Tech troubles of both the high and low kind
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Update on the typewriter refurbishment:
First, I'm very confused. Well, I'm still (mostly) very blonde, so that's no surprise. I'm fiddling with two typewriters at once. The one I'm working on this week is an Underwood Standard No. 3. I'll be editing the previous post to correct.
So. I got the thing apart, got it thoroughly cleaned, and then got it all together save for the bit of the carriage that advances the linefeed. I was missing a spring, which I found. Pretty good considering it's a dinky thing, about as long as the shaft on an eyeglass temple screw - if that long. The trick is to figure out exactly where the spring and the part that holds it on attach. I know where one end attaches. (Remember what I said about those disassembly instructions? They've come back to bite me in the a$$.)
The repair manual I found was written in 1920, and the carriage assembly pictures show that the basic design of that part of the machine changed since 1911, when mine was manufactured. This is not helping me figure out where these last two parts should go. I suppose I can Google around and find some pictures of earlier carriage assemblies.
While I had the thing apart I touched up the paint in a lot of spots on the frame and other areas and repainted the space bar. I'd like to replace the papers inside of the keys, but this may require a tool called a key cap puller. I also get the impression that once the caps are pulled they have to be replaced. Well, I'll just pop down to the office supply and get some shall I? Yeah, right. Well, it is looking a lot better. Maybe I can put the thing together tomorrow.
I got sidetracked today by my mobile. Yesterday, when I was getting ready to head out to the airport to pick up Paul, I discovered the Bluetooth wouldn't turn on. After a bit of Googling it seemed that this was a problem with some Epic 4G models. I won't bore you with the details, but let's just say there was much wailing, gnashing of teeth, and uttering of a fair number of swear words, I got Bluetooth to work. This, of course, meant that I didn't have to drive across town to the Sprint store in the rain and spend an hour waiting for a tech.
Then the Xbox 360 died. Again. The guys swapped it out for yet another refurbished model and are out in the living room, playing games. I give Paul credit: he did try to fix the box. The part to fix it is about $5, but getting to it is another matter and it was possible that he might have broken several other things in the process. This, then, was probably the best option.
Well, I think it's time to convince the guys that it's time to order a pizza. I'm ready to have a drink, eat, and watch Brit TV this evening.
Tags: Technology Life
Filed under: Technology Life
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