After far too long the computer interface for my Monotype Composition Caster is complete. In this case, “complete” means that it is a single self-contained unit with no straggling wires. My last step was to add a housing/support bracket for…
Category: Caster Computer Control
Monotype Computer Interface Compatibility Woes
MS Windows So far, I have been using a MS Windows system to connect to my Monotype computer interface. The software that runs on the computer is written in Java so it can be run on other operating systems without…
Monotype Computer Interface—Creeping Obsolescence
It appears that my progress on my Monotype computer interface is so slow that parts obsolescence is catching up with me. A few months ago I was looking into future supply of parts for the interface and found that the…
New Monotype Control PCB Test
I’ve populated my new PCB with components and after a bit of fiddling, I’ve run a test on it and everything appears to work. The board has a few problems that had to be patched over, including: A missing trace…
A PCB for the Monotype Computer Interface
I’ve been slowly plugging away (apparently, for at least 9 years!) at an interface to control my Monotype Composition Caster using a computer. The caster was originally designed to be controlled by a 31-channel punched paper ribbon, which is read…
Towards a better casting day
After analyzing the problems from my bad casting day, I’ve managed, with some success, to address all the problems (numbered to match the previous post): I disassembled, cleaned, and reassembled the mould, and checked the carrying frame height on the…
Solving caster communications the expensive way
During my Bad Casting Day, I was having problems with the communications between my caster computer interface and the 14-year-old Windows laptop I was using to drive it. They connect using a USB cable, and I thought electrical noise might…
More updated caster pneumatics
One of the conclusions of my Bad Casting Day was that I needed better regulation of the pressure of the compressed air which controls the caster operation. The caster has about 30 pins about 3/8″ (1cm) in diameter which must…
A slightly better casting day
After the really bad casting day a few weeks ago, almost anything would be an improvement. I had taken steps to resolve some of the problems, and here is the result:
A Bad Casting Day
Yesterday I made a try at casting a font of 12-point Caslon Old Style using composition mats and the computer interface for the caster.The results were less than stellar. A whole bunch of things went wrong:
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