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  • Author Author: jofas
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Introduction to the Hermes 3000

jofas

Hello Element14 Community!

 

For this project I will be upcycling a Hermes 3000 Typewriter. This specific typewriter was built around the early 1960's. Typewriters have become obsolete due to personal computers, however they are still collected because they are very interesting machines that reflect a different era of engineering.

 

I would like to bring this typewriter into the 21st century using the Intel Edison. It will be more of a novelty idea rather then solving a realistic problem, but in the end I will make this 1960's typewriter a fun 21st-century-compatible device.

image

The Hermes 3000 Typewriter!

 

The idea is simple: send an email using a typewriter. To accomplish this, I will install the Intel Edison and some sensors to the inside of the typewriter. I will most likely have to build a base for the typewriter to add more space for the electronics. The sensors will allow the Edison to read which keys are being pressed on the typewriter. I had initially considered using photointerrupters to detect the key strokes however now I am exploring a simpler option which I will introduce in my next blog post (look for it next week!). The Edison will expect a specific format that looks something like this:

image

A sample "email"

 

Notice how I have added another feature - the temperature function. When the Edison reads the specific characters "%TEMP" it will replace those characters with the actual temperature that is being read from the challenge kit's temperature sensor. After typing the message as seen in the sample above, the user will press a specific key on the typewriter (one that is otherwise rarely used) which will tell the Edison to send the email. In the end, you will have sent an email using a typewriter!

 

I have two personal rules for this project:

1) I will not make any permanent modifications to the typewriter (for example, drilling holes into it). This typewriter is old, but it is not "junk". I do not want to damage it in any way.

2) I will try to avoid changing the style/look of the typewriter too much. I want it to still look and feel like I'm typing in the 1960's. I will try to keep any electronics hidden as best as possible.

 

 

Finally, here are some more features I would like to add to this project:

- More %codes: Like the %TEMP function mentioned earlier, I could include some like %DATE or %TIME.

- Status LED: Just to indicate that it is ready/not ready to use.

- LCD Screen: This would be normally hidden but could display error messages to make troubleshooting easier.

- SD Card: Log the emails to an SD card so they can be typed but not sent until later (thanks to for this suggestion).

 

 

Stay tuned for my next update sometime next week (around April 4-6th)!

  • in reply to dougw

    Great analysis Doug! It seems that there is space also to manage a lot of other processing between two key presses, also for a complex project. The idea remain a great upcycling project.

     

    To be honest, if I I have time to try (I have again may old Olivetti lettera 45, a 4 Kg heavy black typewriter) I will follow your suggestions. And it is not excluded that i will do this in the future.

     

    Enrico

  • in reply to balearicdynamics

    Good question. Lets see 300 keys/minute = 5/second

    The camera would generate 30 or 60 frames per second, so it isn't a factor.

    A webcam on Edison only captures about 10 frames per second because of USB 2, but that is just enough not to be the bottleneck.

    It gives Edison 100 ms to process about 1M pixels.

    The Edison is a dual core Quark running at 400 MHz, so it could execute about 40 million instructions per video frame, or 40 instructions per pixel.

    In reality, you wouldn't need to process 1M pixels, just 1 pixel for each key (you can pre-determine the optimal pixel for each key).

    This would allow 740 thousand instructions per key per frame.

    So yes an Edison would have no trouble keeping up with a fast typist.

  • in reply to dougw

    It is very clear Doug. 

     

    I don't know this intel board but do you think that it can process so fast to detect a professional typewriting speed? On a mechanical machine a professional average speed is between 270 and 300 characters per minute.

  • in reply to balearicdynamics

    I didn't explain the concept very well. The rod or straw attached to each key is hanging straight down. All straws are trimmed to an appropriate length so they end up on the same plane, just at the bottom of the machine, so when any key is depressed, the corresponding straw would poke out below the plane by the amount the key was depressed. I had considered a matrix of lasers and photodetectors to determine the position of the protruding straw, but a camera is simpler.

    The camera just needs to be far enough away that all straws are in its field of view. If a fisheye lens is used to get closer, distortion doesn't really matter as long as each straw protrudes to a unique position in the mage.

    This is still not a complete description - ask more questions if it needs clarification.

  • in reply to dougw

    That was my mistake ... I though how to put the camera on top, problems with hands, problems with camera support etc. etc. Under the machine instead maybe better, probably the only good place. A couple of questions, adopting this solution. A norma camera (e.g. the pi camera or similar range) may need a wide angle lens to cover the entire area of the keys (I suppose). But with a wide lens there is a non-planar image so some correction factor needs math involved.

    Another doubt is related to the keys position; they are not horizontal to the laser plane should be oriented with a slant according with the keys disposition. But not all the keys are at the same level to the bottom and also the camera should be positioned with a support keeping the focal plane parallel to the slanted laser plane ...