I smell a project: Canon AP 150

[TNT]

Inspired by Snufflecat's post in the marketplace I set out to grab an old Canon Typewriter to harvest its ALPS-compatible caps. I really like what people did with Applets 60% project (example: https://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=10 ... msg2982386)

Managed to grab one for cheap from good old Kleinanzeigen:

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Now that it stands here in my room, stripped of all of its vital parts it kinda makes me think of turning this into a "custom build" ALPS board. Chopping the case in half, maybe replacing the lower part of the chassis with a flat plate-thing to reduce height and angle, replacing its not so pleasant SKEW switches with SKCM of some variation, somehow implementing support for the additional top assemblys (imagine a working LCD/modern LED screen + the additional buttons, the dial knob )...

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Really makes me think, I love the looks of it and it would make for a very unique board. Probably with good sound, because of the roomy plastic case. Anyone here who has done a similar thing, has some helpful advice and/or from whom I could take some inspiration from ?

[hellothere]

I recently bought an AP 350 for its switches and caps! I don't know how similar the 150 is to the 350. I've got different switches, at least: SKCC green.

If you do this as a project, it'd be great if you could get the LCD to display something, even if it's just a copy of what you're typing in. I'd want to get the other buttons and sliders to do stuff, too. Not necessarily output anything to the computer, but just do something. I'd also think about keeping the top case and cut it at the start of the slope up.

The 350 has a ribbon cable that goes all the way to a PCB on the back of the machine. I wouldn't cut it or anything, but I had to unscrew a bunch of screws to detach the PCB so I could get to the ribbon.

I can't give you much helpful advice, because a total conversion project is a bit beyond my experience level. Zrrion has taken apart at least one Canon typewriter, but I don't know if he converted it.

[TNT]

The Layout seems identical except for the sliders. Good for you, no new switches needed

No PCB on the back for me, just a connection to the printwheel carrier and step-motor unit. All of the AP 150's brain seems to be located at the front. I'm not really planning on converting it, I think it will be easier to just wire a Pro Micro to the matrix. My PCB got a beeper too, that'll definitely not go unused.

[doomsday_device]

hey i had this idea too a year ago. never came around to actually doing it beside the cutting itself
curious how yours will turn out.

[TNT]

Hahahaha, no way

I figure that's exactly how mine's going to look at some point

[Findecanor]

Could the platen knobs be moved forward and connected to rotary encoders?

[inozenz]

hey i had this idea too a year ago. never came around to actually doing it beside the cutting itself
curious how yours will turn out.

i just feel like its way too high. if i was doing a project like this i would definitely make a custom bottom case and safe 3-4cm of height.

[Muirium]

True, practicality-speaking. But just look at that pic of Doomsday's chop! It's got such character! A retro-future vibe, in fact, into another timeline where we never developed LCDs or OLEDs. You can picture the 7 segment LEDs or nixie tubes in there…

[TNT]

Nixies in this would kick ass. The less popular tubes don't cost too much, also. Maybe IN-2 tubes in a 3 x 2 cluster arrangement. Just an additional nixie clock behind that screen of doomsday's device, not connected to the board at all. Not a viable option on my model, unfortunately, but I like it

i just feel like its way too high. if i was doing a project like this i would definitely make a custom bottom case and safe 3-4cm of height.

True. Still kept the bottom part of the case for the reasons Muirium stated. My AP150 is not as retrofuturistic as that AP560 sadly. I don't know about the end result yet, but maybe it will look more "complete" in its original configuration.

[Findecanor]

Nixies are cool, but I think it would clash with the blocky 1980's aesthetic of these typewriters.

[kbdfr]

.

[…] i just feel like its way too high. if i was doing a project like this i would definitely make a custom bottom case and safe 3-4cm of height.

I would find it easier to cut a hole in the desktop and sink the whole assembly down to the point where just the upper shell his visible

[TNT]

Nixies are cool, but I think it would clash with the blocky 1980's aesthetic of these typewriters.

That's why you have to hide them behind the screen

[Findecanor]

I think I would put an OLED in there to emulate a blue-green vacuum-fluorescent 7-segment display.
Could show other things, such as LED bar graphs also.

[TNT]

Was thinking about bar graph thingies, but the dark tint might make it hard to see. With an OLED-solution however...

I like the idea with the segment display, but why not use genuine VFD tubes? Not a far step from Nixies (at least from a technical standpoint).

Just to make sure, we're talking about doomsday's machine, right?

[doomsday_device]

the display module is a hefty thing by its own, weighing like half a kilo too.
sadly i lack the skills to make it usable
(rolled cigge for scale)

disclaimer: ciggies are never lit in range or near any keyboard.

[hellothere]

hey i had this idea too a year ago. never came around to actually doing it beside the cutting itself
curious how yours will turn out.

I think this looks pretty cool. That left key cluster already looks like a numeric keypad. The right cluster looks pretty good just for navigation. Again, you could do some interesting stuff with the LCD.

Mmm. I must look for one of these. The 350 doesn't have quite enough keys.

[TNT]

The AP 150 won't work. Would have to make my own pcb and I don't think it's worth the effort. So I bought another one (AP 800)

Shredded the whole thing to pieces and had to redo my "design" I had in mind multiple times in the process. Really hard to make this look good, but (at least from a distance) the results are acceptable imo

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Bigger screen, and the angle of the entire keyboard-array can be changed with a lever on the backside . No idea how to make the screen work tho...

[jsheradin]

No idea how to make the screen work tho...

There's hopefully a display controller on the back of the LCD PCB. If it's something common like an HD44780 then making it talk to QMK is pretty straight-forward.

If it's like the 150 with a bunch of shift registers, making it work will take a bit of creativity and 74 series knowledge.

[TNT]

No idea how to make the screen work tho...

There's hopefully a display controller on the back of the LCD PCB. If it's something common like an HD44780 then making it talk to QMK is pretty straight-forward.

If it's like the 150 with a bunch of shift registers, making it work will take a bit of creativity and 74 series knowledge.

There was a second, bigger pcb inside the hollow bottom of the machine, with a direct connection to the pcb on the back of the display.