Electronic Calculators—Handheld

Introduction

In the course of the 1970s, handheld electronic calculators transformed the way tens of millions of people did arithmetic. Engineers abandoned slide rules, business people gave up desktop calculating machines, and shoppers replaced simple adding machines and adders. Educators asked how much students should even learn written procedures for multiplication, division, and taking square roots. Parents bought new toys that offered both instruction in arithmetic and other games for their children.

A few calculators were programmable, offering an alternative to large computers and to the microcomputers introduced in the same decade. Like microcomputers, they incorporated changes in microprocessor technology and displays. Many companies that sold calculators, such as Hewlett-Packard, Texas Instruments, Tandy Corporation, and Commodore, would also market microcomputers and digital watches, other novelties of interest at the time. Business patterns established with calculators such as design in one country, manufacture in another, distribution by third parties, rapid introduction of new models, and decreasing cost also would appear with other electronic devices.

Handheld calculators were introduced into the United States in 1970 and 1971 by the Japanese firms of Busicom (Nippon Calculating Machine Corporation) and Sharp (Hayakawa Electric) as well as the American firm of Bowmar. Chips in early Busicom calculators were made in the United States by Mostek, while those in the Bowmar and Canon were by Texas Instruments. Hewlett-Packard Corporation joined the market in early 1972 with the HP-35 scientific calculator.  It could not only add, subtract, multiply, and divide but compute trigonometric functions, logarithms, and exponents. In other words, it did the work of a slide rule and more. The calculator sold for $395. Not to be outdone, Texas Instruments introduced its first calculator, the Datamath (or TI-2500), later that year. The device carried out basic arithmetic and sold for $149.95. In 1973, TI introduced the SR-10, its answer to the HP-35. It did not give values for trigonometric functions, but cost only $150. The TI-50 (introduced in 1974 for $170) and the HP-21 (introduced in 1975 for $125) both performed the calculations possible on a slide rule for a somewhat more reasonable price.


Inexpensive Four-Function Calculators

Early handheld electronic calculators could be ordered from manufacturers or dealers. They also sold as relatively expensive goods in department stores. In the course of the 1970s, better chips made it possible to reduce the number of components required in calculators. Liquid crystal displays required significantly less power, making it possible to operate a calculator on tiny batteries – or operate on sunlight alone. Moreover, membranes replaced individual keys on some instruments. With all of these changes, cost of the devices plummeted. By 1977, a liquid crystal display calculator known as the Teal LC811 sold regularly for $24.95, with a sale price of $19.95. By 1985, the solar-powered Sharp EL-345 sold for $5.95. Both of these calculators were made in Japan. The Sharp not only carried out arithmetic and found percentages, but had a square root key. Both calculators had limited memory for results of computations.


Programmable Handheld Calculator

Desktop electronic calculators that could be programmed were available from the mid-1960s. Prominent American manufacturers included Wang Laboratories in Massachusetts and Hewlett-Packard Company in California. By 1974, Hewlett-Packard had developed a more compact programmable device, the HP-65. Advertisements dubbed it a “personal computer,” not just a calculator. The instrument sold for $795 – plus an extra sum for a special “security cradle” that allowed one to attach it to a desk.

The HP-65 was specifically designed to assist in repeated calculations required in such disciplines as science, engineering, finance, statistic, mathematics, navigation, medicine and surveying. Toward that end, it contained a small magnetic card reader and recorder. Users who had worked out a series of commands they wished to reuse could save the program to a magnetic card. A variety of prewritten programs were available for purchase.

HP also published a newsletter where owners of the calculator exchanged information about programs. One owner of a HP-65 (not the instrument in the Smithsonian collections) was programmer Barry S. Berg. Berg used programming in many aspects of his life. The programs for his HP-65 device relate to aerial navigation, he consulted them when flying an airplane. Other, less expensive, programmable calculators soon followed, first from General Instrument and Texas Instruments and then from Hewlett-Packard itself. At the same time, the diffusion of sturdy personal computers decreased demand from computer programmers for these particular handheld devices.


Educational Games

In 1971, Jerome C. Meyer and James A. Tillotson III of Sunnydale, California received a patent for a “teaching device having means producing [sic] a self-generated program.”  Here questions for drill were selected using a random signal generator. Meyer and Tillotson thought such a machine might have many uses, but specifically showed an instrument for generating simple arithmetic problems. Given a problem, a student entered the answer. The machine checked its accuracy, with a correct answer generating a new problem. Ideas in this patent were reflected in an electronic teaching machine for drilling children in basic arithmetic called the Digitor, a device introduced by the California firm of Centurion Industries in 1974. The Digitor was a desktop, not a handheld, device. It sold to schools, not individuals.

