Facit 6480 Typewriter / Calculator

[purdobol]

Sharing my recent collection piece. This time it's typewriter Facit 6480 made in Sweden. Hoped for chance to test some Alps SKFF switches, but instead this one has Alps SKCC Side-Angled Cream (tee mount for keys with led). Can't complain either way. It's basically the same thing that HaaTa wonderfully documented here: photos-videos-f64/facit-8111-2-typewriter-t12424.html, but wider and with addition of calculator. Works fine, so really happy with this one.


This thing is big (switchplate is 60cm wide) and really heavy so no wonder someone dropped it in transport

Metal badge.

Switches need a good cleaning. They aren't terrible by any means but it's not butter smooth... No binding wich is slight relief, except enter and tab key, wwhich are terribly stabilized (with dummy switches)

Doubleshot caps with quite unusual shape. Really diggin theese.

Super steady shot of the calculator part . But this thing is neat since it works independetly from the rest. So you can type something, then do some calculations (displayed on the VFD) and resume typing. What was previously typed is stored in memory, and is going back to it. There's no metion of the calculator in the instruction which is kinda weird. So don't know what T,I,K buttons do exactly.

The future plan is to convert it to custom keyboard. Have an idea how this thing should look like. Of course with option to go back and mount it in typewriter in needed.

[paecific.jr]

Those caps look great!

[gkubed]

I can't see your images due to company blocking policy I hope I remember to check this when I get home.

[mike52787]

Whoa holy shit those caps look like they would fit beamsprings!

[purdobol]

Care to donate one to test this theory?

[Engicoder]

That is an interesting combination. I wonder if anyone other than Facit made a typewriter/calculator combination like this. Focus carried the torch with the 3001, 5001, 8000, and 9000.

[codemonkeymike]

Care to donate one to test this theory?

Ohimark sells individual ones on eBay.

[purdobol]

Care to donate one to test this theory?

Ohimark sells individual ones on eBay.

I'm afraid that whole board is needed for "scientific" purposes in this case

[seebart]

Cool thanks for posting love it. Best looking keycaps I've seen in a while. #DTA7

[mike52787]

Care to donate one to test this theory?

Ohimark sells individual ones on eBay.

Surely you mean Orihalcon. Ohaimark has never done that to my knowledge. I have a orihalcon beamspring switch tester on my desk right now!

[depletedvespene]

Care to donate one to test this theory?

Ohimark sells individual ones on eBay.

Surely you mean Orihalcon. Ohaimark has never done that to my knowledge. I have a orihalcon beamspring switch tester on my desk right now!

Let's see a picture of that!

[Engicoder]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-BEAMSPRING ... 2135256215

[depletedvespene]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IBM-BEAMSPRING ... 2135256215

Oh, as in the keychains. D'oh! (I have one of those, too)

Somehow, I was picturing inside my tiny little brain a 4×4 or 5×5 numpad-looking switch tester, like the ones one can usually see with differing MX switches. THAT would be a fun sight, wouldn't it?

[codemonkeymike]

You are right mike52787, strait up brain fart.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Are the dummy switches proper SKCC switches but with parts missing? Someone found a keyboard with dummy SKFL switches, that were the same shape but with dark green sliders.

[purdobol]

Just a housing and tee mount slider (enter and tab keys). Not even a spring...
Spacebar on the other hand has normal stabilizer and added external spring around the switch (tee mount).
Tab x, +/= and -/= keys are sitting on 2 switches respectively (angled mount). Which make them considerably heavier.
Switches with leds on them also feel heavier. Leds are mounted on 2 springs.

Also capslock deserves a mention, since led on this one lights up not only when capslock is pressed but also when shift (left and right) is pressed down.

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Same slider colour for the dummy switches?

[purdobol]

Same

[Daniel Beardsmore]

The lack of spring is probably an adequate indicator in itself.

[Mr.Nobody]

It's the VFD display that draws my attentions, it looks cool and vintage.

