Motor lock lever

1. Is the daisy wheel locked in the forward position?
   1. Pull the black lever back, away from the platen.
   2. Lift out the daisy wheel and inspect it for damage; replace the daisy wheel if it is damaged.
   3. Re-insert the daisy wheel and push the black lever towards the platen until it locks in place.
2. Is the ribbon moving?
   1. Lift the ribbon cartridge out of the typewriter
   2. Inspect the ribbon for damage
   3. If the ribbon is silver, it is exhausted and must be replaced
   4. If the hammer has been striking in one place, there will be a clear area near the center of the ribbon.
   5. Turn the colored knob on the left side of the ribbon cartridge counter-clockwise to advance the ribbon a small amount. Replace the ribbon if it will not advance.
   6. Re-insert the ribbon
3. Turn on the typewriter, insert a piece of paper into the typewriter and type a few letters
   1. Did the hammer move forward?
   2. If the hammer moved, did the ribbon advance with each keystroke?

If the hammer did not move or the ribbon did not advance, the typewriter will require service. If the typewriter still does not make an impression on the paper, your typewriter will require service.

Many factors affect correct character selection. To isolate the problem, follow the directions below:

1. Is the daisy wheel locked into the carriage correctly?
   1. Open the top, locate the black lever near the hammer and move it away from the platen.

1. Lift out the daisy wheel. Inspect the petals to see if they may be damaged.

1. Locate the small spring loaded pin near the center of the daisy wheel hub. If the pin is missing or sticking, or the daisy wheel has damaged petals, replace the daisy wheel.

1. Look into the opening from where you removed the daisy wheel. Ensure that there is no debris in the area; use canned air to blow out the area.
1. Reinstall the daisy wheel or install a new one if the old one is damaged.

1. Remember to push the black lever towards the platen until it snaps into place.

1. Close the top cover and turn on the typewriter.
   1. After the carriage moves to the left margin, insert paper, and open the top cover.
   2. Push the hammer forward until it presses the daisy wheel petal onto the paper.
   3. It will leave an impression on the paper; it should be a lower case "h".
   4. If the impression is any other letter than those above, the typewriter may require service.
2. Examine the keyboard area. If there is any contamination, i.e. spills, pet hair, etc, the keyboard may need to be cleaned by a trained technician.
3. If the problem is not resolved after these actions, the typewriter may require service.

Brother typewriters have a 90 day labor, 1 year parts limited warranty. For 90 days from the date of purchase, Brother International, or its Authorized Service Centers, will repair this product free of charge if defective in material or workmanship. After 90 days, and until one year from date of purchase, Brother will furnish, free of charge, a replacement part for the defective part of this product, you pay for labor.

If your machine is within Warranty, you can contact Brother Customer Support Center at (1-877-276-8437)

first try turn typewriter off, (button on left panel toward the back), then turn it back on, and while hold down the CODE button, press RESET key, the whole print head will move and reset

if that doesn't work, power off again, open the cover, release the lever to the Daisy Wheel, and inspect that Daisy Wheel - mine has a bent forward letter, and another letter was kinda stuck to the side of another letter... I gently fix both letters, put the Daisy Wheel back in, firmly lock it in place with the lever, close the cover... and voila, it works like a charm.

While you have it open you might want to dust (use the cleaning spray can duster)... You wouldn't believe what I found in my typewriter... Good luck!

If that doesn't work, I would replace the Daisy Wheel.
gkt

1. Open the top cover.
2. Pull the lever towards you to release the daisy wheel lock.
3. Remove the cassette daisy wheel by pulling it out of the machine by the protruding "ear' on the top right.
4. Insert the desired cassette daisy wheel into the slot and press down gently.
5. Slide the lever back to its' original position to lock the cassette daisy wheel in place. Make sure to press the lever firmly.
6. Close the top cover.
7. Press [CODE]+[RESET] to move the carrier to the previous position.
(make sure the daisy wheel cassette is not inserted backwards. The "ear" should always be on the upper right.
improper insertion of the daisy wheel may cause malfunction and incorrect printing.
It is not necessary to remove the cassette ribbon when replacing the daisy wheel.
Please check the shape of your daisy wheel cassette before replacing the daisy wheel. The daisy wheel cassette type "B" cannot be used with this machine.)

