198X Fujitsu Oasys Lite K #D04B-7110-A002
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 11-10-2015 at 11:06AM
Last Edit: 11-10-2015 at 12:05PM
Find on Ebay #AD
Find on Etsy #AD
Description:
This is on the very outer fringe of the "Typewriter" term, but I guess it has its place here.
I find this trinket quite interesting. This is a battery powered word processor, the little brother of the Oasys F-ROM7. (See links for some info on it by Mr. Steven Kuterescz). I couldn´t help buying it for 4,50 €, even if there was no guarantee of it even starting up. At least it would be some fuzzy add-on to my collection, but after feeding it 4 R20 batteries and finding the "Reset" button it sprang to life.
The problem is I don´t have the slightest idea on how to make it work. I can´t read a single thing in Japanese, and so far I´ve managed to change the writing from Japanese to Latin script by the not-always effetive trial and error method. I´d love to see this machine working as it´s supposed to, because in theory it can do a load of funny things. In addition, the ribbon/tape/whatever is almost brand new. It´s only been barely used, so it should be able to write for a while before becoming a chunk of plastic. That´s what bothers me, knowing it´s able to print but not being able to do so.
Besides, it has a quirky feature of Japanese keyboards: the thumb shift. Somehow I´ve managed to confirm that the two keys in the middle of what should be the spacebar are the shift keys, located there in order to be pressed with your thumb. This is a good solution to the fact of Japanese having way more characters in either Hiragana or Katakana than our characters. Then what they do is putting them at the shift position of almost everything, and in order to press the shift key way more often the thumb shift was created. Of course I could be mistaken because I´m totally lost with this thing.
It´s also interesting that it´s gone from coast to coast of the Eurasian "continent". From Japan to Galicia here in Spain, near where the end of the world was supposed to be. Now it´s gone inland, but I´m still puzzled on how a Japansese word processor ended up here.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Javier Vazquez del Olmo's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6476
The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.
A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Fujitsu Oasys Lite K on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Fujitsu Serial Number page and the Fujitsu Oasys Lite K By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
