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Typewriters that acted as printers

M

Moondog

Experienced Member
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Jun 12, 2015
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Michigan
Back in high school over 30 years ago I had a daisy wheel typewriter, and I recall a removable panel being on it's side which looked like it could accept an interface card. I can't recall if it was an Epson, Brother, or Panasonic.

Was there such a thing as a convertible typewriter? What else could that port have been for? Just thinking how it would've been a blessing to use opposed to the Commodore 1526 I was using.
 
IBM had the Wheelwriter, a typewriter with an optional parallel port. Olivetti and Smith Corona had similar machines. There were a lot of them out there. Have a review from the time of one https://www.nytimes.com/1984/02/07/...ew-american-printer-takes-on-double-duty.html

The port could be for other uses as well. Brother had a number of typewriters with a port for a memory card but no connections for a computer.

The problem was that the options needed to turn a typewriter into a printer cost more than a decent letter quality printer. The typewriter was also a lot slower.
 
In the 1970s our company used Honeywell Keytape machines, which were direct replacements for the earlier card punching machines but using standard half inch magnetic tape instead of cards. Card images were written onto the tapes for input to the mainframe computer. The benefit of these machines was that card punch operators could move over to using these machines with very little retraining. The logic boards that I am using as a source of components for my Honeywell 200 computer project are from all seven Keytape machines that the company eventually scrapped as these boards were from standard H200 stock.

In addition to providing data input two of the machines had output interfaces to IBM Selectric golf ball typewriters. These were used to provide prestige documents for use where standard line printer documents from the mainframe would have looked shoddy. At first just high quality policy documents were produced this way as the typewriters needed text strings with control characters rather than line printer print image files, so special programming was needed on the mainframe to create the correct format tapes. To overcome this problem I wrote a conversion system that would take any standard line printer print image file and create a Selectric serial printer format tape from it. To maximise the printing speed the system was given a list of tab stops that the typewriter operator would set up for the particular type of documents being printed and it would then choose the fastest combination of tabbing, character and line spacing operations to type all the text. Each tape sent to the Keytape department was accompanied by a control sheet printed by the system containing the tab settings and stationery type to ensure that the typewriter was configured correctly for that batch of documents.

The result was that the COBOL programmers writing the mainframe programs to produce these documents could disregard the fact that the final output would be typed by typewriters and treat the output as going to a normal line printer. It also meant that they could use the mainframe line printer for tests and not take up valuable time testing on the typewriters as the conversion system always produced the equivalent typed documents.

The Keytape machines with Selectric typewriters replaced a previous Dataplex machine, a word processor that used magnetic cards, that produced the prestige documents and even before that a Flexowriter was used with paper tape. The Flexowriter had a Selectadata paper tape reader with it. This device had a double speed search facility which enabled it to find blocks of text on a master tape containing a template document image. Variable data for each document was fed into the Flexowriter's own tape reader and merged with the template text to produce the documents. The master template tape was looped so that the Selectadata reader could read it repeatedly. I acquired all this equipment when it was scrapped but the typewriters for both the Dataplex and Flexowriter were entirely worn out, so now I just have the processor and magnetic card drives from the Dataplex and the paper tape punch and two readers from the Flexowriter. I am hoping to build an interface between my Honeywell 200 replica and the Dataplex so that the H200 can use magnetic cards for storing data. I could also maybe interface it to the paper tape devices as I took the precaution of buying a box of reels of paper tape when I acquired them many years ago. I also have a stock of magnetic cards for the Dataplex drives. This old equipment is of little use if you can't get the consumables for it any more.

I also have a daisy wheel printer from a Wang word processing system but that doesn't have an integral keyboard, so can't strictly be regarded as a typewriter in this context.
 
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I have one: A Silver Reed, of Japanese manufacture, which was essentially a copy of the Olivetti machine. In addition to being an "electric" typewriter it had an interface that allowed the typewriter to accept data from a PC.

