Need some help getting this working

[Chyros]

Look what I found at the recycling centre!





It appears to be an IBM Selectric II, quite an interesting find! Unfortunately, the cable has been cut off, and the keys appear to all be blocked by some kind of mechanism. As this is my first electric typewriter, with levers absolutely ALL OVER the place (and it's nothing like my Remington), I have no idea how to unblock it. Or maybe it needs to be powered before it unlocks? Does anyone have any idea how to fix up a cable for this?

Thanks!

[zslane]

The keys won't move unless it has power. And even then they have very little travel; only the slightest touch sends the element ball into action! A truly astonishing bit of engineering if you ask me. I love mine, even though it doesn't get used much.

Sorry that I don't know how to fix up the cable though. I'm lucky enough to have a certified IBM service technician local to me (he's like 70+ years old!). Can't imagine they are very common in the UK.

[y11971alex]

The Selectric uses a set of steel spheres set on a rail directly under the levers; there is just a tiny amount of empty space in the horizontal direction to accommodate one lever being pressed. Once a lever is pressed, the spheres are flush against each other so that a second key couldn't be pressed at the same time, since this would result in a printing error (the rotation on the ball being the net of the two keys). It's my understanding that the spheres are in this tightened condition when power is removed.

Hope this helps to solve part of the confusion! The Selectric is very simplistic electrically... but complex mechanically.

[fohat]

Somewhere in the past, here or on GH, someone posted a comprehensive and detailed guide on how to thoroughly rehab these. My Google-fu skills are weak compared to most of you guys, and it may be gone if it was on GH pre-r00tw0rm.

[Tangtawan]

nice find ! very good condition as well

[terrycherry]

oh, that's beauty.