IBM Wheelwriter 50 Series II and Adding the Diskette Option
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- As the typewriter stepped aside for desktop computers and word processing software, IBM and others pressed well into the 90's continuing to make typewriters with full word processing capabilities. The Wheelwriter 50 is one such product. In this video we will briefly demonstrate some of its functions, then install the 3.5" floppy disk option.
I should of read the manual a bit more before making this video. ;)
For a much more comprehensive video on the features of the Wheelwriter and its cousin the Quietwriter I recommend this marketing video from IBM - • IBM "The Edge" - Quiet...
Remember to follow me on Twitter at @CelGenStudios to keep up to date on what I am doing and what might be happening in the next video.
![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA W2D5 | Fall | พลาดวันนี้ จะต้องเสียใจ](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A5-Cuo12p6A/mqdefault.jpg)
Great video. It makes one appreciate the innovation of the 1980s! Given that this machine still works is a testament to the high quality that once existed in tech.
This is the kind of show that I enjoy as a keyboard specialist.
Saved an unit with original documents from install in July of 1989 from the dumpster today. Has the manual, the monitor, the whole 9. Pretty cool old tech. Got years worth of ribbons and all too!
I do really like the WheelWriters. I need to replace the striker solenoid on my 1000, but it is surprising how much of the word processing capacities apply to that, even though it's diskless and screen-less
Lovely, informative video. One thing though. When loading paper, leave the platen locked, that’s for paper release and removal. Instead insert the paper until it stops level on the platen then pull the load lever a little more toward you and it will auto-load it to the top margin. This also instructs the machine that you’ve loaded a new page, resets certain things in memory or enables you to utilise features like page reprint.
I was wondering how the auto-load worked.Thanks for pointing out how.
@@CelGenStudios You're welcome. I found Lexmark still host terrible but readable scans of most of the wheelwriter manuals so worth looking them up if you want to learn more of the device features.
Can't believe how well built this thing is. Amazing engineering.
It's good to have the manual. It's not too complicated once you know it, but the manual really helps.
The IBM wheelwriter is typewriter perfection. I used one in my work for occasional typing and I love this machine! I still use one (wheelwriter) at home for filling out forms or things you can't do on a laser printer or you need to produce something typed quickly - use the typewriter! Your video is awesome and I love how you were able to connect the disk drive. I hope you find a printer card interface and install that as well as a video as to how the typewriter can also be used as a printer, then you try and use Word or some word processing program on your laptop and print to it. People may make fun of what we had in the 1980's, but it was what our technology was at the time and it worked quit nice. Some younger people don't seem to understand the concept that technology evolves, it just doesn't happen! Everything evolves.
Thanks for this. This was a great help on understanding Wheelwriters. Amazing that you got the disk storage! Congrats!! More yes please!!!
Always love your videos but... You forgot to test the letter S :)
It is "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
Thanks for posting this video. I'm glad that the option board works and found a proper home.
And thank YOU very much for helping me find that board.
is there any chance you have another diskette option board? I have a third-party card for my WW, but it's a 25-pin, and I don't have floppy drive that works with that card. Thank you!
I must mention that typefaces in typewriters are measured as "pitch." Type characters are measured in the same dimensions. The term "point" pertains to typesetting and computer printer use.
I don't know if it's just on mine, but on it you can pull the front lever further than just lifting the front rollers and the typewriter will load the paper automatically.
Great video, now I know that I'll never be able to find the extentions for mine x'3
I just bought one of these, and I thankyou very much for doing this video
Used one as a printer back in the day. Never knew it had a VGA Output.
right like wtf aww
Interesting video, I just picked up a wheelwriter 1000 from a thrift store that is unfortunately suffering from some mechanical issues I'm hoping to resolve, but I've found it hard to find much info on these online, the selectric definitely seems to be more of a favorite. I had no idea the other models had vga out, which the 1000 lacks
Maybe IBM DisplayWriter software would be able to read the files on the disk?
I suspect IBM had that in mind, but seeing how Windows trashes the disk when it reads it IBM must of known they had to be careful with both the files on the disk and the disk format itself.
@@CelGenStudios en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_DisplayWrite
Look at the bottom about file formats. The two IBM formats may help you narrow down how to import the text to a modern format.
@@ninja011 You're right. I'm looking at this wrong and also forgetting that Windows had a thing for "inappropriately touching" files on disks, even if you never actually opened/read them.
I was gifted a 50 with the CRT and Disk Drive but the CRT is not giving an image. I checked and the CRT cable is 9 pins. Did you have a special converter because current monitors do not have that PIN arrangement. I did find an exact model on Ebay which I will probably end up buying as I would love to have a working CRT.
Wait. VGA display on an IBM Wheelwriter? Will there be plans for making new ones in the future? I even thought about getting my Wheelwriter 10 Series II with VGA, parallel port, and external floppy. But, it's only a dream, however, it'll be cool to deck out my Wheelwriter.
Have you tried decoding those files as EBCDIC? I wouldn't think IBM would still be trying to use that into the 90s, but maybe?
I really didn't consider that! I'll have to see if I got something that can handle EBCDIC. The fun part is that when windows "touches" the disk it renders it unreadable to the typewriter. :/
@@CelGenStudios I think Notepad++ can do it.
