Computers & Business Machines

Apple II Personal Computer

Imagine the loss, 100 years from now, if museums hadn't begun preserving the artifacts of the computer age. The last few decades offer proof positive of why museums must collect continuously—to document technological and social transformations already underway.

The museum's collections contain mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and handheld devices. Computers range from the pioneering ENIAC to microcomputers like the Altair and the Apple I. A Cray2 supercomputer is part of the collections, along with one of the towers of IBM's Deep Blue, the computer that defeated reigning champion Garry Kasparov in a chess match in 1997. Computer components and peripherals, games, software, manuals, and other documents are part of the collections. Some of the instruments of business include adding machines, calculators, typewriters, dictating machines, fax machines, cash registers, and photocopiers

Button, Mannequin is Coming!

This square button has black text on a teal background that reads: Mannequin is Coming! It has an illustration of a face. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: CDX '90.Currently not on view
Description
This square button has black text on a teal background that reads: Mannequin is Coming! It has an illustration of a face. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: CDX '90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.402
catalog number
2009.3071.402
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Texas Instruments Ac9131 Adapter

This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is the power adapter received with a Texas Instruments programmable handheld electronic calculator. For the calculator, see 1990.0609.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1990.0609.01.2
catalog number
1990.0609.01.2
accession number
1990.0609

Sharp EL 208 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and orange plastic case, a metal keyboard, and nineteen rectangular plastic keys. The keys include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a % key, a memory key, and a clear entry/clear key.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and orange plastic case, a metal keyboard, and nineteen rectangular plastic keys. The keys include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a % key, a memory key, and a clear entry/clear key. The on/off switch is at the left on the top row of keys. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LCD display.
At the top of the back of the calculator is a compartment for a nine-volt battery. Text below it reads: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-208. Further text reads: NO. 025. The number is on a paper sticker and is difficult to read. Further text reads: SHARP CORPORATION BM (/) MADE IN JAPAN (/) U.S. Pats. 3902169 & 3978994.
The calculator has a dark brown plastic carrying case.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, December 4, 1980, p. B12. A Sharp EL-208 calculator is on sale for $6.99. The placement of the SHARP label is different in this image than on the example in the collections.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, March 8, 1981, p. M6. Sharp EL-208 on sale for $6.99. The image in the advertisement is of the model of calculator in the collections.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980-1981
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.314
catalog number
1986.0988.314
accession number
1986.0988

Computer Game on Cartridge, Home Babysitter

"Home Babysitter," a computer game by Commodore sold for the VIC-20, consists of one cartridge in its original box.Currently not on view
Description
"Home Babysitter," a computer game by Commodore sold for the VIC-20, consists of one cartridge in its original box.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
ID Number
1987.0249.34
accession number
1987.0249
catalog number
1987.0249.34

Button, DESQview / X. Raising DOS to the Power of X

This blimp shaped button has orange text on blue blimp that reads: DESQview / X. Raising DOS to the Power of X. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Fed Meiro '92 8/5/92.Currently not on view
Description
This blimp shaped button has orange text on blue blimp that reads: DESQview / X. Raising DOS to the Power of X. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: Fed Meiro '92 8/5/92.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1992
ID Number
2009.3071.488
catalog number
2009.3071.488
nonaccession number
2009.3071

On Location Lapel Pin

This L-shaped lapel pin has a butterfly clutch clasp and a black background. Text reading "ON LOCATION" follows the L-shape. "ON" is in purple; "LOCATION" is in red. The reverse is black plastic and reads "MWB 8/90" in black permanent ink.
Description
This L-shaped lapel pin has a butterfly clutch clasp and a black background. Text reading "ON LOCATION" follows the L-shape. "ON" is in purple; "LOCATION" is in red. The reverse is black plastic and reads "MWB 8/90" in black permanent ink. The clasp is of gold-colored metal.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.724
catalog number
2009.3071.724
nonaccession number
2009.3071

National Cash Register, Model 1544 (4D-1)

