Characters a,e,j,and i are indistinct, a smudge appears to the left of the j and the a is filled in. This is visible on the ribbon as well as the typed letter. Tried new type wheel, ribbon but no change in problem. It looks as if the ribbon might be moving as the hammer is struck. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
When I type it only shows half the letter how can I fix that?
It sounds to me like the impression is to heavy try holding the code key down and pressing the "Q" key until the "1" light is lit.
SOURCE: IBM 1500 by Lexmark
If it is moving as the hammer is struck, then it's one of two things. Either the hammer is moving too slowly, or the ribbon is moving too quickly. Since this is a rather old machine, it seems more likely things would slow down than speed up. I'd check the hammer solenoid. See if it's dirty, or needs lubricated. I wish I could give you more advice on this, but I am not familiar with this specific model, and was unable to find any kind of service manual, or troubleshooting information for it.
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Hello-
Thanks for the tip. I'm not much of a typewriter tech, having done copiers for the past 45 years. The guy that used to do the typewriters passed away in February and people have been calling me for help. I live near Hilo on the big island of Hawaii and it's a small town with a small town mentality.
Anyway, I took that typewriter back to the customer after having sprayed the print carriage with electrical contact cleaner, and oiled it afterwards, and that seemed to help. It's better but not completely gone. Next time I visit that customer, I'll try what you said and see if that makes a difference. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Aloha,
Bill Monroe
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