When you hear the words “USB Typewriter,” you might assume that the utterance is a very strange way to refer to a normal keyboard. It may, however, refer to a typewriter converted to keyboard use. As for where you would get something like that, the USB Typewriter Kit helps you convert an actual typewriter, like the one you may have crammed in your basement closet, into a USB keyboard.
This means that you can type on a computer, iPad, or other keyboard-capable device, while, if a piece of paper is loaded, generating a hard copy on the fly. Or, as seen in the video below, you can set an iPad on the carriage, creating a sort of virtual piece of paper that rides along with your keystrokes. Sure, it might not be as easy to use as most keyboards, but if you really want a lot of tactile feedback when you’re typing, this would certainly give you that.
If you’re wondering how this device works, this Instructables writeup shows what’s going on, and how it’s meant to be assembled. Levers that would normally be used to type a letter hit a sensor strip that detects this motion. Along with this, magnetic sensors pick up on keys that don’t touch the sensor strip, and a control panel (which includes extra non-keyboard control buttons) then sends this info via USB to your device!
