Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a Olivetti CX 440 plus. It types totally incorrect characters. I've checked the daisy wheel integrity and it seems fine.Everything else functions normally.
I was able to correct the wrong character problem once by using some combo of keystrokes, but lost the fix when I cycled the power. Any help?I think you need to reset the daisywheel and then to check the daisy wheel, if it is locked into the carriage correctly.
Examine the keyboard area. If there is any debris it may need to be cleaned.
If you are sure that the daisy wheel is installed properly and it is compatible with standard English keyboard then the problem is in settings. There are settings for a normal standard English keyboard and I think somehow that setting may have been changed.
I plugged in my Smith Corona electric typewriter (color gray and portable) into a 230 volt socket and it needs only 110-120 volts. It turned off suddenly and smells bad, but no smoke came out. It burned. It didn't burn like a burnt piece of wood. Can it still be fixed? If yes, what does it need to have replaced? There are a lot of electricians in my place.
By David from Philippines
Nope. You've fried the circuitry and modules. If you contact the company they may be able to send you new guts. Good luck!
I have a Brother electric typewriter GX-6750 that I haven't used for a couple of years. It types great, except the letters I type in do not coincide with the letters that come up.
The 3 lines of letters, Q thru M, come out fkiN.nm:MaW;pctsulrbg,hoie. What the heck is happening?Didn't know if I'd find something to help with your problem until locating this easy as pie how to directions from Brother typewriter. Hope this is helpful; if not, I'd recommend calling or sending an email to the company for additional help.
help.brother-usa.com/
It appears that the daisywheel on the typewriter needs to be reset. The best way to do this is to look at the images from Brothers and follow these instructions. help.brother-usa.com/
I own an Electronic Typewriter AX-22 and the "Line" light is on but the typewriter has this consistent ticking sound. I can use any of the other keys.
How do I fix the ticking and is it associated with another issue and not the "Line" button?Is this consistent ticking sound the speaker, or is it mechanical?
You'll never find a Service Manual for Brother AX-22 electronic typewriter and if you maybe use an Owner's Manual, it won't cover anything like these problems.
Very often, good cleaning and lubrication solves many problems with typewriters. But it is better for specialists to do it. Your best bet would be to look out for an established typewriter repair center.
But you can take off any easily removed covers, and look for anything out of place. If you can see the power supply, look for evidence of capacitor problems (bulging at the top, split open vent on top, or discoloration of the circuit board from an electrolyte leak, not to be confused with the glue they often put for mechanical support). Power it up, and watch for moving parts. Try to find what's causing the clicking sound. Make sure any sensors you find are clean and don't show signs of corrosion.
Also the printwheel might be somehow damaged, such that a sensor thinks it's in a certain position and it's not or one petal is bent and catching on something.
I was typing on my typewriter when it got stuck moving to the right and acting like it is advancing the paper, but still moving to the right. How do I get it back to the right position and to start typing again?
There is a rail the carriage is on. It has teeth. If the teeth are damaged you will need servicing. You can read more here help.brother-usa.com/
This can be an issue with the cable that controls the carriage return on the typewritter. You can check inside to see if you have any damage to the cable on the typewriter. If you you could have an issue with the teeth on the typewriter being stuck or broken. Normally these do spin around when they move from right to left.
The return key on my Olivetti ET Compact 60 is not working. All the other keys appear to work well. The individual back space also works, so the carriage can go to the left side, but not when the return key is pressed.
Any ideas on what may be causing this?I'm not familiar with this model but usually the first thing to check with any key or part that stops working is to make sure your typewriter is clean.
The manual and the electric typewriters are notorious for collecting dust and small pieces of debris. Most people do not clean them often enough and the junk collects on the 'oily' residue on all parts of the typewriter. Just look at the dust that accumulates on shelves, tables to get some idea.
Your machine may not be easy to open up to clean but most likely you will have to investigate because whatever is causing your problem will have to be fixed from underneath/bottom.
"You should look inside the typewriter. As an electric typewriter, the return mechanism will probably consist of a wheel with springs attached to it and a string going from that wheel to the back of the typewriter, maybe the string has snapped or the springs have become loose.
