Someone transformed an old typewriter into an all-in-one gaming PC good enough for lightweight games
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When we come across antique hardware, our first thought is usually to sell it at a low price or simply throw it away. Only some try to make something out of it. Well, that was exactly what one Redditor did when he came across an old Optima SP 26 electric typewriter. Never heard of it? That’s not surprising. However, what you can transform it into is where the surprise comes.
Breathing new life into an old matrix typewriter
In a Reddit post by u/maniek-86, the user said that he came across an old and broken typewriter, and where others would've trashed it, he decided to turn it into a gaming PC. Initially, he thought of turning it into an 8-bit PC, but on second look, he found out that the typewriter is pretty spacious and should be able to accommodate slightly larger components.
So, he decided to fit it with the following:
| Motherboard | MSI H110M Pro-D (M-ATX ) |
| Processor | Intel Core i5-6600 |
| RAM | 4GB DDR4 RAM (one stick) |
| Storage | 240GB SATA SSD |
| GPU | GeForce GT 635 |
| PSU | 200W (SFX) |
| Connectivity | WiFi card |
So, as you can see, this is by no means a high-end build, as the components are very old, but he shared a couple of pictures in which you can see him playing Minecraft. The in-game settings or the FPS weren't shared, but it seems like this gaming typewriter should be able to play older games, reliving the childhood days, and maybe even some (very relatively) modern titles if you can tone down a handful of settings.
The user also managed to interface the matrix typewriter's keyboard using Arduino Leonardo, and while the keyboard features a Polish layout, he mapped it to the US keys, with special keys mapped to existing special keys or being used with a two-key combo.
Instead of making the connection permanent, he used hot glue to attach them inside the typewriter. Another interesting element is that maniek-86 says that the H110M mainboard was “missing” a PCIe x16 slot.
Image source: Reddit – maniek-86
Image source: Reddit – maniek-86
Image source: Reddit – maniek-86
Image source: Reddit – maniek-86
If we head over to the specification page for this motherboard, we can see that it has a PCIe 3.0 x16 slot. So, maybe it is damaged, but regardless, he claims that there wasn't enough space to mount the GPU vertically, so a riser cable was used. Besides that, due to a lack of modern ports, we see that he is using an old A4Tech mouse, which works with a trackball inside it, rather than an optical sensor. Talk about a trip down memory lane.
Overall, due to the age of the GT 635, this gaming typewriter will not be able to hit 60 FPS in graphically demanding titles, but for titles like the older DOOMs, Counter-Strike, Dota 2, or retro games, it should be enough. This video shows playable framerates in Minecraft, for comparison.
Maniek-86 ended his post with a humorous comment:
“I’d say it’s a pretty cool looking machine. It was fun to make. Literally the best PC to run Microsoft Word…“
Maniek-86
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