This NCR cash register has four drawers in two columns. It has four columns of plastic digit keys, white for dollars, tens of dollars, and 5 cents, and black for cents. A column of four keys right of the number keys has keys labeled A1, 6, B2 and B2.
Description
This NCR cash register has four drawers in two columns. It has four columns of plastic digit keys, white for dollars, tens of dollars, and 5 cents, and black for cents. A column of four keys right of the number keys has keys labeled A1, 6, B2 and B2. Right of these is a lever, which can be set on the operation desired, and a motor bar. The paper tape holder is on the right side, the indicators are above the keyboard, and the electric cord is at the back. The serial number is 4931871, the model number 1544 (4D-1).
The machine was used at Lansburgh department store in downtown Washington, D.C. When City Stores Company purchased Lansburgh, they gave the machine to the Smithsonian.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1952
maker
National Cash Register Company
ID Number
MA.334906
maker number
4931871
accession number
314157
catalog number
334906

Jefferson Handheld Electronic Calculator

This simple calculator has a black plastic case, a flat keypad with ten digit keys, a clear key, four arithmetic function keys, three blank keys, and an on/off switch. Behind the keyboard is a six-digit red LED display. A sticker behind this reads: Jefferson.
Description
This simple calculator has a black plastic case, a flat keypad with ten digit keys, a clear key, four arithmetic function keys, three blank keys, and an on/off switch. Behind the keyboard is a six-digit red LED display. A sticker behind this reads: Jefferson. The back has a sticker with operating instructions, which is marked at the bottom: Made in U. S. A. The battery fits at the top of the back. A mark on the circuit board inside the case reads: PCB - 676.
It seems likely that Jefferson sold rather than actually manufacturing the calculator.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
Jefferson Electric Mfg Co.
ID Number
1986.0988.332
catalog number
1986.0988.332
accession number
1986.0988

Texas Instruments 1250 Handheld Electronic Calculator

This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and a metal keyboard. It has an array of twenty-four rectangular black plastic keys. The meaning of the keys is indicated on the keyboard.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and a metal keyboard. It has an array of twenty-four rectangular black plastic keys. The meaning of the keys is indicated on the keyboard. There are ten digit keys a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear key, a clear entry key, a change sign key, and a percentage key. Above these is a row of four memory keys. The on/off switch is on the left edge. A mark above the keyboard on the left reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LED display. A mark below the keys reads: TI-1250.
A jack for a power outlet is along the back edge. A sticker on the back reads: US PAT 3819921 AND OTHER PATS PENDING (/) TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) Serial No. A 2197367. The sticker indicates that the calculator should be recharged using an AC9180 adapter/charger. It also reads in part: ASSEMBLED IN USA. Below the sticker is a compartment for a nine-volt battery. A mark below it reads: 0777 LTA.
Compare this calculator to the TI-1400 (1986.0988.195). The latter lacks memory keys. Also compare the TI-1265 (1986.0988.193). It has the same keys, but different coloring of the keyboard and a different type of display.
Ball & Flamm give a 1975 price of $19.95.
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 156.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.053
catalog number
1986.0988.053
accession number
1986.0988

Altair 8800 Microcomputer Plug-In Card

A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well a
Description
A computer board for the Altair 8800 microcomputer.
Not long after Intel introduced its 8080 microprocessor, a small firm in Albuquerque, New Mexico, named MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) announced a computer kit called the Altair, which met the social as well as technical requirements for a small personal computer. MITS succeeded where other, more established firms had failed, and it was their machine that inaugurated the personal computer age. MITS got its start in computing in 1971, when it introduced an electronic calculator kit. Several thousand sold before 1974, when the sharp reduction in calculator prices drove the company out of that market.
H. Edward Roberts, the Florida-born former U.S. Air Force officer who headed MITS, decided to design a small, affordable computer around the Intel 8080. His daughter named the new machine after the star Altair. It was the first microcomputer to sell in large numbers. In January 1975, a photograph of the Altair appeared on the cover of the magazine Popular Electronics. The caption read “World's First Minicomputer Kit to Rival Commercial Models.” According to the magazine, the machine sold as a kit for $395, and assembled for $498. Roberts had hoped to break even by selling 200 Altairs. Within three months he had a backlog of 4,000 orders.
Enthusiasm for the Altair and other personal computers spawned computer hobbyist clubs, computer stores, newsletters, magazines, and conventions. By 1977, a host of companies, large and small, were producing microcomputers for a mass market. This phenomenon was abetted by a design decision to make the Altair an "open" machine. In other words, it passed data along a channel called a bus, whose specifications were not kept a secret. That way both MITS and other companies could add memory cards, cards to control a printer or other devices as long as they adhered to the published standards.
This particular Altair was collected by the Smithsonian because it documents how hobbyists would outfit the machine with additional parts and components. The user added his own keyboard, monitor, disk drive, and 17 plug-in boards to expand the computer’s capability. Unfortunately, the original owner of the kit is unknown. The computer was donated to the Smithsonian by a second owner, Mark Sienkiewicz, who purchased it as a collectable item and never used it.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems
ID Number
2007.0032.05.10
catalog number
2007.0032.05.10
accession number
2007.0032