Hi, ty for the video. If you have the equipment to do this: can you dump the roms of the wheelwriter and make them public? im trying to convert mine to a different language but cant find files anywhere
TIME TRAVLERS are getting way to common on youtube! But Good video.. WAIT DISK
At a glance, do you have a serri 6747/6784/6787/3500. This type can store data up to 99 data
Doesn't look like it.
I would look at the disk with a hex editor (WinHex etc.) and try different code pages.
If it wasn't for the cheaply made model M keyboard used in their PC keyboards, the IBM Electronic 65, 85, 95 (correction) and the Displaywriter.... My mistake the IBM Displaywriter had a very sturdy heavy duty keyboard.
If it wasn't for the Xerox Memorywriter, IBM probably wouldn't have been pushed very hard to enter the market with the Wheelwriter
It's possible the files are saved in Display Write, or an early version of MS Word software? What is the file extension? Somewhere I downloaded IBM Display Write software for free, but now cannot remember where.
good video, is there any follow-up on the disk/file format, per chance?
Nothing so far. I've yet to find an application that's format friendly with the typewriter's filesystem.
@@CelGenStudios thanks
You did leave out the IBM Memory 50, Memory 100 typewriters, Electronic Typewriter 50, 60 (1978), 75 (1979), 85, and 95 (1983) haha. The 85 and 95 could be connected to an IBM PC and used as a character printer. The 85 and 95 both had external accessories. The 6733 Typewriter Communication Module (Modem) and the 6731 Typewriter Diskette Module, which also required an interface board to be installed in the Electronic Selectric typewriter and a floppy disk with boot software for the 6731 to make it work, sigh.
Well that's because I don't own those! I don't even own a selectric. :P
@@CelGenStudios I don't think I've seen a IBM Typebar machine with a carriage that wide. You should try an IBM Executive Typebar machine with proportional spaced type. It takes some time to use one correctly.
@@DandyDon1 That typewriter was found (and I kid you not here) in a ditch down in the Burnaby Fraser industrial park along with other dumped housewares. It's a bit bent up from being tossed and needs an oiling but yeah it's got a huge carriage and it works.
Will any 3.5" disk drive connect? Just a parallel port connection and the Wheelwriter operating system provides the format of the disk so I'm thinking mabe???
It's more than a parallel port. It's all 34 pins of the PS/2 floppy interface coming out to the drive, which is itself a PS/2-style floppy drive.
@@CelGenStudios Thanks for the reply and info! I did some more research after my comment. It is actually 37 pins, and yep, you are correct, it is the IBM PS/2 floppy interface. I think it is a serial interface not parallel but an IBM specific DB37 Pin connection - I guess some or one of the pins supplies the voltage to the drive. So, any IBM PS/2 external drive should work. I was just curious, I was around during the 1980's and my memory of PC's (IBM and DOS compatible) is now sketchy, but I know that some of the connections were vendor specific as in this case. I figured IBM would use an interface and drive they already made and not one that would be specific to the Wheelwriter. Would be interested to see the pin out of the cable.
@@CelGenStudios I found a 3.5" drive on ebay computer section, it was labled IBM/Lexmark, so I thought it maybe was a drive for the Wheelwriter since it had Lexmark on it. I bought it and refurbished an old WW30 that had the diskette card in it. The WW30 was really a mess and extremely dirty, even the diskette option card had some sort of gunky film and dirty all over it. I completely disassembled the WW30 and cleaned everything including the electronic cards/boards (99% iso alcohol) - it all came out looking like new! New solenoid cap and clean. I hooked up the drive and bam! it works! I found a printer card for the series II and added that and now it also has the printer feature. All activates and shows up on the display. Amazing machine! I like this display on the WW50 my WW30 has the tilt up display - but I still like it. I tried to add a CRT card to my WW30 since there was a power plug available and FFC ports that lined up, but I got 6 error beeps and black screen on the flip up display, all went away when I disconnected the Flat Flex cable to the VGA card, so my experiment to also add a VGA card to the WW30 did not work out, I was bummed about that cause I really thought it may work since the function card for the WW30 had the two ports for the the VGA card.
@@groovy1937 Nice job! Sucks about not being able to use the LCD screen and the VGA/MCGA out but the extra real estate is *so* much nicer to work with in offline typing. I don't think I could really deal with all the scrolling on the LCD.
@@CelGenStudios Yeah, I wonder why they have the VGA port for the FFC on the function board if they serve no purpose, obviously that cost to include the sockets on the WW30 boards. I notice that the WW50 70 boards don't have the plug socket on the right for the LCD screen, so they took that off for those models. I was really hoping the VGA board would have worked unless there is something wrong with my board. In reviewing the service manuals from Lexmark that cover the WW 30 50 70, there is no mention of the VGA board used for the WW30 only the 50 and 70. They only thing was I didn't have a monitor hooked up when I turned on. I wonder if that may have caused the error beeps, I really don't know why, but they service manual does say to have the monitor hooked up when it goes through the troubleshooting flow chart for the video card. If you turn on your WW50 without a monitor hooked up, do you get any error codes???
27:00 Can you update the description box or pin a comment with the example files uploaded to a github profile project with appropriate description and links? Better, include a whole 1 page document, lorem impsum with different formatting examples, rather than 1 line of text.
Looking up the history of the product line, one might have to ask Lexmark for the original code, rather than reverse engineering, as the business line was spun out into Lexmark in the 1990.
*ADD: over the lazy sheep dog.
That's missing an "s" from the alphabet. Or just "...jumps over the lazy dog."