IBM Selectric Typewriter Return Cable Tabulator Rope Installed Main Spring Wound

This man makes a good job. One who understand deeply how the machine works. Congratulations

Thank you for sharing this knowledge. Both Selectric repairmen in our area passed away and my machine needed repair. Without you it would have gone to the landfill 🙏🏽

Nice -- I had to do this once when the cord popped off somehow, and it took like 3 hours or more. Didn't have the hand crank or service manual back then (this was 2008 or so), just studied a working machine to compare. But man, realized I needed forceps instead of the needle nose I had, and made stiff hooking tools out of paper clips, lol. Helps to have the right tools! The thing that took the longest was figuring how to keep tension on the cords so everything didn't unhook and unravel. I was swearin' up a storm during the entire procedure, but it worked again after. Since then I found a repair store in my area to keep my selectrics tuned up properly.

I would like to add a little note. When attaching the cord to the right side of the carriage,be sure that the tail end of cord at the connector loop is towards the rear. Otherwise,if it's in the other position, it can hit the frame as it passes through the frame at the extreme right and knock the cord off.

Great work and thank you ! I was an IBM typewriter tech in the early '80's and I just needed to watch this because I just bought an old Selectric III to recondition, (don't ask why, I just did! ) with just this problem and you brought it all flooding back. Thanks again I can now continue the recon!

Thank you for this. I'm a computer tech, but we will take a stab at fixing anything if the customer pays the diagnostic fee. I spent several hours trying to figure out how this thing is supposed to work, and why it wasn't, and after getting those cables off I had no clue how I was going to go about getting them both wound back around that thing. I should have searched the issue here in the 1st place, as I would have saved a ton of time had I seen this video 1st.

Thanks for this. I finally found a Selectric III locally but it had a broken return cable. I did try putting a new end on it but came up with the shorts at 29 1/4". I made a new one from some nylon covered fishing leader, it's a little stiffer than the original but I think it'll work for my occasional use. Made it 29 3/4" which is a little tight I think 30" between the stops is the correct length.

So, full disclaimer. I worked for the IBM Office Products Division from 1974-84 as a Sr. CE essentially responding to customer service requests for all kinds of IBM equipment including all IBM selectric typewriters. The video points out to symptom very well and tells you correctly the general area where the return mechanism is located. However, clearly it won't be enough as this particular problem will be a recurring one unless the latch is either replaced or filed down and then adjusted per the repair manuals to overthrow by .010”. Just my $0.02 worth.

Considering this is the exact repair I need to do, thankful for this man ❤️

Fantastic video, thank you very much for these! 22:48 Fitting the tab cord on the drum caused me the greatest conundrum. I was expecting the steel loop bent end to go onto some sort of hook (like the other end, on the carrier). I could not find a picture anywhere on the net of the end of the tab drum, to see the expected hook arrangement. Also perusing all the downloaded Selectric service manuals I had did not show this end. Using a dental mirror from my Dad's 1960s IBM CE toolkit didn't help much, I still couldn't see a hook. I tried hooking the metal loop onto the 'spike' of the drum helix, that didn't look right. Took me a few hours to realise there is no hook . The metal end goes into a recessed annular groove in the back face of the nylon drum, with the bent metal going into this curvature. The cord is retained NOT by the hole in the end but by virtue of the cord pulling against the helix spike, unable to pull the metal end around the spike. This end might have been designed better as a crimped block instead. The hole in the bent end piece was a giant red herring for me, it really threw me off.

If there are any plastic parts to the selectric you can no longer find, i will happily model replacements and send you the STL files so you can have them 3D printed. I have a Selectric II myself and have had an issue there the rightmost carrier pulley exploded when i turned the machine on. I've created models that hold up better than the originals. Though, we'll see how things go with the test of time. I can even 3D print the belt.

Love the videos I have bought an ibm selectric 2 and all the things that are ring with it you perfectly describe and help me with! Keep up the good work,

Need a tip jar so I can pay for the helpful guidance! Thank you Duane!

superb video. So much information and clearly presented

Wonderful job! He's the best.

Hi Dwayne, Thanks for the great video. I was able to successfully reassemble the tab and return cables but unfortunately the hook where the tab robe attaches to the velocity assembly broke off entirely after some light usage. It looks like a previous owner attempted to pry this part and weakened it to breaking point. Do you have a guide for replacing this part? I understand that this is likely a big job but I am more than up for the challenge. A creative alternative solution would also be welcome. Unfortunately I am in the UK so I can't realistically have you replace this part. Cheers.

Thanks for this video guide on how to thread the cords! It was really helpful for the Selectric repairs. On a side note, do you know where I can find replacement part for the tab cord pulley and springs?

Thank you very much for this great video - it saved my day 😁. Greetings from Austria 🇦🇹

any chance you have a picture where the two ropes attach to on moving carriage?

I have a Selectric III (or rather a 670x because I'm in EU) and that exact rope is a little loose, it's not snapped in half or otherwise damaged, all keys work except backspace and correction. When I manually tug on the rope and press backspace/correction, they work as normal. Would following this video tighten that rope back up and return the machine to a working condition?