Olympia Disque Typewriter

[purdobol]

Just a quick photo shoot to document yet another typewriter with Marquardts.
By this point I think it's safe to say that every model with orbit logo has these switches.


French layout. Missing one cap, spring, slider and housing.

Parlament of Brittany sticker.

There's no model number anywhere, just disque logo.

12 characters VFD screen. Love these to bits.





I aasume it's some kind of proprietary floppy drive.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

I'm curious whether these were ever used in products from anyone other than Olympia, or whether Olympia was their sole customer for keyboard switches. The intermediate type ("two-finger typewriter") seems to be a custom product for Olympia, from what Marquardt were saying — electric typewriters were full of strange switches never seen anywhere else, such as those Cherry MX switches with a 1 mm higher PCB–plate distance (also Olympia as it happens).

[purdobol]

No clue. But I suspect it was custom product for Olympia.
Two lines of typewriters released at the same time. Early to mid 80s.
One with clicky switch, black caps and black and white theme (marquardt butterfly). And the other with linear switch, white caps, and all beige (two finger).

Trying to innovate as much as possible in hopes to grab some market from evergrowing PC threat.
At that time they still had the money for R&D. Olympia was at one point one of the 3 largest manufacturers of office machines in the word.

Facit did sell lecense for one of their machines to 3rd party at one point. That's why in Poland we have lot's and lot's of electric typewriters called Łucznik, which is basically Facit in disquise. Same caps, same switches, different name.

Maybe Olympia did the same at one point but I doubt it.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Two lines of typewriters released at the same time. Early to mid 80s.

I will only believe that once we have reliable date evidence. So far it feels too close to the sort of believing-in-guesswork that has gone astray too many times before.

[purdobol]

Either one superseded the other, or both were available at the same time. No definitive proof, just 2 earliest catalogues I can find picturing both.
http://www.schreibmaschinenmuseum.com/a ... 06496&f=37
http://www.schreibmaschinenmuseum.com/a ... 06495&f=15

[codemonkeymike]

Olympia really made some beautiful beasts. I wonder if they ever made this model available in the states.

[purdobol]

Yea this one is a looker for sure. Will be fun project to covert it for PC.
Sun finally came out so better picture