If it's not too difficult to get inside, having a look inside your typewriter is probably a good idea anyway since there might also be belts that have become brittle and could need replacement.
But mainly, you can see how to clean everything.
I have not been able to find a manual but everyone says the manual is no help with anything.
You cannot get help from Olivetti as they have not made typewriters since 2003.
There are some vintage typewriter forums that help with problems so you might need to contact one or more of these ans ask for help. You will have to join but this question will probably get your foot in the door so if you have problems in the future you'll have a place to seek help.
site.xavier.edu/
forums.qrz.com/
typewriter.boardhost.com/
Reddit is a very good site but not quite the same as a regular forum. Join and ask questions if you cannot figure out how to navigate the site.
www.reddit.com/
Not sure why but my Brother AX25 typewriter will not turn on. After plugging it in and turning on the power button, there is nothing at all.
I haven't used it for quite a while but would like to get it going again so I can sell it. Any help would be appreciated.First, be SURE the outlet you are plugging into is working. Check it by plugging in something else, like a lamp, to make sure the outlet is good. If it is a ground fault outlet, make sure it hasn't been tripped. If it has been, reset the switch. If the outlet is good, make sure the wire of the typewriter hasn't been severely crimped and broken the wires inside. Look it over for sharp bends, cuts, or obvious bare wire. Also look at the plug end to make sure the wires or metal plug blades haven't been damaged or pulled out of the plug itself. If there IS damage to the plug or cord, you can either order a new cord, or have an electrician put a new plug or cord on it. It could also be that the power switch is bad. Also, make sure your typewriter doesn't have a fuse. That would be another thing for an electrician to check and replace for you. Good luck getting it fixed.
My typewriter allows me to type, but only half way through the first line of my paper. Any ideas as to why that is and/or how to fix it?
Your tab keys are probably set wrong. Reset the tab keys.
I have AX-24 electronic Brother Typewriter. When power button is turned on, the Line 1 light just blinks and nothing works. It is cleaned, the daisy wheel, ink cassette and correct tape are all functioning as they should and have been reinstalled. I have done the resets of Code + Line out + Power on and pressed pretty much every key in combination.
I have read the manual completely.
It looks like it wasn't just your AX24 typewriter that had this problem. I found on the site www.brother-usa.com/
This is a very unusual problem, which may have several different causes. Check for the more common causes first.
1. Turn off the machine and unplug it from the wall outlet.
2. Open the top cover and look to see if any foreign objects have fallen into the machine.
3. Remove the ribbon from the carrier and verify that it is not exhausted.
4. Move the carrier across the typewriter by hand
a. The carrier should move smoothly with some resistance
b. Examine the cable that is attached to the rear of the carrier, is it loose?
5. Put the ribbon back into the carrier, close the top and plug the typewriter into the electrical outlet.
6. Turn on the typewriter, if the condition persists, your typewriter should be checked by a qualified technician.
You can locate a Brother Authorized Service Center for repair.
(there is a link, but it doesn't work)
help.brother-usa.com/
Brother Industries, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational electronics and electrical equipment company headquartered in Nagoya, Japan from 1908.
This is an operating company. Therefore, I advise you to contact Brother's service center. You can find your nearest service center here www.brother-usa.com/
We have a Scriptor typewriter. It types brackets on its own when we turn it on. Sometimes it will come on, work fine and then go off and just type brackets till we turn it off.
Any way to fix this?This sounds like it needs a cleaning with typewriter oil, for build up ,that keeps going due to buildup over time. A good cleaning is a good start.
I recently just found this typewriter in our storage. Every time I turn it on, the carriage moves a bit to the right, stops, then just beeps continuously. I tried to manually move it, and it works fine.
