Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Treadle Power-Assist Typewriter

Mechanical alternative to newfangled "Electric" models
 
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A coil-spring operates both the printing mechanism and carriage-return and provides a power-assist for keypresses, to enable the faster speeds associated with electric models, without the power-line infrastructure or standby humming noise associated with same.

The spring is kept wound by a foot-treadle; gravity weight models available as special build.

Ask about our new hydraulic system.

FlyingToaster, Oct 08 2008

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       This does rather beg the question of why the clockwork power assisted typewriter was never developed as a commercial product. It would be well within the capabilities of late-Victorian engineers.
8th of 7, Oct 08 2008
  

       Keyboarded typewriters didn't come into existence until the late 1800's; by the time there was a perceived need for even faster typewriters (manual typewriters were already faster than handwriting), electricity would be an easy choice from a manufacturing point of view, and a superior choice from a chrono-specific marketing point of view.
FlyingToaster, Oct 08 2008
  
      
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