ibm-wheelwriter-usb-controller

A USB Controller for the buckling spring keyboard on the IBM Wheelwriter typewriter. Based on Soarer's firmware.

More info can be found here.

Installation Instructions

Set up Teensy Loader

1. First, set up the Teensy loader. It works on Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
2. Plug in the Teensy with a Mini-USB cable.
3. Start the Teensy Loader.

• Make sure to run as root, with sudo.

4. Press the button on the Teensy to enter bootloader mode.

Install Soarer's Controller

1. In the Teensy Loader, click the Open HEX File Button.
2. Select the right HEX file for your Teensy Variant:

• Teensy 2.0: ATMega32u4
• Teensy 2.0++: AT90USB1286

3. Click the Program button.
4. Click the Restart button.

Configure Soarer's Controller

1. From the tools/ folder, extract the binaries and put them in the config/ folder.
2. Then, go to the config/ folder. Choose a config to use, and modify them if necessary.
3. Finally, send a config over to the teensy. For example, we will use ww2-teensy2plus.sc .

• Make sure to run all commands as root, with sudo.

  sudo ./scas ww2-teensy2plus.sc output.scb sudo ./scwr output.scb

Testing

Before you can assign keys, you must test out the keyboard first. Send an empty assignment to the Teensy first. Then, use hid_listen to see which keystrokes work.

If you are experiencing dead keys or single keys that give multiple capcodes, check all connections and make sure it is soldered correctly. 99% of the time, the keyboard is fine, and something must be wrong with the connection.

Credits and Sources

• Deskthority - Soarer's Keyboard Controller
• Deskthority - PhosphorGlow: Model M Matrix + Teensy
• Deskthority - Sethstorm: Wheelwriter 5 to Teensy++

License

This project was relicensed under the MIT License, with the exception of PJRC's RawHID, which is under the MIT License, and Soarer's Controller binaries, which are not source code. It would have been a farce to distribute under the GPLv3 license when we have no source code for Soarer's Controller.