deskthority

I bought a selctric 2 typewriter for 2gbp.

It was sold as spares and repairs as they said it didn't power up, it does though. The only thing it doesn't do right is move to the right when I press a key, it just stays still so it goes over it's self again and again.

Any idea what I should be looking at?

Oh on a side note, this feels better than any keyboard I have ever typed on.

Before you do anything else, record a video of turning it on and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Then type for a bit. Post it up. (That way, I can listen for unusual noises.)

In any case, the carriage advance mechanism is likely gummed up or broken. The fact that the thing DOES print tells me that it's probably recoverable, though.

Generally, the procedure for these things is to check for critical failed components (the main gear likes to crack, and that's no longer available), then soak the thing in a vat of solvent to get rid of all the gummed up lubricant, re-lubricate everything that needs to be lubricated, and then perform any necessary adjustments (in the order that IBM specifies, which is not necessarily the intuitive order), AFAIK.

I sent mine off to an ex-IBMer, and he refurbished the thing completely. It types great now (it has a bit of what IBM calls "flicking", but that's an inherent problem with using a light touch on the Selectric design - if you use a too light touch, the interposer lifts out before the head tilt/rotate mechanism engages, and you get an all zeros binary pattern, which is a hyphen).

Anyway, you might look for a typewriter repair shop, especially one that deals with IBM machines. DIY is possible, but can be amazingly difficult if you don't know exactly what to do.

fossala wrote:I bought a selctric 2 typewriter for 2gbp.

It was sold as spares and repairs as they said it didn't power up, it does though. The only thing it doesn't do right is move to the right when I press a key, it just stays still so it goes over it's self again and again.

Any idea what I should be looking at?

Oh on a side note, this feels better than any keyboard I have ever typed on.

I actually have a selectric II that does the same thing, but instead of at the first column, it happens just past a normal page (I have two of the larger version) Sometimes it will work though. I suspect mine needs to be lubed. I'd check that first, if I were you.

Also, it does have the best key action. I will eventually convert mine to USB. less keys than a poker, weighs more than a desktop computer.... I should make it wireless :p

The thing is a marvel of mechanical engineering, so I agree that it can be pretty DIY-unfriendly.

Forgot about this, will have to dig out a camera that has video recording. I'll have a video up before the end of the day.

http://ubuntuone.com/7eNsuTfMLVdwP4H0fB2pju
Don't have a youtube/google account so can't post to youtube. Here is the uploaded video you can download though.
Excuse my Son and misses lounging around in the background playing the playstation in blankets, productive Sunday...

I found this .pdf and i thought i'd share it with you. It's about troubleshooting the selectric typewriter 2. I really hope it can help you out. Link

That is an amazing set of manuals, thanks.

Sound quality on the video is poor, but I'm not hearing any of the noises that indicate a critical problem with the typewriter.

Looks like no dead keys present on this unit, so it's not the dead key mechanism. (Dead keys are for typing accents - using one causes the printer to print, but not advance.)

I see that the machine is a dual pitch machine. What happens if you move the pitch lever (furthest lever to both the rear and left)? Edit: Alternately, try holding down the Margin Release key. It may be stuck on the margin.

Yeah sorry about the quality, only camera I have that can do video. Which key is the Margin Release key? I tried pressing some keys that look strange. One key seems to jam on when I press it. It's the top left hand key with an up arrow with lines going through it. Changing the pitch changes nothing. Thanks for your help.

Because it is jammed to the far right I can't move it to the left to open it further. Any idea how to move it manualy?

EDIT: OK something is stuck now, it wont type at all...

After a rest, it seems to be working again, original problem still present.

Margin release is that top left hand key. Odd that it's jammed, but that's likely related to your problem.

Don't try to move the carriage by hand, that can cause more problems.

What about hitting the tab key? (Edit: I did see someone suggesting to use the tab key, then gentle pressure on the carriage, to try to get it past the left margin.)

I'm guessing you won't be able to move the margin (the little tab under the scale on the left), but it's worth a shot. Push it in and move it to the right.

It's not between the margins, the carrage is to the left hand side of it.

To the left, or sitting on top of the left margin? (It looks like the left margin is as far left as it can go.)