Koenkun Bricks creates functional LEGO typewriter
LEGO enthusiast Koen designs a functional brick-made typewriter that punches letters onto a reusable and rotating board for writing messages. The project is inspired by the official typewriter set that LEGO released in 2021, where the keys move and the carriage slides, but it can’t write anything. Koen then makes his own functional LEGO typewriter that, instead of writing the letters, the machine places or punches them onto the board. The working version sees each letter released, guided, turned, and then pressed onto a white plate that acts like paper.
The design improves over time because the early versions of the project tried to throw letter tiles forward like real type bars. With 26 letters to fit into one machine, space quickly became a problem for Koen, and his solution is a better layout, not a bigger structure. He arranged the keys then in staggered rows, with the top row pushed slightly back and the bottom row pushed forward. It prevents nearby mechanisms from touching each other, and this small change allows all the keys to work independently while keeping the machine close to the size of a real typewriter.
all images courtesy of Koenkun Bricks
Rotating and reusable white plate acts like paper
Each key in Koen’s functional LEGO typewriter does two things. First, when the key is pressed, it releases one letter tile from a vertical magazine using gravity. Then, when the key is released, a rubber band pulls a pusher forward, pressing the tile onto the white plate. Rubber bands are used throughout the build because they act as springs and return systems. They’re also easy to move, easy to adjust, and suitable for testing ideas without rebuilding everything. As documented in the designer Youtube channel, Koenkun Bricks, the video shows a problem: keeping the letters facing the right direction. To solve it, Koen adds a curved LEGO arch to turn each tile exactly 90 degrees before it reaches the final position, preventing the tiles from falling.
The moving carriage in the functional LEGO typewriter adds another challenge. It must move sideways for each letter and move upward after each line. While the sideways movement is automatic and stops exactly at the right position using LEGO studs as guides, the vertical movement is manual, so the designer uses a small reel that raises the paper plate after each line. This keeps the system simple while still feeling like a real typing process. In the end, even if the frame bends slightly and some letters are not always placed perfectly, the designer has managed to pull off producing his own functional LEGO typewriter, allowing playful letter tiles to express his words.
the project is inspired by the official typewriter set that LEGO released in 2021
instead of writing the letters, the machine places or punches them onto the board
the working version sees each letter released and then pressed onto a white plate that acts like paper
the white plate can be reused, too
when the key is pressed, it releases one letter tile from a vertical magazine using gravity
detailed view of the tile letters onto the board
project info:
name: Building a Functional LEGO Typewriter
channel: Koenkun Bricks | @koenkun_bricks
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