Arduino AutoType
An exploration in expanding the lifespan of obsolete technology using open-source solutions. The Arduino AutoType design is a speculation on how a typewriter can be brought back into the contemporary office workflow. This prototype uses an Arduino Uno to repurpose a typewriter into a text-based printer that could be used with a modern Apple, Windows, or Linux based desktop PC.
YEAR: 2021
ROLE: Engineer, Industrial Designer
STATE: Working Prototype
COLLABORATORS:
Independent Project
MEDIA:
Brief
This project is study on what it takes to bring obsolete tech into a contemporary spaces. The inspiration came from the global shortages that were occuring during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
Prototyping
Hacking an electronic typewriter starts with decoding the Application-Specific Integrated Circuit or ASIC that acts as the typewriter’s “brain”. By deciphering the chip’s logic, one can use a microcontroller (like an Arduino Uno) to mimic the outputs from keyboard.
This starts by following the traces of the keyboard circuit and noting which trace combo equates to each key. The keyboard circuit for the Arduino Autotype can be seen in this section.
To trigger the typewriter’s ASIC chip electronically, relays were used. These relay arrays were paired with shift registers to reduce the amount of digital pins required from the microcontroller (Arduino Uno). The end-user can control the typewriter by inputting the desired text through the Arduino IDE serial monitor. Possible outputs can include word documents and ASCII art.
Photo: The typewriter keyboard along with its corresponding printed circuit board.
Photo: Tracings of the keyboard circuit board used to decode what contacts are needed to connect for specific keystrokes
Photo: The prototype circuit used to control the typewriter.
Final Design
The final prototype became the center focus of my academic research in sustainable design and the reuse of obsolete tech at UC Davis. It was the catalyst behind my philosophy that repair and modification should be celebrated in our consumer tech.
This piece has been at display at the ISEA 2022 conference exhibition in the Centre d’Arts Santa Monica in Barcelona, Spain.