This option was available only on dual-pitch models. The Selectric II had a lever (at the top left of the "carriage") that allowed characters to be shifted as much as half a space to the left (for centering text, or for inserting a word one character longer or shorter in place of a deleted mistake), whereas the Selectric I did not.In a few cases the same typeface was available in both pitches, for example, "Courier 72" was the 10-pitch variant of "Courier 12". Separate elements were available for each pitch. The Selectric II was available with a Dual Pitch option to allow it to be switched (with a lever at the top left of the "carriage") between 10 and 12 characters per inch, whereas the Selectric I was ordered with one "pitch" or the other.However they differed from each other in many respects: These machines used the same 88-character typing elements. The original design was thereafter referred to as the Selectric I.
The Selectric remained unchanged until 1971 when the Selectric II was introduced. Selectric II dual Latin/Hebrew Hadar element IBM replaced the Selectric line with the IBM Wheelwriter in 1984, and transferred its typewriter business to the newly formed Lexmark in 1991. By the Selectric's 25th anniversary, in 1986, a total of more than 13 million machines had been made and sold. Selectrics and their descendants eventually captured 75 percent of the United States market for electric typewriters used in business. The Selectric mechanism was notable for using internal mechanical binary coding and two mechanical digital-to-analog converters, called whiffletree linkages, to select the character to be typed. The Selectric also replaced the traditional typewriter's horizontally-moving carriage with a roller ( platen) that turned to advance the paper vertically, while the typeball and ribbon mechanism moved horizontally across the paper. The element could be easily interchanged to use different fonts within the same document typed on the same typewriter, resurrecting a capability which had been pioneered by typewriters such as the Hammond and Blickensderfer in the late 19th century. Earlier this month, Ettinger shared a video on Mastodon of the prior version in action, admitting that some letters weren't usable.Instead of the "basket" of individual typebars that swung up to strike the ribbon and page in a typical typewriter of the period, the Selectric had an "element" (frequently called a "typeball", or less formally, a "golf ball") that rotated and pivoted to the correct position before striking the paper. But beware: These finalized versions haven't been tested or printed by their creator. It took years for someone to find a way to make the Selectric golf ball 3D-printable, but now someone claims they have.Ī tinkerer named Sam Ettinger recently shared his Selectric type ball 3D-printing project on Hackaday and Github and shared the files on Printables, as reported by Hackaday. But you'd save time and resources if you could make your own. You can find the type balls online, (including options claiming to be used and never used) and at stores carrying old electronic components. The problem is, IBM stopped making the single printing element that makes those typewriters so special. That hasn't stopped people from buying, restoring, and selling Selectrics, though. In the '60s and '70s, the Selectric was an office staple, but the growth of PCs and daisy wheels forced the machine into retirement by 1986. And to IBM Selectric loyalists, neither beam spring keyboards nor buckling spring designs nor a modern mechanical keyboard can replicate the distinct feel driven by that legendary type ball. There are some feelings you just can't re-create.
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