[Facitman]

Strange keyswitch you have on your german speaking machine, never seen on a Facit typewriter, they always used this one photos-videos-f64/facit-8111-2-typewrit ... ml#p395390
Perhaps did they change for a cheaper model at the end of the production? What is the serie number of your machine?

This is more than an typewriter and an calculator, this is a invoicing machine, the right part makes all the calculations needed and stores the results in memory. There are 61 free memories called Constant (00 to 60), 61 to 84 have a pre-defined use: the date, invoice number, the column to print this number, how many lines to print, how to calculate % en which rounding ... The typewriter part has alson text memories under each letter (acces with PHRA+letter) as the 8111 of Haata.

The key I is for working with the invoice section
The key K is for the Constants (memories and program from 00 to 84)
The key T seem to be for an automatic printing of a bank transfer if attached under the invoice: filling of name, address, bank account, amount to pay ...


The attached PDF could help you to customize the keyboard

[purdobol]

Strange keyswitch you have on your german speaking machine, never seen on a Facit typewriter, they always used this one photos-videos-f64/facit-8111-2-typewrit ... ml#p395390
Perhaps did they change for a cheaper model at the end of the production? What is the serie number of your machine?

That's why I bought it ... to try out Alps SKFF switches. Got used to getting something completely different by now though

Info from backplate
MOD: 6480
PROD NO: 92770702
SER NO: 4081383

Glad to know more about this thing so thank you very much. PDF will be useful.

[Facitman]

Production date February 1984, really strange, the service manual including the spare parts was printed in May 1983 and lists SKFF keys. I worked for Facit till early 1986 and have never seen the SKCC on typewriters, wel on their calculators.

SKFF are really good quality keyswitches, even not used for 15 years they're working fine and if one seems to give more than one contact, depress them a few times and it will work again, it was presented in training course as a self cleaning contact.

If you're travelling to France a 8001 for just 30€ https://www.leboncoin.fr/informatique/9 ... tm?ca=12_s

[Daniel Beardsmore]

Production date February 1984, really strange, the service manual including the spare parts was printed in May 1983 and lists SKFF keys.

By "lists", do you mean "depicts" (as in the screenshot you attached) or does it actually say "SKFF"? It would be great if it listed all the switch part numbers, but this is extremely rare. Normally the whole keyboard is just listed as "keyboard" in service manuals, and if the switches are listed, they are generally given only the part number for the product manufacturer, not the switch manufacturer.

"SKFF" is only a guess, based on analysis of an unclear keyboard code in a Canon typewriter.

[Facitman]

Sorry if it's unclear, I apologize for my bad English.

No, all the switch parts are not listed, just the own Facit parts number for the whole switch and a few words for the description, there is no make or model.
The PDF was only for the electronic parts and their position on the PCB, the mechanic parts are on another page, see the PDF with this post.

SKFF is the right model it's confirmed by Chyros, see the video on this post photos-videos-f64/facit-8111-2-typewriter-t12424.html , starting at 1'30".

[Daniel Beardsmore]

No, I mean, we don't know that they are called "SKFF series". We have very little official Alps documentation. "SKFF" was derived from a model number on a Canon typewriter keyboard, and I wasn't entirely clear on whether it should be "SKFF" or "SKFB", but the former seemed rather more likely. (Normally model codes have an extraneous "F", but this seemed not to.)

[zrrion]

This is a bit of a bump and I'm unlikely to get an answer on this, but what sort of LED switches does this use? I'm assuming it uses a normal SKCC Cream LED switch but I would love confirmation.

[mmm]

This is a bit of a bump and I'm unlikely to get an answer on this, but what sort of LED switches does this use? I'm assuming it uses a normal SKCC Cream LED switch but I would love confirmation.

Nope, SKFF!

[zrrion]

your machine appears to use KFF, so that makes sense. What the SKCC version has is almost certainly not KFF. It's probably normal SKCC but you never know

[mmm]

I may have skimmed the topic to fast, and didn't know that Facit typewriters came with SKCC until now, oops