Maruishi PC lever (5 speed 1st style)

The derailleur world is currently experiencing a (possibly beneficial) pandemic of electronic derailleurs. But what do we know about 'patient zero' - the origin of the phenomenon. Without indulging in provocative speculation on the porosity of leaky labs or the humidity of wet markets, I would suggest that the origin lay in a collaboration between three Japanese companies; Maruishi, Sanyo and SunTour.

The petri dish in which the electronic derailleur virus first grew was a very weird type of bicycle that was much beloved by Japanese teenagers from the late 1960s to the mid 1990s. These bikes were possibly called 'Flasher Bikes' or 'Supercar Bikers' or something equally incomprehensible. They had extravagant lighting systems with multiple headlamps (that preferably popped-up), rear lights that were clearly stolen from Flash Gordon's spaceship, direction indicators, transistor radios, speedometers, electronic horns and probably a few dozen other gizmos. Of course they also had chromed mudguards, chromed chainguards, chromed front and rear carriers, chromed mirors and flashy names and lurid decals. Some even had disc brakes. Finally, these magnificent vehicles had rear derailleurs operated by huge autobox-automobile-style gear change levers mounted in an alluring plastic 'console' that bolted onto the top tube.

Our quest for 'patient zero' may go something like this:

The first product for us to consider was called the 'Maruishi Electric Lever'. This was possibly launched in 1972. Maruishi was concerned about the safety implications of teenagers taking their hands off the handlebars to change to lower gears while struggling up hills. So, in association with Sanyo and SunTour, it developed a system where, alongside the usual SunTour mechanical gear lever, there was a small electric motor mounted in the console on the top tube. This electric motor was operated by a button on the handlebars. Pushing the button moved the gear lever, changing to a lower gear. The system could not be used to move to a higher gear. This fancy lever mechanism was generally paired with a SunTour Skitter derailleur - which was low-normal, easing the electric motor's job. The Maruishi Electric Lever was a highly specific, limited, device, but I think that it was the first commercial product to shift a derailleur using an electric motor.
A very short time later (1973?) the Maruishi Electric Lever was redesigned, restyled and snappily rebranded as the 'Maruishi Elecon' (ELEctric CONtrol). You may be alarmed to learn that bikes fitted with this improved system were a notable sales success.
This success of the Elecon inspired Maruishi to go all-in on electronics and develop, with Sanyo's (and probably SunTour's) help, the 1975(?) Maruishi PC system. 'PC' stands for 'Perfect Change'. This used a small, fully electronic, rotary lever mounted on the handlebars. This lever communicated via electrical cable with a largish plastic actuator box that was mounted on the rear carrier. The plastic actuator box held an electric motor, a complex of cog wheels and some chunky batteries. The system of electrically driven cog wheels pulled a conventional Bowden cable which then operated a conventional rear derailleur. The PC system was usually paired with a SunTour Honor (or possibly the effectively identical SunTour 38). The actuator box had enough power and battery capacity to operate a top-normal derailleur and, crucially, to change gear both down and up the gears. The PC system did not offer the rider any kind of mechanical lever - it was fully electronic.
Then someone at Maruishi had a genius idea. This was that, because the lever was fully electronic, you could use a large, flashy, top tube console lever, but this could have an 'H' type gate - just like the gear lever on a manual (stick shift) car. This lever was called the 'Maruishi Super 5' and was introduced in 1978. It instantly tapped straight into the dreams of every Japanese teenage wannabe racing driver. Now the Maruishi PC system was not only a technological marvel - it also had that indefinable dusting of 'cool'.
Possibly in early 1980, Maruishi introduced a 6-speed system, the 'Maruishi PC 6'. This used the 'Maruishi Super 6' lever - a six speed, top tube, console type item. This had a chrome-effect 'H' gate and a lever knob with a fake wood finish - to capture that Alfa Romeo/Maserati vibe. What lethargic, mop-haired, youth could ask for anything more?
Finally, possibly in late 1980, the 6-speed system was extensively restyled with a much more angular actuator box. At this point its electronic cables may have changed from 6 pin connectors to 9-pin connectors - although I am not sure what amazing extra features were supported.

During its, relatively short, life the Maruishi PC actuator box enjoyed a bewildering array of different graphic treatments involving the letters 'PC' writ large against a selection of zany and not-so-zany backgrounds. It is also possible the earlier models had a hatch on the outside labelled 'Hand' that covered a hole that possibly allowed a mechanic to insert a screwdriver to operate the gear directly. This hatch and its hole seems to have been omitted from later models.

The various levers also appear with a number of different looks. The initial rotary lever was redesigned at least once - gaining a zany plastic 'skin' and a window showing the gear number. The 'H' gate levers also enjoyed a variety of go-faster stripes and colour treatments.

This well-used, utilitarian, even ugly, item is the fully electronic, rotary lever from an early (1977?) Maruishi PC 5-speed system. You can rotate it to one of 5 positions. The printed ring showing the gear number has fallen off, but you can still see the ghost of the numbers.

The cable attached to this lever is ternminated by two rectangular six pin connectors.