I just bought the Casiowriter CW-16. It has the same loud carriage return as yours but it doesn’t do that loud repeated jamming thing. The CW-16 is missing the handle and adjustable feet. The also got rid of the manual carriage return in the CW-16 which I’ve gotten used to on my Silver Reed. I don’t see a difference in print quality with using batteries versus the AC adapter. I use lithium ion D cells that keep a constant 1.7v. NiCD batteries are 1.2v. Maybe the voltage difference affects the print quality.
I also had a CW-16 a long time ago. For what it's worth, I never had that annoying noise either, and while lithiums are premium, I think it won't hurt to try some alkaline disposables (1.5V instead of 1.2V).
I was going to chime in on the battery issue, looks like it's somewhat discussed already. For those that don't know, all batteries have a discharge curve, never a constant voltage, and these curves look really different between battery chemistries. Here is a great example comparison: www.boat-project.com/tutorials/bdc.gif. The AC adapter puts out 2A at 4.5V, and with 4 batteries to stay above 4.5V each cell must stay above 1.125V. As you can see in the graphs, NiCad starts lowest, and dies the fastest, so the drooping voltage could be an issue. Alkaline is better, NiMH better still, Lithium best of all. If we cared about this enough, that battery compartment is huge, we surely could design a modern battery pack that would fit in there, use rechargeable lithium ion cells, and even charge with a USB cable. This idea probably applies to all these thermal typewriters. Thanks for the great video Joe!
Thank you for sharing your insights! Very helpful. I am proud owner of a CW-16 and happy to be able to get rid of the ink ribbon cassettes. Greetings from Germany, Christoph
I own a Canon Typestar 5 and while I like its hard plastic case, I love the Casiowriter's ability to accommodate the AC converter and extra batteries. I wish the Typestar case allowed that.
Some thoughts... I might guess that the original owner used the typer to make labels. That might account for the "wear" on the first few inches of the rubber strip. I could, for the faint print is that the rubber strip may have lost thickness over time for whatever reason. My Typestar has those fins on the cover too. I find that by passing the paper over the open type area and closing the lid over the paper gives me a better edge for tearing the paper. (leading edge)
Hey! Tried to find an email but couldn't. I've watched a good bit of your typewriter videos over the past few weeks. really loving them, and just got myself a 1941 Remington Rand Model 5 from a local antique store. beautiful machine. my first, too. But the particular projects that I'll be using them for I typically write at night, and its a bit too noisy for that. Any suggestions on what manual models are particularly quieter? It doesn't have to be a whisper, I know it will always have sound, but something less aggressive would be amazing. Thanks, Jake.
The Remington Noiseless machines from the 1930s are very quiet, they use a "thrust" action. But they can be expensive. And condition of the platen plays a role in noise. A 5-series Smith-Corona (Silent or Silent-Super) from the 1950s is also a good choice, the platen rollers are easily removed and can be sent of to JJ Short & Sons to be re-covered in new rubber. But they will still make noise. The quietest machines will be the thermal typewriters. A good choice if you're going to need to re-type or edit your work anyway.
This review is right on the mark. If only we could transplant the keyboard into one of our other machines! The legs are an excellent feature, too, as thermal typers tend to be very flat. So I did end up finding another one at a price I couldn't pass up. It is ever so slightly darker than the one I sent you, but still what I consider unacceptably faint. I ended up switching to the bold mode, with little improvement. My second biggest complaint is this is unnecessarily noisy. That snapping back and forth paired with the dance of the print head would prevent me from using this in public. And so, I find myself always returning to the Typestar 4 or 5. But can they be dethroned by my latest acquisition, the Typestar 6? That remains to be seen...
I'm intrigued! Inquiring minds want to know! It would be interesting to see the differences between the 4,5 and 6. I have a TS5 that belongs to a friend, it's bright red but, alas, has some serious issues. Still, I'll probably do a review on it. Smaller in footprint than the TS4.
Hi Joe. Informative presentation - thank you. I know you prefer to use thermal paper, but as a point of interest did you give the ribbon cassette (with standard paper) a try to see whether this produced a better print density? Could it be that a different make of thermal paper would also make an improvement?