I also cleaned out everything and even replaced the ribbon and lift-off tape. I have no idea what to do now. Somebody please help me.If the typewriter moves just a bit and then starts to beep this normally indicates that the carriage return is jammed or not moving at all. If you have a computer printer when the carriage jams on the printer all your printer does are beep and gives you an error code. The same happens with the typewriter. You can move the carriage control so it appears that it is not stuck and able to move. Now you need to check the ribbon cable or the feed cable on the carriage return and see if it is moving freely. Try to put a drop or two of oil on the carriage return and see if you can get it to move freely. Try to clean the inside of the machine to see if there is anything that is blocking this and stopping the carriage return from moving back and forth and setting itself to the left of the machine. This could also be an issue with the typewriter head and it is not moving and is jammed and blocked.
My grandmother has a Silver-Reed 8650 portable electronic typewriter and I tried to use it. I've plugged it into 100V, 110V and 220V sockets and it won't turn on. I would like to know what would be the possible problems that the typewriter has.
Just as additional information, when I plugged it in there was no smoke and no burnt smell, but I am still guessing that the problem lies on the circuit board itself. Thank you in advance.I love old typewriters!!! This one has a neat history...silverreedresearch.blogspot.com/
If you are handy, there are a few sites that may give you some repair insights:
typewriter.boardhost.com/
www.youtube.com/
If you can figure out what exactly is wrong, before you decide to fix it, you may want to consider going out to eBay and checking out the SOLD parts to see how much they cost...you may decide it is too cost prohibitive to fix.
If you decide to go for it and buy parts to fix it, sort your current eBay listings using the feature lowest price and then make sure you read the person's feedback before purchasing. Sometimes the cheapest price is a rip off if the person has poor feedback.
If you aren't handy, consider calling a typewriter repair company and asking their feedback on the fix. There are still some out there.
I don't know this one personally, but they have a neat website. Even someone out of town may be able to point you to someone in your town who can help.
Let us know how it goes!!!
We have a Silver Reed 2600. It worked fine when I bought it on eBay a year ago, but now although it still turns on, when you press the letters/numbers the keys don't move so it doesn't type.
Check to see if there in anything jamming the keys and if not then try and oil them if you can.
I recently got a Canon Typestar 10, but when I turn it on some shapes come up on the LCD for a few seconds then the shapes go away and it won't do anything.
There are still typewriter repair places out there. There was a post from 2015 that listed some on this website:
www.justanswer.com/
Perhaps you could contact one and see what they say.
My Brother Model 7300 electric typewriter powers on. The space bar, tabs, return, and shift all work fine. However, no letter or number key does anything.
This is the Correct-o-Ball xl-1. Inside it looks totally mechanical so no electronics involved that I can see. Any help?Some of those keys may have dirt or crumbs in there. You have to take the key cap off to clean it. Here is an article that tells you how. www.justanswer.com/
I just acquired an old Smith and Corona Electra 220 typewriter and am hoping to get it in proper working order. The typewriter is in near perfect condition except for the fact that the "V" key does not work. If I press the key the arm does not move and the bit that holds the ribbon where the key strikes has a complete spaz.
David
By David W.
Hello,
There is a bar that connects the key face with the finger key. You will need to look inside the typewriter and carefully reconnect them. You should see the "V" bar dangling inside and the hook to connect it to will stand out as different than the rest of the bars.
Good Luck!
I have a Smith Corona SL500 electric typewriter that I haven't used since got computer. When turned on the lock light blinks. The manual is missing. Would any one have an idea how to fix or where can get manual? Thanks for any ideas.
Hello Frugal Lady,
You may just have a genuine antique on your hands.
I had one until recently and decided I would sell it, but I remember that light going on and think it may be the shift lock light. Try hitting the shift key.
Meanwhile, I did a Google search and found the Smith-Corona website that has some operating manuals:
www.smithcorona.com/
Check out the various manuals (you need Adobe to open the pdf's) and see if you find a solution. Play around with the keys. You probably can't break it! Before you do anything, first try shutting it off, unplugging it and doing a fresh start-up, just to see if it resets.
Good luck,
An old secretray who started out on manual typewriters in the 1960s.
I have a Triumph Adler Gabriele 9009. I haven't used it for about 15 years. I've just plugged it in and turned on the switch and it won't come on. I changed the fuse on the plug, but it still won't come on. I love this typewriter, can anyone help me?
