Introduction: Installing USB Typewriter Kit on Underwood #5 Desktop

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.

The USB Typewriter Kit is designed to modify any manual typewriter into a computer keyboard -- however Underwood #5 is a bit more difficult to modify than most.  That's because, unlike most typewriters, it doesn't have an easily accessible crossbar underneath the keys for us to mount our key-detecting electronics to. So, in this instructable I'll show you how to easily make one.

Step 1: Temporarily Swing the Space Bar Out of the Way

In this step, I'll show you how to swing the spacebar down and out of the way.  This step is not strictly necessary -- I like to do it because it is not that hard and it makes accessing the underside of the typewriter a lot easier.  Once we are finished with the conversion we will re-attach the spacebar in the correct position.

To do this, loosen the two set screws shown, and remove the two stops that the spacebar bottoms out on. The spacebar will then swing freely out of the way. (Note that loosening the set screw on the right will cause the attached spring to lose its tension -- that's ok, you can easily tighten the spring again when you re-attach the space bar.  The spring doesn't need to be that tight anyway) 

Step 2: Remove the Shift-Lock Mechanism

Before we get started, there is a non-essential piece underneath the typewriter (the shift-lock release key) that will get in the way of installing the kit, and so we need to remove it. 

First, loosen the set screw and remove the pin that holds the key and spring in.  Then pull back on the key --it should easily slide out. 

Step 3: Remove the Lock-Bar

There is a bar inside the typewriter that is responsible for locking the keys up when you reach the end of each line.  We are going to remove it and reattach it underneath the keys. Once we mount it in a more accessible place, it will make a suitable place to mount the our electronics..

Simply loosen the three set screws shown in the picture, unhook the two clips that attach the lock-bar, and fish the whole thing out through the windows in the side of the machine.

Step 4: Re-Attach the Lock-Bar

Next, simply reattach the lock-bar to the set-screw pieces, so that it is underneath the keys, instead of inside the typewriter. 

But first, give it a good sanding to remove all the dirt and rust it built up over the last 100 years.  Sand the set screw pieces, too.  A wire brush or Dremel tool works great for this.

Once you have the piece reasonably well attached, carefully glue it in place onto the two set screw pieces.  You can use any strong glue, such as super-glue, but my favorite glue to use is JB-Weld epoxy.  Be careful not to get any glue on the bar itself -- just onto the set-screw pieces.

Don't re-tighten the set screws until the glue is dry -- one it is dry you can reposition the bar to the exact position you want before tightening the screws and locking it into place.

Step 5: Attach a Spring

The ultimate goal here is to get our new crossbar to lift itself up towards the keys by default, but still have some give to it whenever a key strikes it. Therefore we are going to attach a spring that will pull it up into position to await keystrokes. See the photo.

(This might should go without saying, but you need to wait for the glue to fully cure before attaching the spring.)

Step 6: Continue Installation

There! Now we have a spring-loaded bar underneath the keys, to which we can mount our electronics, just like we would on any other manual typewriter.  At this point, you can continue to install the kit according to the standard installation instructions, found here:

www.instructables.com/usb-typewriter-easy-install-kit

Good job!