I have some packs of Brother letter-sized thermal paper that's glossy and thick, like a magazine page, that all my thermal typers print darker on. So that's one option; although I'm not certain this paper is still in manufacture, as I buy it online. The allure of the Staples-brand roll fax paper is it's still being sold new, giving one hope that thermal paper will still be around a while longer. Plus the Kerouac-style scroll typing experience. I tried the ribbon cassette (it's Canon-branded, perhaps the same kind used in the Typestars?) and the printing is about the same. I suspect this points to the rubber strip being worn. But sometimes these old film ribbons have their own issues. I remember the film ribbon that came with my IBM Selectric 1 never printed very well until I changed it. The bottom edge of the printing seems faded, like insufficient pressure between the print head and the paper along the bottom edge. This is on both thermal paper and the ribbon cassette.
As you are using the machine on mains power (hence with full ‘oomph’) this would seem to point to the rubber strip being the possible cause. I recall improving this situation once by cutting a fairly wide rubber band and fixing this in place along the length of the plate behind the print head. Happy experimenting!
Hi, I have a Casio CW-600 and I can't find the proper placement of the daisy wheel. How do I tell how to install it? Perhaps you know 🙈 thanks for any help :)
Try a different ribbon cartridge, but since these are no longer manufactured it will be the luck of the draw getting a good ribbon. How does it work without the ribbon printing directly to thermal paper?
@@Joe_VanCleave I don't know. I have ordered thermal paper and I will try when I will receive it. I am going to order a new ribbon cartridge. Thank you
You can take a q-tip with a little isopropyl alcohol and clean the print head. Sometimes that helps the density look better.
I just bought the Casiowriter CW-16. It has the same loud carriage return as yours but it doesn’t do that loud repeated jamming thing. The CW-16 is missing the handle and adjustable feet. The also got rid of the manual carriage return in the CW-16 which I’ve gotten used to on my Silver Reed. I don’t see a difference in print quality with using batteries versus the AC adapter. I use lithium ion D cells that keep a constant 1.7v. NiCD batteries are 1.2v. Maybe the voltage difference affects the print quality.
I also had a CW-16 a long time ago. For what it's worth, I never had that annoying noise either, and while lithiums are premium, I think it won't hurt to try some alkaline disposables (1.5V instead of 1.2V).
I was going to chime in on the battery issue, looks like it's somewhat discussed already. For those that don't know, all batteries have a discharge curve, never a constant voltage, and these curves look really different between battery chemistries. Here is a great example comparison: www.boat-project.com/tutorials/bdc.gif. The AC adapter puts out 2A at 4.5V, and with 4 batteries to stay above 4.5V each cell must stay above 1.125V. As you can see in the graphs, NiCad starts lowest, and dies the fastest, so the drooping voltage could be an issue. Alkaline is better, NiMH better still, Lithium best of all. If we cared about this enough, that battery compartment is huge, we surely could design a modern battery pack that would fit in there, use rechargeable lithium ion cells, and even charge with a USB cable. This idea probably applies to all these thermal typewriters. Thanks for the great video Joe!
Great video! I just picked up one of these typewriters, completely new in box and I can't wait to try it after I get some new batteries for it
Thank you for sharing your insights! Very helpful. I am proud owner of a CW-16 and happy to be able to get rid of the ink ribbon cassettes. Greetings from Germany, Christoph
I own a Canon Typestar 5 and while I like its hard plastic case, I love the Casiowriter's ability to accommodate the AC converter and extra batteries. I wish the Typestar case allowed that.
Can it hold an A4 paper? I need to know since im gonna use it to write my resumes for tests
@@bndfglvllddjdkfkfkf6097 -> Yes, the Canon Typestar 5 can use A4 paper.
@Joe Van Cleave, may I ask if you know there are mechanical switches in this typewriter or if it's a membrane keyboard?
Have you tried alkaline batteries? Rechargables put out less power, and the machine might need the full 6v to get nice, black print.
Yep, same results as the NiCads. The double-strike mode is adequate, however.
Some thoughts...
I might guess that the original owner used the typer to make labels. That might account for the "wear" on the first few inches of the rubber strip. I could, for the faint print is that the rubber strip may have lost thickness over time for whatever reason.