Educational electronic games in the form of handheld electronic calculators, designed for home use, soon followed. For example, the Novus (also National Semiconductor) Quiz Kid, was designed and priced for the home market. An advertisement published in the New York Times just before Christmas in 1975 indicates that its small four-function instrument sold for only $15.00. The calculator had no display, but the keyboard was decorated with an image of an owl with two large eyes, one green and one red. Children entered both a problem and their answer to it. If the answer was correct, the green eye flashed reinforcement. If not, the red eye lit up. The ad proclaimed that “The Novus ‘Quiz Kid’ just might make a Whiz Kid out of Jr [sic]!”  At least it would “provide hours of fun and interest” (New York Times, December 23, 1975, 4.  Novus had entered the calculator business by buying out the calculator division of National Semiconductor, and some devices were sold as the National Semiconductor Quiz Kid). A report from late May of 1976 indicates that by then some 600,000 of the toys had been shipped (New York Times, May 23, 1976, F3).

Texas Instruments had responded to the popularity of four-function calculators by producing the Datamath 2500, and to the HP-35 with the SR-10. Its answer to the Quiz Kid and similar toys was the Little Professor. Introduced in mid-1976, it was a calculator that had been altered to present simple arithmetic problems to a child. A correct answer led to another problem, a wrong answer to the message “EEE.”  The keyboard was decorated with an image of a bewhiskered and bespectacled professor holding a book. Questions and answers appeared on a red LED screen that, in combination with the top of the instrument, looked like a mortar board. In early examples of the toy, the on-off switch was on the right side near the professor’s face, and looked rather like a tassel from a mortar board. The machine sold for about $18 early in 1977, with the price dropping to $13 by the middle of the year. The Little Professor sold in the millions.  It is produced, in modified form, to this day. The Quiz Kid and the Little Professor were later joined by a range of games that included Coleco Digits (ca. 1978), Invicta’s Electronic Mastermind (ca. 1980), and an Electronic Backgammon Game by Tyrom (ca. 1981).


Graphing Calculators

The first commercial graphing calculator was introduced by the Japanese firm of Casio Computer Company. Casio, founded in 1946, had sold electric desk calculators since the 1960s, and introduced a transistorized form of the machine in 1965. In the 1970s and 1980s, it released a variety of microprocessor-based consumer products including handheld calculators, digital watches, electronic musical instruments, and televisions.  Its fx-7000G graphing calculator, introduced in 1985, sold for a price that settled around seventy-five dollars. By the following year, it had been adopted by a program in Ohio schools, and other states soon followed.

Other calculator manufacturers soon took up the challenge of designing graphing calculators. In 1987, Hewlett-Packard Corporation introduced its HP-28C calculator. It featured not only graphing but symbolic manipulation, as well as limited integration and differentiation. Indeed, Hewlett-Packard soon was ready to launch a version of the HP-28C with expanded memory, known as the HP-28S. It chose to do so at the January 1988 centennial meeting of the American Mathematical Society. Those attending the annual banquet of the society traditionally received a useful trinket such as an alarm clock. At the centennial party, the favor was an HP-28S. It came with an extra charge of $60 (the banquet alone was $30). However, considering that the list price of the calculator was $235, the fee was not unreasonable. The example of the HP-28S shown was owned by Andrew Gleason, who was among those working on the reform of calculus teaching as part of the Harvard Consortium. Other manufacturers soon offered graphing calculators.

With the widespread availability of other handheld devices for communication and for access to the web, the role of the electronic calculator has changed. Within mathematics education, calculators are now sold as much for what they do not do as for what they do. That is to say, calculators do not allow students to spend time texting, web surfing, or consulting with unauthorized sources. They are sometimes built so as NOT to evaluate certain functions.  In the larger world, although inexpensive four-function calculators are still available for purchase, they also appear virtually on a desktop, laptop, and handheld computers.


Acknowledgments
This object group reflects the contributions of numerous donors to the Smithsonian Institution, and the work of numerous museum and library staff. A grant from the Lemelson Center for Invention and Innovation and generous assistance from scholars at the Whipple Museum for the History of Science at Cambridge University are gratefully acknowleged.
 

