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16-6-2017 14:12:44  #1


Stuck type bar on Olympia SM3

Hi,
I recently bought an Olympia SM3 in pristine condition. The only problem is that the Z-type bar is stuck. Not like in a "sticky key" kinda way. It simply won't move all the way back to it's "resting place" or whatever you might call it. It can hit the paper when typing, but because it won't fall back in place the other type bars can easily hit it and jam. The type bar is not bent, but it won't get back in place even when i push it. I tried to clean the segment, but it didn't work in the slightest, and i'm pretty reluctant to take anything a part. And if I have to do it, i want to make tou sure that i do it correctly. My assumption is that something is stuck in the segment, somewhere i can't reach, but i could be wrong. I hope that some or you may have some advice.
Thanks in advance.

 

17-6-2017 12:14:07  #2


Re: Stuck type bar on Olympia SM3

Hi GWCRC

​This sounds more like a bent link to me. First question: does the Z key come back up to the same level as all the other keys? If not, check for obstructions in the comb. If the key does come up to level and the Z type bar still doesn't return to home position, give it a gentle push down. When you push it down, does it feel solid or springy? If it's solid, you have an obstruction somewhere in the linkage geometry. Open the ribbon cover, slowly press the keys all around the Z key and look for anything that either shouldn't be there, or anything that looks like it may be catching.

If it's springy, you most likely have a bent link between the bell crank and the type bar. Open the ribbon cover and manually lift the type bars either side of the Z type bar. You'll see the bell cranks and the wire links, does the bell crank or the wire link to the Z type bar look any different from the others either side? Hopefully this will get you going in the right direction to isolate and fix the problem. All the best,

​Sky


We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
 

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