I bought this in 1982 at the same time I purchased a Kaypro II computer; both were acquired from a local typewriter shop with the intent of facilitating invoicing for my small business. The typewriter featured carbon ribbons and a lift-off tape as well as interchangeable daisy wheels. It was slow and each sheet had to be fed by hand, so within a year or so it was replaced by another Silver Reed, also daisy-wheel but with a dedicated Centronics port, tractor and friction feed and no keyboard. This was essentially equivalent to the Xerox Diablo 650.

I still have both; both still work.

-CH-
 
Swintec Model 1146 CMP. This is the exact model of typewriter I practised document processing on in high school.

Note the big Centronics port on the back, and the presence of an "On Line" key (missing from the 1146 CM model, which lacked printer capabilities).
 
My first printer was a Brother Daisy Wheel. Don't remember the model number, but it had a parallel interface box that went between the typewriter and the computer. I can't seem to find an image of it now.
VERY SLOW! After I had it awhile, something would cause the print to get real light if you printed any lengthy document.

I replaced it with an HP Laserjet Series II. A quantum leap in printing. A warehouse was having a closeout and I was able to get it for $1200. It listed for $1800- $2000 before the sale.
 
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First impact printer was a Diablo Hitype 1200 daisywheel with the OEM interface (i.e. 25 bit raw parallel). I probably have the code to drive the thing somewhere; I think I used a PT 3P S100 card. What I remember most about it was that the external power supply was loud (it had 3 fans)--and you could do serious bodily harm by sticking your fingers in the works. Very controllable. I think I've still got a NEC Spinwriter somewhere in my pile.
 
Chuck(G) said:
... I think I've still got a NEC Spinwriter somewhere in my pile.
Click to expand...

Hope you're not planning to use it; I just gave away a half-dozen NIB ribbons and a couple of thimbles...

A while ago I finally scrapped a HiType, a real monster; still have a TTX daisy-wheel, what a difference ;-)

And then there were the Selectrics with interface that I scrapped years ago...

Back 'in the day' I was involved with a company that manufactured after-market computer interfaces for various models of 'normal' electronic Olivetti typewriters; gave away my only typewriter but still have some interfaces.
 
Moondog said:
Back in high school over 30 years ago I had a daisy wheel typewriter, and I recall a removable panel being on it's side which looked like it could accept an interface card. I can't recall if it was an Epson, Brother, or Panasonic.

Was there such a thing as a convertible typewriter? What else could that port have been for? Just thinking how it would've been a blessing to use opposed to the Commodore 1526 I was using.
Click to expand...

There definitely were such things. I have (inherited) a 1980s Carrera Olympia which was sold as being able to connect to a computer through, indeed, a small removable panel on the side. I'm unsure whether it was meant to act as just a printer, or also a keyboard. I've hung onto it for ages intending to see if I can figure out the protocol and use it for vintage-style printing. Unfortunately something about the daisywheel drive mechanism on mine has not aged well so it's yet another thing I need to learn to repair :p (that's why we do this stuff, right? it's what "fun" is?)

I believe there are two basic ways 80s typewriters implemented "printer" features: either the typewriter just has a parallel port (perhaps in disguise so they can sell an expensive proprietary cable), or it has an odd/proprietary connection that deals in the typewriter's own keycodes and went to an external box that did the conversion to parallel port. I am pretty sure mine is the latter.
 
MikeS said:
Hope you're not planning to use it; I just gave away a half-dozen NIB ribbons and a couple of thimbles...

A while ago I finally scrapped a HiType, a real monster; still have a TTX daisy-wheel, what a difference ;-)
Click to expand...

No, I have extra thimbles and ribbons, but can't for the life of me figure out why I wanted to use it. I had an Olivetti daisywheel that nobody wanted; I finally resorted to giving an ATT 6300 away with it as an inducement.

I managed to find a home for a Diablo 630 a few years ago; most people don't want to pay for shipping on the things. I remember the multi-printhead super-wide carriage Hitypes used in banks for check writing.

