The previously announced Typewriter Day at the delightful Cincinnati Type and Print Museum was a very pleasant reunion for typewriter lovers from the local area and beyond.
The attendees included an art student who used to be part of the multi-kid "typing pool" in the early days of WordPlay Cincy and a couple who drove all the way from the Washington, DC area, bringing a selection of colorful Remington and Royal portables of the 1920s and '30s. All told, 22 people of all ages took part in this day's event—not too many, not too few, just right.
Curator Jacob Simpson prints a bookmark. I want a business card like his!
The bookmark features a 1940s Woodstock just like mine.
I brought my 1956 Gossen Tippa Pilot.
The museum keeps this Royal HH around for young visitors to use.
A Marx Dial toy and an Oliver no. 5 are on display.
Mitch Hamm of Trinity Typewriter gives the Tippa a try.
Cameron Knight, Cincinnati Enquirer reporter and author of the recent story about me, brought a rare battery-powered Smith-Corona Poweriter. Not only is it easy to use a modern battery with this device, but Cameron demonstrated how you can hook up a small solar panel and make it run—providing easy, smooth, free electric typewriting in the wild!
There were many occasions for thoughtfulness.
We hope this will become a yearly event!
Had a great time! I’ll bring lots more machines next year. Thanks to the CT&PM for the hospitality.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! :D I'm intrigued by that USB-powered Power-riter!
ReplyDeleteIt is cool. Cameron said that it's perfectly compatible with USB technology, but I don't know the details.
Deletelike ted, the battery/solar powered scm was exciting. imagine it uses c or d cells? as for usb tech, any typewriter is if you have the skills to fab 'em, i suppose. wonder how long the batteries last if you're a novelist writing 16 hours a day.
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looks like joe reviewed one a couple times in the past two years. gotta check that out. now off to the electronic bay to create an alert!. the world needs more lerts!
This is Cameron. I did a little video on it in the collector’s group on Facebook. The motor takes 5 volts, so I can run it any power bank. It originally used a 4-cell NiCAD. It’s the same diameter as a D-Cell, but not as long as four of them, so you have to get short cells. I do plan on doing this at some point, but using the original charging circuitry would be nice. I think plugging it into the wall with a power bank plugged in might be a bit sketchy. I found a round power bank that fits right in the battery compartment. I just ran a couple wires and used a USB female connector. All told, it is a pretty simple modification.
DeleteOh, and as for battery life, the motor is very efficient using about 350 milliamps. On the Anker 5000 powerbank, my calculations put it at about 6 hours. I’ve tested it four.
Deletethank you for the info, cameron. peace out!
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