I found two Olivetti typewriters

[acolombo]

I found two Olivetti electric typewriters in my grandparents basement. Model numbers are ET 2450 and ET 121. They are so big! I only used a Canon electric typewriter before but it was a portable one and I didn't even know such big things existed.

The layout is really weird in both, it's QZERTY and the M is at the right side of the L instead of the N, but I understood it was quite the standard in Italian typewriters.







I'm sorry this is a photo thread and the photos are so crappy, but as I sad I was in the basement with such low light with only my phone, also had my hands full, so half of the photos turned out to be blurry.
I just want to know something about those switches. Are they even switches or just sliders? Do you know anything about them?

I'd like to take apart the two keyboards if they reveals as something interesting, maybe making them compact and converting to usb with a teensy if it's worth it.

Thanks guys.

[cinnamonrollz]

oooh, thats interesting. rip em apart

[maxmalkav]

Italian design!

I'm quite fond of the Olivetti keyboards, both the old school rubber domes and the G81 with cool blue dyesub.

The Italian layout it's ... interesting, but it could always be worse ... it could be AZERTY

[dorkvader]

The first one looks a lot like the olivetti rubber dome I have. It's very nice for domes; plate mounted and everything.

[TicTocTom]

I just saw the black one today at a thrift store. Should I go back? Any luck with the teensy conversion?