Check that the daisy wheel is properly installed and if the ribbon has been used up. Try pressing and holding CODE and then press Reset. (This needs to be done after the daisy wheel, correction tape or ribbon is replaced.)

The daisy wheel has a protruding ear that should be on the top right. To remove, open the cover, pull the lever towards you and lift the wheel by that ear. To reinsert, insert the wheel in the slot and press down gently. Then slide the lever forward to lock the wheel in place. Then close the cover and reset the carrier (CODE+Reset). Make sure that the ear is to the top right when you reinstall the daisy wheel.

The amount of ribbon left can be determined by looking through the viewing hole on the right hand side of the cassette when the cover is open.

The manual is available here: http://www.brother-usa.com/manuals/default.aspx?PGID=10&R3ModelID=ML100 as a PDF.

I hope this helps.

Cindy Wells

I have a Smith Corona wordsmith 250. The Daisy wheel is not aligned with the striker, it is two characters off. How do I fix this alignment??

Check to be sure that the correction tape is in properly and tight. Then make sure that the ribbon (and correction tape) are between the two metal "fingers" and the cardholder (which is the metal thing that holds the paper close to the platen right in front of the ribbon) Is the ribbon moving? You should be able to hold the ribbon up and see each letter on the ribbon. Also make sure the printhammer is locked forward. You should not be able to just reach in and take the printwheel out without the ribbon in place. The only other thing I can think of, is the ribbon got twisted some how. The dull side should be towards the paper.

Ok,there could be two possibilities ,1, The daisy wheel may not be seated in properly. Of course I assume that the print side of the daisy wheel is facing the platen and that when the typewriter is switched on the print unit makes its customary re-setting motion and that the daisy wheel spins around at the same time. if this does not happen make sure that the lock-in lever for the daisy wheel is pushed home.. I am sure that you do all these elementary things so the only other possibility is the the hammer seleniod is not fully functioning and would have to be re-placed....Good luck!

The ML-300 needs to be reset each time the Daisy Wheel is removed or replaced or if the Keyboard Switch changes position. According to Brother, if this is not done the typewriter will print incorrect characters. Try these steps: 1) Open the Top Cover. There is a lever directly behind the Daisy Wheel. Pull the lever back towards you. Remove the Daisy Wheel by pulling it up and out. 2) Verify that it is the Standard Daisy Wheel that came with your machine and not a Symbol or International Daisey Wheel. Write down the Pitch (10, 12, or dual pitch 1012) printed on the wheel. 3) Reinstall the Daisy Wheel (the plastic top ear goes to your right.) Push the lever (step 1) forward. 4) Press the ALT key plus the PITCH key and the number 1 key simultaneously. Verify the Pitch setting is the same as is printed on the Daisy Wheel. 5) Press the CODE key plus the RESET key and the letter Q key simultaneously. This will reset the typewriter mechanism and align (or time, in technical terms) the carriage mechanism. Check if the typewriter prints correctly now. If still incorrect, perform these additional steps. 6) Verify the three position Keyboard Switch (inside the top cover, on the right side, at the bottom) is in the I=Standard position. The other positions are: II=International and III=Symbol. 7) If the Keyboard Switch is in the correct position, slide it to position III and then back to I. (This will clean the switch contacts in case they are dirty and not making good electrical contact. 8) Press the CODE key plus the RESET key and the letter Q key combination again to reset the typewriter mechanism. Check if the typewriter prints correctly now. If still incorrect, the only other things I can think of is that: 1) an incorrect Daisy Wheel is installed that does not work in the ML-300. Brother sell a "B type" Daisy Wheel with two plastic ridges/raised slots below the center of the Daisy Wheel (viewed with the raised top tab on your left.) The B type are incompatible with your machine. 2) the typewriter has failed and needs repair.

the print (daisy) wheel has a lock lever on the right hand side, pull toward you to release, push forward to lock back in place.