My Typestar has those fins on the cover too. I find that by passing the paper over the open type area and closing the lid over the paper gives me a better edge for tearing the paper. (leading edge)
Yes, that's a good solution.
Hey!
Tried to find an email but couldn't. I've watched a good bit of your typewriter videos over the past few weeks. really loving them, and just got myself a 1941 Remington Rand Model 5 from a local antique store. beautiful machine. my first, too.
But the particular projects that I'll be using them for I typically write at night, and its a bit too noisy for that. Any suggestions on what manual models are particularly quieter? It doesn't have to be a whisper, I know it will always have sound, but something less aggressive would be amazing.
Thanks, Jake.
The Remington Noiseless machines from the 1930s are very quiet, they use a "thrust" action. But they can be expensive. And condition of the platen plays a role in noise. A 5-series Smith-Corona (Silent or Silent-Super) from the 1950s is also a good choice, the platen rollers are easily removed and can be sent of to JJ Short & Sons to be re-covered in new rubber. But they will still make noise.
The quietest machines will be the thermal typewriters. A good choice if you're going to need to re-type or edit your work anyway.
Are you using the original 4.5V adapter? Or a 6V one?
This review is right on the mark. If only we could transplant the keyboard into one of our other machines! The legs are an excellent feature, too, as thermal typers tend to be very flat. So I did end up finding another one at a price I couldn't pass up. It is ever so slightly darker than the one I sent you, but still what I consider unacceptably faint. I ended up switching to the bold mode, with little improvement. My second biggest complaint is this is unnecessarily noisy. That snapping back and forth paired with the dance of the print head would prevent me from using this in public. And so, I find myself always returning to the Typestar 4 or 5. But can they be dethroned by my latest acquisition, the Typestar 6? That remains to be seen...
I'm intrigued! Inquiring minds want to know! It would be interesting to see the differences between the 4,5 and 6. I have a TS5 that belongs to a friend, it's bright red but, alas, has some serious issues. Still, I'll probably do a review on it. Smaller in footprint than the TS4.
Can such machines print only predefined characters, or can you use dead keys to produce arbitrary accent/letter combinations?
Hi Joe. Informative presentation - thank you. I know you prefer to use thermal paper, but as a point of interest did you give the ribbon cassette (with standard paper) a try to see whether this produced a better print density? Could it be that a different make of thermal paper would also make an improvement?
I have some packs of Brother letter-sized thermal paper that's glossy and thick, like a magazine page, that all my thermal typers print darker on. So that's one option; although I'm not certain this paper is still in manufacture, as I buy it online. The allure of the Staples-brand roll fax paper is it's still being sold new, giving one hope that thermal paper will still be around a while longer. Plus the Kerouac-style scroll typing experience.
I tried the ribbon cassette (it's Canon-branded, perhaps the same kind used in the Typestars?) and the printing is about the same. I suspect this points to the rubber strip being worn. But sometimes these old film ribbons have their own issues. I remember the film ribbon that came with my IBM Selectric 1 never printed very well until I changed it. The bottom edge of the printing seems faded, like insufficient pressure between the print head and the paper along the bottom edge. This is on both thermal paper and the ribbon cassette.
As you are using the machine on mains power (hence with full ‘oomph’) this would seem to point to the rubber strip being the possible cause. I recall improving this situation once by cutting a fairly wide rubber band and fixing this in place along the length of the plate behind the print head. Happy experimenting!
Hi, I have a Casio CW-600 and I can't find the proper placement of the daisy wheel. How do I tell how to install it? Perhaps you know 🙈 thanks for any help :)
Is there any hope for mine if it doesn't turn on😢
Ensure the batteries are fresh, and battery contacts aren’t corroded. If using the AC adapter make sure it’s working, should be outputting 6vdc.
Hello I have a problem with a casio writer - The ribbon stick on the paper when using. Have you an advice? thanks
Try a different ribbon cartridge, but since these are no longer manufactured it will be the luck of the draw getting a good ribbon. How does it work without the ribbon printing directly to thermal paper?
@@Joe_VanCleave I don't know. I have ordered thermal paper and I will try when I will receive it. I am going to order a new ribbon cartridge. Thank you
@@Joe_VanCleave hello. The machine is ok with the thermal paper but the new cartridge even stick on the paper. Have you an idea? Thank