With a modern makeover, the AX-25 was fitted with an LCD screen capable of displaying 16 characters and editing documents stored in 8 kb of memory.
Riley is still working on improving the project, at this stage the typewriter has been connected to a panel board with two multiplexers and controlled via an Arduino Uno.
My typewriter runs Linux – Artillect（via）
He then connected the Arduino to a Raspberry Pi via serial — with a voltage divider in between to convert the former’s 5V output to 3.3V, preventing damage to the latter’s hardware.
It was then connected to a laptop via USB, allowing Riley to treat the typewriter as a Linux terminal. Even if the functionality is somewhat limited, at least it has been able to use it for ASCII-based artistic creation.
Reley wasn’t ready for more detailed art until he got supplies (replacement ribbons) for his Brother AX-25 electronic typewriter, but the small example shown in the video already looks pretty good.
Interested friends can also move toGitHubCheck out the code he wrote for this unique system. Also, if you’re looking for a typewriter of the same model, it’s pretty easy to find on used platforms like eBay.
Ultimately, if all goes well, Riley hopes to turn the machine into a fully functional device. The next step is to connect the keyboard to the Arduino controller so that there is no need for another computer to call it.