Software on CD (Computer Viruses), The Collection, Outlaws from America's Wild West Release 2.00

The compact disc contains live computer viruses (over 500 viruses), anti-virus programs and utilities, source listings for viruses, virus simulator programs, virus information programs and text, virus creation tools, and newsletters and literature related to viruses.
Description
The compact disc contains live computer viruses (over 500 viruses), anti-virus programs and utilities, source listings for viruses, virus simulator programs, virus information programs and text, virus creation tools, and newsletters and literature related to viruses. Title of the cd is "The Collection Outlaws from America's Wild West." It was sold by American Eagle Publications, Inc. in Tucson, Arizona for "serious researchers and programmers who have a legitimate need to know the information it contains." The copyright date is 1996 and the release version is 2.00.
See related object 2017.3018.01
Location
Currently not on view
copyright date
1996
publisher; distributor
American Eagle Publications, Inc.
ID Number
2017.3018.02
nonaccession number
2017.3018
catalog number
2017.3018.02

Documentation, Windows Write User's Guide by Microsoft

This documentation is the User's Guide for Microsoft Windows Write software. The software, along with Windows Paint was packaged with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, was released in 1985. Write was Microsoft’s word processing program.
Description
This documentation is the User's Guide for Microsoft Windows Write software. The software, along with Windows Paint was packaged with Microsoft’s Windows operating system, was released in 1985. Write was Microsoft’s word processing program. It used the same conventions as the Windows environment--command menus, icons, and dialog boxes, and it allowed the pasting of information and graphics from other applications.
See also 2012.3098.030 and 2012.3098.031
Reference:
“Popular Science,” May 1986, p. 16d.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1985
maker
Microsoft Corporation
ID Number
2012.3098.032
catalog number
2012.3098.032
nonaccession number
2012.3098

Punch Cards Used with a PDP-9 Minicomputer

In the mid-1960s, the Computer Science Department at RAND Corporation turned its attention to developing computer graphics.
Description
In the mid-1960s, the Computer Science Department at RAND Corporation turned its attention to developing computer graphics. A set of programs written in the programming language FORTRAN for the PDP-9 minicomputer were used to plot contour lines useful in determining the line of sight for microwave radiation emitted from a given point on a map. These cards have some of the data for one of these programs. The cards are white with a pink border on the top.
Groups of cards are numbered from 16 through 30. A mark on the top card reads: DATE GENERATED 4-11-68.The program has non-accession number 1990.3046.10.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1968
maker
IBM
ID Number
1990.3046.03
catalog number
1990.3046.03
nonaccession number
1990.3046

Advertising Button

This square button has white text on a black background that reads: DON'T LOSE CONTROL 1-800-LAN-USER. It also has a red and white logo for NMI. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: NW 2/90.Currently not on view
Description
This square button has white text on a black background that reads: DON'T LOSE CONTROL 1-800-LAN-USER. It also has a red and white logo for NMI. A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: NW 2/90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.050
catalog number
2009.3071.050
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Patent Order Punch Cards

This set of six orange punch cards each have 53 columns. The standard IBM punch card has 80 columns.
Description
This set of six orange punch cards each have 53 columns. The standard IBM punch card has 80 columns. Each card is marked PO-33, PATENT ORDER (Letter Unit) on the left edge, and IBM D7 7517 on the bottom edge.
The following information is punched and printed on each card, the unique patent number, the same customer number (11530), month (01), day (29), and serv. code (6M). These cards were used by the U.S. Patent Office when filling requests for copies of patents.
Location
Currently not on view
maker
IBM
ID Number
2017.3122.02
nonaccession number
2017.3122
catalog number
2017.3122.02

