IBM Wheelwriter Hack (updated with faster graphics, bold, and underline)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- This is an updated demo of my IBM Wheelwriter reverse-engineering hack that allows printing from a computer with graphics, underline, etc.
Using a simple MOSFET circuit and an Arduino I reverse-engineered my IBM Wheelwriter 6 typewriter to print out text and some rudimentary graphics. The GitHub repository is here: github.com/tof...
![[UNCUT] The Loyal Pin ปิ่นภักดิ์ EP.4 (4/4)](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d3l5rxl5CVo/mqdefault.jpg)
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 76 | คู่เอก "ผึ้งหลวง vs สมิงดำ"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9SBshmGQOIM/mqdefault.jpg)
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA W2D5 | Fall | พลาดวันนี้ จะต้องเสียใจ](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A5-Cuo12p6A/mqdefault.jpg)
Regarding the character encoding, it's the position on the print wheel. The characters are arranged on the wheel to minimize the movement when typing English.
Great project! If you can interface to the keyboard and other controls, you could potentially take over all functions of the typewriter, allowing any model to have the features of the 1500 or later, and adding other features as well.
For the graphics mode, if you want to use it more, it helps to set the lowest strike strength, otherwise that “dot” that you’re using for graphics will be flattened out in no time. It’s a cool hack!
Thanks! Yes, I don’t think it would be a great long-term graphics solution, and thanks for the tip about the strike mode.
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I need to read it again.
I just picked up a couple of the Personal WW ii models at auction. Your hack is greatly appreciated, whether I use it or not... Sounds like you had fun. Thanks for the GitHub work.
Cool -- beware that some models have a port with bus access, and newer models don't. I am still trying to figure out how to hack those ones -- there isn't an accessible bus that I can find, and I've had to resort to pulling the ancient x86 ROM code and trying to analyze it.
@@DrChrisGregg
Thanks for the tip. My first plan is to keep an eye out for the cards. It's not a hot project yet.
Saw this ... and bought an IBM 6747 2 weeks later, pumped to get this modified to a printer (for my 486) :)
Never actually cared too much about typewriters/printers, but I really like the daisywheel technology.
This is awesome!! Great work!!
I have a wheelwriter 3, and I've used it quite a bit. Ran through about 1/4 of a cassette since I got it. Fun for filling out paper forms, not that there are many of those still around.
Anyways, the sound was really odd to me at first, the I realized I wasnt hearing that clickykeyboard, just the head!! Anyways, neat video!
That is a great point!
I'm Impressed !
Thank you! I believe I used a video of yours to fix the plunger on this machine, so thank you for that, as well!
Nice work man, appreciate you including the github link!
Watching this is satisfying af
Nicely done. By the time I came around everything was dot matrix. Never heard one of these printing before. Quite impressive sound and precision movements. Do you have drivers to interpret prints for it, or are you just driving it manually with software and a direct HW interface?
Thanks! I use a python script to generate the pixels from an image. I haven't looked at it in a while, but I recall that it wasn't working well on non-B&W images.
Amazing.
WOW ! COOL !
I'm looking to pick up a daisy wheel printer for a custom book binding project. should I just get a Wheelwriter 3500 or is there a specific model I should look for for graphics. btw I'm in programming and hardware engineering so I can modify the thing
I'm not sure I understand what you're attempting to do. There aren't any daisy wheel typewriters that have legitimate graphics, though I have a proof-of-concept here.
wow. amazing work. are the cartridges etc still available for the wheelwriter? Probably cheaper that inkjet! :-)
They are available, even at some office supply stores! Normally, however, usually when I buy these typewriters, the previous owners have a stash of ribbons.
will it work on an IBM wheelwriter 2? (the badge says "IBM Personal wheelwriter 2" (some said lexmark, this one doesn't say lexmark on it, so it might be an earlier version) although it says lexmark on a sticker inside the machine, just not on the face badge. Machine Type: 6781) It has a printer port on the back.
Has anyone tried this with any of the other models? Edit: someone on Github says the 5 works.
a quale indirizzo o venditore rivolgermi , grazie
What are you plugging into? Is it the same thing the options card interfaces with?
I have a 1500, which is a bit different. There's some modifications to the case necessary to plug in the options card to interface with a parallel port.
Some further documentation here:
wiki.bibanon.org/IBM_Wheelwriter/Options/PC_Printer
Yes, unfortunately the 1500 is different. The 3/5/6 all have a port on the top that gives direct access to the data line.
@@DrChrisGregg I looked in my 1500, and there's two ports on the back, which I think are for the options cards. One I think is for the parallel port, and maybe the other is for the disk drive. It appears to be be an 11 pin connector that you can plug standard edge connector cable into (I forget which, but I found a part number somewhere for this).
Do you know if either of these ports use the bus line you're tapping in to?
@@stevesether Yes, both of those can be used for a parallel port/disk drive. I have built a test setup for the port, and it directly puts the card onto the main CPU bus, which is not easy to work with. I believe cards actually have x86 code on them, which gets run, as well.
Salve se vorrei comperare tale Macchina da scrivere ,quanto costa in €
neat
What is the font on the Wheelwriter?
I believe that font is “Prestige Elite”, which was the default IBM font of the day: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prestige_Elite
Can you make it print backwards?
This model doesn't print backwards in general, though it is possible with a bit of coding.
Can it print bidirectionally?
This model doesn't print backwards in general, though it is possible with a bit of coding.
42