Turning a Vintage Typewriter Into a High-End Gaming PC

The idea of an all-in-one computer in which all of the hardware fits inside a keyboard is hardly new. The earliest personal computers, such as the Commodore 64 and Apple II, took on this form factor. More recently, the Raspberry Pi 400 and 500 have brought this design back into the mainstream.

This concept never caught on during the mainframe computing era for some pretty obvious reasons. It would have been quite challenging to fit a refrigerator-sized machine into a keyboard. But what if — in an alternate universe where miniaturization of electronic components happened sooner — it had? It might have looked something like Prototype’s recent build.

At the time, many terminals used teletype machines rather than a modern keyboard as the input device. These machines were essentially glorified typewriters that could communicate with external systems. As such, Prototype’s computer-in-a-typewriter build gives us a glimpse of what a miniature mainframe might have looked like as an all-in-one computer.

In the first part of a new video series, Prototype documents the process of converting an old mechanical typewriter into a modern gaming PC. While the eventual goal is to house a full motherboard, power supply, graphics card, and display inside the typewriter’s chassis, this opening installment focuses on what may be the hardest problem of all: the keyboard.

The original typewriter mechanism consumed nearly half of the internal space. To make room for modern PC hardware, Prototype stripped out nonessential components and opted to replace the entire keyboard assembly with a custom-built digital equivalent. The challenge was to do this without losing the iconic look — or the mechanical motion — of the original machine.

Using photogrammetry, hundreds of photographs were turned into a 3D model of the original keyboard housing. This allowed a new, slightly taller case to be designed and 3D-printed to accommodate modern electronics while still looking authentic. Inside, a custom-designed PCB forms a keyboard matrix, complete with 52 mechanical switches and hand-soldered diodes to prevent key ghosting. For control, an Arduino Micro handles USB keyboard input.

A second Arduino monitors keypress signals and commands a servo motor attached to a hammer mechanism. Every keystroke triggers a physical strike, advancing the paper slide and ringing the typewriter’s bell in perfect sync with on-screen text.

With the keyboard problem solved, Prototype plans to move on to the task of equipping the typewriter with gaming PC hardware and a display. Stay tuned to Hackster News for the latest updates.