Engineering Drawing, Actuator-Switch

This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.Currently not on view
Description
This is one of nine engineering drawings for the Shugart Associates SA400 disk drive received with an example of the disk drive, 1982.0385.01.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Shugart Associates
ID Number
1982.0385.08
catalog number
1982.0385.08
accession number
1982.0385

Advertising Button, PC Computing

This square button has black text on a red background that reads: Winner. Intel SatisFAXtion Modem/400. Intel Corp. It includes the PC Computing logo and the words MVP 1992. In black and gold is a cartoon of an 'Oscar' statue.
Description
This square button has black text on a red background that reads: Winner. Intel SatisFAXtion Modem/400. Intel Corp. It includes the PC Computing logo and the words MVP 1992. In black and gold is a cartoon of an 'Oscar' statue. A mark on the reverse reads: Comdex 11/92.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1992
ID Number
2009.3071.069
catalog number
2009.3071.069
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Progress Button, #1 in the Last Three Datapro User Surveys

This circular button has red and black text on a white background that reads: Progress. #1 in the Last Three Datapro User Surveys. Fourth Generation Language and Relational Database A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: CDX '90.Currently not on view
Description
This circular button has red and black text on a white background that reads: Progress. #1 in the Last Three Datapro User Surveys. Fourth Generation Language and Relational Database A mark in black ink on the reverse reads: CDX '90.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
c 1990
ID Number
2009.3071.502
catalog number
2009.3071.502
nonaccession number
2009.3071

Hewlett-Packard HP 34C Programmable Handheld Electronic Calculator

This programmable handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and thirty sloping rectangular plastic keys. The model was introduced in July 1979 and sold through 1983.
Description
This programmable handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and thirty sloping rectangular plastic keys. The model was introduced in July 1979 and sold through 1983. Most keys take on different meanings if the gold "f" shift key, the blue "g" shift key or the black "h" key is pressed. The calculator has limited programming capabilities. It also has “continuous memory,” which allows limited storage of programs when the calculator is turned off. The calculator featured solve and integrate functions not found on previous calculators.
Behind the keyboard are an on/off switch, a program/run switch, and an LED display. A mark on the front edge reads: hp HEWLETT • PACKARD 34C.
The socket for the battery adapter is along the top edge. The battery compartment is at the top of the back. The back also has four rubber feet. Text on the back reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 2252S33344. Another mark reads: MADE IN (/) SINGAPORE. The first four digits of the serial number indicate that the calculator was made in the 52d week of 1982.
The calculator has a black zippered case with a belt loop. A mark on it reads: hp. It also has a power adapter. A mark on it reads in part: 2213 (/) INPUT (/) 90-120V AC (/) 50-60 HZ (/) HEWLETT-PACKARD (/) 82087B (/) CLASS 2 TRANSFORMER (/) MADE IN SINGAPORE.
The following documentation accompanies the calculator:
1. The leaflet HP-34C Quick Reference Card, published in May of 1979.
2. The spiral-bound HP-34C Owner’s Handbook and Programming Guide, published in 1979 and revised in 1980.
3.A pamphlet HP-34C Applications, published in 1982.
4.A pamphlet Solving Problems with Your Hewlett-Packard Calculator, published in 1980.
This device is part of a series that included the HP-31E, the HP-32E, the HP-33E, the HP-33C, the HP-34C, the HP-37E, the HP-38E and the HP-38C. Compare 1987.0435.09 (an HP-25) and 1987.0435.11 (an HP-33E), and 1987.0435.12 (an HP-33C).
The donor of the calculator, Kim Tracy, purchased it as an engineering student. By this time, he also had access to electronic computers, but used the calculator quite heavily.
References:
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, p. 60, 132.
Accession File.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1982
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2014.0179.02
catalog number
2014.0179.02
accession number
2014.0179

