> I have not yet printed and tested this exact model!
Sadly that sums up the 3D printable scene perfectly. So many times I’v seen someone creating X for Y but they don’t have Y to test it but “it should work”.
The problem with this 3D-printed typeball is that without being injection-molded with an extremely durable plastic, it will not make good strike. I suspect it would also be torn apart (separating at the printed layers), beginning with the smaller common characters (e.g. the period/comma would quickly fail). The typeball hits the paper hard and it is under incredible rotational strains.
I've recently retired an IBM Selectric II, only because it is so damn finicky! When it is operating it is a fantastic machine, but it definitely needs a full-time technician to service (and they've almost entirely died off at this point, save for Berkeley). I got tired of the pulley creep [which eventually leads to gibberish output], only solved with continued maintenance (parts too fine for my electrician hands, and my nearsight is antiquating rapidly).
For my daily drivers, I still love my Smith Corona "Coronet Super 12", which has individual strikes and a powerful motor (for all your latenight raging / brainstorming). Can't [easily] change the font, though (which is why I have multiple S-C models).
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[ 2.2 ms ] story [ 32.6 ms ] threadHad just recently looked up IBM Selectric typeballs and the possibility of 3D print custom ones but did not expect so many active projects around it.
Pretty nice time for nostalgic tinkerers to be alive ...
Sadly that sums up the 3D printable scene perfectly. So many times I’v seen someone creating X for Y but they don’t have Y to test it but “it should work”.
SW development process 101. What are users for ? /s
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRCNenhcvpw
https://topher1kenobe.com/phlog/graphics/bunnypunch.png
As I understand, the recent IBM Plex Mono face has been requested too.
https://achewood.com/2007/07/05/title.html
https://github.com/rbanffy/3270_type_element
Now I need to get myself an IBM Selectric, or make a daisy wheel printer element for my typewriter (which will eventually become a terminal).
I've recently retired an IBM Selectric II, only because it is so damn finicky! When it is operating it is a fantastic machine, but it definitely needs a full-time technician to service (and they've almost entirely died off at this point, save for Berkeley). I got tired of the pulley creep [which eventually leads to gibberish output], only solved with continued maintenance (parts too fine for my electrician hands, and my nearsight is antiquating rapidly).
For my daily drivers, I still love my Smith Corona "Coronet Super 12", which has individual strikes and a powerful motor (for all your latenight raging / brainstorming). Can't [easily] change the font, though (which is why I have multiple S-C models).
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