One oddball Diablo that I used for a time was a Diablo dot-matrix. About the same size as a Hitype and just as heavy. Incredibly loud--it used Rockwell PPS microprocessors (a couple of them) to do the work. I don't know if the thing was a prototype or if Diablo actually assigned a model number. Used tractor-fed forms.

My favorite low-cost printer of the time was the Teletype Dataspeed 40 line printer. A couple of companies OEMed the thing, packaged it in their own sound-deadening cases and interfaces.
 
I have a Brother daisy wheel printer ( parallel port type ) that had a connector labeled "Keyboard". I always assumed one could connect the keyboard and make it a typewriter. I doubt it would have been used as a terminal, being a parallel port printer. The keyboard would have been a separate piece on a cable.
Dwight
 
In my collection of Olivetti electronic typewriters I have the following with computer interfaces:

Underwood 3000, basically a Praxis 30 in different design, with 3rd party parallel interface which works over the keyboard matrix of the typewriter. Got it to work on Commodore 64 user port, but not on PC or Atari ST, maybe they are too fast.
Praxis 35, with 3rd party serial interface which works over keyboard matrix. No idea which communication parameter setup, didn't got it to print
Daisy 35, a Praxis 35 with new base board from Dontenwill (Munich), has parallel and serial interface, but pinout and communication parameter unknown.
ET Compact 60, with the official Olivetti serial LCU, works just fine, for example with 1ST Word+ on ATARI ST or MS-Office 365 (some wrong characters due to different character set)
ET 201, with parallel port interface which prints over keyboard matrix. The interface is with full tech doc from the developer
ET 121 with serial interface (ETV Kit), ETV 300 firmware, communication parameters unknown, but just works fine with my ETV 300 (cp/m wordprocessor)
ET 121 with serial interface (ETS Kit), ETS 1010 firmware, communication parameters unknown, no ETS 1010 available (cp/m86 wordprocessor)
ET 225 with serial interface (ETV Kit), ETV 300 firmware, communication parameters unknown, but just works fine with my ETV 300 (cp/m wordprocessor)
ET 116 with LCU 116, 2 port serial interface, user manual for LCU is there, so I can set up communications parameters, just works fine with any computer which can print over serial interface, even Windows 10 MS-Office works with ASCII printer driver (some wrong characters due to different character set)
ET 2200, ET 2250 and ET 2250MD with XT keyboard interface. They can be connected to XT class computer and need special MS-DOS driver, zhe the typewriter works as a PC keyboard and LPT1: prints are redirected to the XT keyboard interface, so the typewriter prints... Normally they are connected to ETV 2900 or VM 2000 MS-DOS based wordprocessor (which is allmost the same as Olivetti M200 PC).
ET 2300 with parallel interface, unfortunatelly the ET 2300 is defective, I wasn't able to fix it yet
ET 2500 with parallel interface, this one just works fine, with ASCII printer driver even in Win 10 MS-Office (some wrong characters due to different character set)

All of the ET2000 series typewriters can support optional serial or parallel interface. ET 111, 112, 115 and 116 can support optional serial or parallel interface. ET 231, 225 and ET 351 can support serial or parallel port interface. Lookung on the home/portable typewriter series only ET Compact 60 and 70 can have optional serial or parallel interface.

Additionally I have a Triumph Adler Gabriele 9009 with serial IEC interface for Commodore 64.

If I haven't forgot the one or other, that's it for now.
 
I built an interface for the Praxis 35 using 4066's wired to the keyboard matrix. It was slow (especially on carriage return) but worked nicely.
Unfortunately the print head on that Olivetti didn't stand up to the heavy use for long.