Software, Terminal II

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
2012.3098.067
catalog number
2012.3098.067
nonaccession number
2012.3098

Sharp EL-8145 Handheld Electronic Calculator

In the second half of the 1970s, taking advantage of the introduction of liquid crystal displays, manufacturers of handheld electronic calculators designed and built ever-thinner products. In this Sharp calculator the usual keys have been replaced by a single thin membrane.
Description
In the second half of the 1970s, taking advantage of the introduction of liquid crystal displays, manufacturers of handheld electronic calculators designed and built ever-thinner products. In this Sharp calculator the usual keys have been replaced by a single thin membrane. This reduces the thickness of the calculator itself to about .3 cm (about 1/8”). Pushing numbers on such a calculator produces no tactile sensation. To give users a sense that they indeed had entered information, the calculator could be set so that a tone sounded whenever a digit or function was entered. Pushing the section of the membrane with a musical note on it (called the sensor key) activated this part of the calculator.
The credit card-sized calculator has a total of twenty-six “keys.” To the left are ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a % key, four arithmetic function keys, three memory keys, and a total key. Right of these are an off key, an on/clear key, a sensor key, a clear entry key, a STR key for storing a number in the memory, and a COMP key for computing conversions by multiplying the stored value by the value in the display. These last two keys are labeled: STORAGE COMPUTER.
Behind the key membrane on the left side is the eight-digit LCD display. Text next to it reads: SHARP EL-8145.
Text on the back of the calculator reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR U.S. Pats. 390169 & 3976994 (/) EL-8145 No. (/) 86408458. It also reads: SHARP CORPORATION MADE IN JAPAN. The most recent U.S. patent number listed, 3976994, was issued in 1976 and assigned to Sharp.
The calculator ran on two squat cylindrical silver oxide batteries.
The instrument fits into a black plastic wallet. A mark on the front of the wallet reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. The wallet, in turn, fits into a blue cardboard box. One price tag on the box reads: FRED MEYER (/) $29.95. Another reads: FRED MEYER SALE (/) $19.99.
Sharp membrane calculators in the collections include 1997.0032.01 (Sharp EL-8152 or EL-8152A), 1987.0435.13 (Sharp EL-8130A) and 1986.0988.316 (Sharp EL-8145).
References:
[Advertisement], Washington Post, September 1, 1978. p. C5. “Credit card calculator” advertised as on sale for $34.95.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, November 12, 1978, p. N4. Price given is $32.95. Comparable (less expensive) credit card-sized calculators mentioned in the ad are the National Semiconductor NS 102 and the Casio LC-78.
[Advertisemnt], Los Angeles Times, October 20, 1979, p. D7. Price for calculator listed as $25.95.
[Advertisemnt], Los Angeles Times, February 17, 1980, p. C9. Price of calculator listed as $28.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978-1980
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.316
catalog number
1986.0988.316
accession number
1986.0988

Mainframe Computer Model, Remington Rand Univac 1103 or 1103A

This portion of a model of a Univac computer includes four wooden, paper and cloth pieces painted gray, namely:1. input/output units on desk, including paper tape units and Flexowriter2. adding machine and other units on desk.3. Uniservo tape drive4.
Description
This portion of a model of a Univac computer includes four wooden, paper and cloth pieces painted gray, namely:
1. input/output units on desk, including paper tape units and Flexowriter
2. adding machine and other units on desk.
3. Uniservo tape drive
4. another computer peripheral, possibly a card reader
Engineering Research Associates began development of its 1103 in 1949 and introduced the first copy of the machine in 1953, the year after the firm was acquired by Remington Rand.
There is a plastic covering on the bottom of some pieces.
Reference:
Remington Rand Univac, Univac model 1103A Computer Scientific Programming Manual.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1953
maker
Remington Rand Inc.
ID Number
2013.3049.01
nonaccession number
2013.3049
catalog number
2013.3049.01

Button, Don't Let NetWorld Pass You By

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
ID Number
1987.3128.080
nonaccession number
1987.3128
catalog number
1987.3128.080

Documentation - Hewlett-Packard HP-28C Getting Started Manual

Currently not on view
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
1999.0291.02
catalog number
1999.0291.02
accession number
1999.0291

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