_v
Are you really saying you can't write? Or just that you're trying to write
more beautifully?

~~~
DanBC
Some people can write, but illegibly. So they want to improve their writing so
that other people can read their writing, or so they're not embarresed by it.
Pen and paper is a powerful tool and there's not much in software that matches
it.

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ofcapl_
with this gadget my hipster level will reach over 9000!

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datsun
This is every hipster's dream

