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Friday, February 13, 2015

Underwood Electric: A new cord

My friend Dennis in the Physics department kindly installed a new power cord for the Underwood Electric, replacing the tatty Underwood cord. Nothing to it, Dennis says. Me, I still don't understand electricity.



Now we're nearly there!

There was a moment of dismay because when we turned the machine on, it wouldn't stop advancing the platen again and again. What was wrong? Dennis tracked it down in less than a minute: one little spring had come unattached. The guy has an eye! I would have figured it out ... maybe in an hour.


11 comments:

  1. That machine just looks sexier every time I see it.

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  2. This is going to look brand-new, isn't it? Even with the "aged" key legends. A centerpiece of your office, for sure.

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  3. Nice to see it was upgraded with a proper grounded cord, with a sealed three-pronged plug. Good job!

    Hmm... just thinking. Does the machine have a built-in fuse or a breaker somewhere along its electric circuit? If not, perhaps this could be a good time to include one in the live (blue?) cable, replacing that twist-connector. This would protect the motor in the event of a power surge or a short circuit. With an old machine whose big motor could be hard to replace, and with all the hard work you've put refurbishing it, maybe a little fuse could be a worthy addition.

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  4. Very nice work. I see he used an IEC cord too.

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  5. I can't wait to see it when it's finished!

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  6. I'm finding this rebirth really therapeutic!

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  7. Bravo! more and more magnifico!

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  8. Mothers of the gods! Look at the size of that motor! Surely the dreadnought of typewriters.

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