Introduction: Installing the USB Typewriter Kit on the Royal #10

By USB Typewriter
About: I am an electrical engineer and professional dumpster diver who is currently in the process of moving my family from Philadelphia, PA to Portland, OR.

Before installing the USB Typewriter Kit on your Royal #10 typewriter (or any other similar Royal desktop) you will need to make a quick modification to it.  Basically, the bar we will be attaching our electronics to needs to be adjusted a little bit first. Please read on.

Step 1:

Remove the screws that hold in the crossbar, and the set-screw that connects the spring to it.  Then remove the crossbar..

Step 2:

Remove the linkage rod that connects to the set screw piece.  You also have to unhook it from a hinge at the very back of the typewriter.

Step 3: Bend the Comb-Shaped Divider

The comb-shaped piece that separates the keys will obstruct the place where we want to attach the electronics.  So we need to bend the tines of the comb up by a little less than a half-inch or so.  Don't bend the tines that guide the shift keys, spacebar, or backspace key -- just the tines that guide the alphanumeric keys on the main keyboard (see photo).

Step 4: Sand Off the Paint From the Keys

The part of the keys that will make contact with the crossbar need to be nice and shiny and conductive.  Therefore we have to remove the old paint from them before proceeding.  You can use a nail file, sandpaper, a metal file, or an exacto blade, but I recommend a Dremel tool with the standard "cut-off wheel" attachment.

Step 5: Reattach the Crossbar

Now, reattach the crossbar, but reattach it backwards and upside down (see photo).  Then, tighten the set-screw piece so that the spring pulls the bar up towards the keys.  However, the bar is not meant to touch any of the keys when no key is being pressed.  Therefore, bend the tines that guide the spacebar so that they prop the crossbar back away from the keys a bit.  The photo above sums it all up.

Step 6: Prepare the Sensor Panel

Next, prepare the Sensor Panel by cutting the sheet of contacts into individual tabs as shown. Try to keep them as long and straight as possible.

Step 7: Wrap Crossbar in Tape and Attach Circuitry

In this step, we need to completely insulate the crossbar using the red cloth tape provided, so that the no bare metal is exposed and so it won't touch the circuitry we are about to install. 

Next, place the circuitry onto the crossbar as shown, aligning each contact with the corresponding the keys on the keyboard.  When any of the keys is depressed (not including the spacebar) it should squarely land on one of the contacts.  Once you are satisfied everything is lined up correctly, use a small amount of superglue or hot glue to affix the green circuit board to the crossbar.  After the glue is dry, fold each contact over to the other side of the crossbar as shown.

Step 8: Continue the Installation

At this point, you have almost finished converting your Royal #10 typewriter to USB.  Congratulations!  Since you have done most of the work already, you should now jump ahead to Step 8 of the standard installation instructions, found here:

https://www.instructables.com/id/USB-Typewriter-Easy-Install-Kit/step8/Connect-Ribbon-Cable/