- Gary
 
1ST1 said:
ET 2200, ET 2250 and ET 2250MD with XT keyboard interface. They can be connected to XT class computer and need special MS-DOS driver, zhe the typewriter works as a PC keyboard and LPT1: prints are redirected to the XT keyboard interface, so the typewriter prints...
Click to expand...
Could you please elaborate a bit more? This XT Keyboard interface is something that exists in every ET2000 ? I'm looking a ET2000 and the seller doesn't know how to answer this, there are a few plastic ports on the back of the ET2200, should I ask the seller to open and send a pic? My goal is to use the ET2200 in a Clone XT, if possible. The second goal is to use a typewritter as a printer, I intend to finish my project, a little family computer museum, and eletric typeritters are very cool and almost like computers, at least to my small nephew.
 
Moondog said:
Back in high school over 30 years ago I had a daisy wheel typewriter, and I recall a removable panel being on it's side which looked like it could accept an interface card. I can't recall if it was an Epson, Brother, or Panasonic.

Was there such a thing as a convertible typewriter? What else could that port have been for? Just thinking how it would've been a blessing to use opposed to the Commodore 1526 I was using.
Click to expand...

In the mid 70s and early 80s, interfacing your computer to an IBM Selectric was a big deal. Dot matrix was expensive and there was no quality comparison. "Normals" had a distinct distaste for dot-matrix. I never did build one and I could never afford either the interface or the Selectric - but I did want one.

Here are a couple of links you might enjoy.


Escon Kit that converts an IBM Selectric into a printer – VintageComputer.ca

vintagecomputer.ca vintagecomputer.ca

artsandculture.google.com

IMSAI 8080 Microcomputer, Used with Home Built Interface and IBM Selectric Typewriter, Assembled in 1977 - IMS Associates, Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, Narayanaswamy, O.S., and Neumann Computer Exchange - Google Arts & Culture

The IMSAI 8080 was a clone of the Altair 8800, the first mass marketed personal computer. It was a popular "kit computer," requiring assembly and programmi...
artsandculture.google.com artsandculture.google.com


As for high school typing class....I still have the memory of a punishment for a cafeteria incident that resulted in detention where we had to stand in the back of the typing class. Just stand there and listen to this clown speak letters that students (who were not being punished) were supposed to type the appropriate keys. Now today, I would have had a team of lawyers sue the school system; have the teacher fired (which would have been a good idea even back then IMO) and have all the books used in the class banned.

Good times :biggrin:
 
lucasdaytona said:
Could you please elaborate a bit more? This XT Keyboard interface is something that exists in every ET2000 ? I'm looking a ET2000 and the seller doesn't know how to answer this, there are a few plastic ports on the back of the ET2200, should I ask the seller to open and send a pic? My goal is to use the ET2200 in a Clone XT, if possible. The second goal is to use a typewritter as a printer, I intend to finish my project, a little family computer museum, and eletric typeritters are very cool and almost like computers, at least to my small nephew.
Click to expand...
Hello, not every ET 2000 has this, it's an option. If you have an ET 2000, flip it over that it stands vertical on it's back. And then you see a metal cover in the back and a cable tunnel towards the front where the baseboard is placed under the keyboard. If you open the metal cover you will find some empty slots where the ET 2000 machines could be enhanced with different options. There were spell checker modules, memory enhancement (a kind of battery buffered ram disc), serial and parallel printer interfaces, floppy interface and the ETV kit which uses the XT keyboard protocol to send your typing to a "PC" (The ETV 2900 or VM 2000 wordprocessors which are based on MS-DOS 3.20 and which are mostly identical with a M200 PC) and recieves the documents to print.

Ps: The ET series is not "electric typewriter", it is "electronic typewriter". Yes, both run on electrical power, but electric typewriter has no electronics, just mechanics and an electric motor drive.
 
1ST1 said:
Ps: The ET series is not "electric typewriter", it is "electronic typewriter". Yes, both run on electrical power, but electric typewriter has no electronics, just mechanics and an electric motor drive.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the awesome info. I will keep looking for an electronic typewriter that prints from a PC, when I get one I will post here.
 
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