This handheld electronic calculator has a plastic case and thirty-five rectangular plastic keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a plastic case and thirty-five rectangular plastic keys. The four lower rows of keys are similar to those found on many calculators, with ten digit keys, a change sign key, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, three memory keys, and a total key. The next row up on the scientific calculator contains keys for various forms of exponents and logarithms, as well as a pi key. The next row up (just below the top row of keys) contains a key for converting from degrees, minutes, and seconds to decimal degrees, as well as keys for trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions. The top row of keys includes keys for powers, reciprocals, square roots, clear entry, and clear. A mark above the keyboard reads: SHARP.
Behind the keyboard is a green fluorescent display that shows the result, up to a six-digit mantissa and a two-digit exponent (as a power of ten). Text above the display reads: SHARP ELSI MATE (/) EL-500. A jack for a power adapter is along the back edge. The on/off switch is on the left side.
The back of the calculator has a compartment for two slim batteries. A sticker inside it reads: 72406257.Text below this reads in part: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-500. It also reads in part: SHARP CORPORATION (/) MADE IN JAPAN BM.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, March 27, 1977, p. X1. On sale for $14.95
[Advertisement], Washington Post, January 20, 1978, p. A23. Calculator selling for $14.77.
A copy for the manual for this calculator, without the cover, is online at wass.net/manuals, accessed October 27, 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1977-1978
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.138
catalog number
1986.0988.138
accession number
1986.0988
This unusually thin handheld electronic calculator has an aluminum case.
Description
This unusually thin handheld electronic calculator has an aluminum case. The array of twenty-two gray and white rounded plastic rectangular buttons includes ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four keys for arithmetic functions, a percentage key, a square root key, three memory keys, and a clear key. The on/off switch is between the keyboard and the eight-digit green fluorescent display. A mark below the display reads: CE COMPEX (/) ST-10. A mark below the keys reads: SUPER THIN (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. The text printed on the back is largely worn away. The outlet for a recharger is at the bottom right.
Unscrewing a screw in the back makes it possible to change two large squat batteries. (This example has no batteries and no recharger.) A component taped to the back of one circuit board is marked in part: DELTA (/) DC. A mark on the display reads: itron FG94B1 (/) JAPAN JC.
A May 26, 1977 advertisement in the Los Angeles Times indicates that the Compex ST-10 sold for $14.97. This included both a wallet carrying case and the battery recharger.
According to the Datamath Calculator Museum website, Compex calculators were a product of Kinpo Electronics, Incorporated, a firm established in Taiwan by 1973.
References:
Datamath Calculator Museum, http://www.datamath.org/.
Los Angeles Times, May 26, 1977, p. A14.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
maker
Compex
ID Number
1986.0988.147
catalog number
1986.0988.147
accession number
1986.0988
This programmable scientific calculator, introduced in 1977, is more powerful than the TI 57 and less so than the TI 59, which were introduced at the same time.
Description
This programmable scientific calculator, introduced in 1977, is more powerful than the TI 57 and less so than the TI 59, which were introduced at the same time. It has a black plastic case and an array of forty-five rectangular plastic keys, most of which can assume a dual function. The calculator could be operated manually by pressing keys. It could run a variety of preprogrammed routines from a module inserted in a compartment in the back of the case. Programs could also be entered using a set of keys and stored in one of ten locations (denoted by the letters A through E and A’ through E’). Fuller instructions for programming are given in a detailed manual that accompanied the calculator (for an example, see 1990.3166.01).
A mark below the keyboard reads: TI Programmable 58 (/) Solid State Software. Behind the keyboard is a silver-colored space to hold labels relating to programs on a programming module. Behind this is a ten-digit display (it may also show five digits and a two-digit positive or negative exponent). An on/off key is at the back and a jack for a power supply is on the right side.
A mark on the back of the calculator reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator (/) SERIAL NO. (/) 0095974 1378ACH (/) ASSEMBLED IN HOLLAND. Below this is a compartment for a battery pack. The lid is labeled: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) BATTERY PACK BP-1A. Below this is a compartment for a program module. The module inside is labeled: MASTER (/) LIBRARY (/) MODULE (/) -1-.
The calculator has a black zippered case with a belt loop.
Compare 1987.0435.04 and 2007.0179.01. (both examples of the TI Programmable 58C).
References:
“Power of Its Pocket Calculators Increased by Texas Instruments,” New York Times, May 25, 1977, p. 89. Suggested list price of new Programmable 58 to be $124.95.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, December 10, 1977, p. E3. Programmable 58 in stock, holiday sale price $99.95.
Eli Maor, “A Summer Course with the TI57 Programmable Calculator,” Mathematics Teacher, 73 #2 (February 1980), pp. 99-106. Describes two experimental summer courses, one for students eight to eleven years old and the other for students twelve to fifteen, that used TI Programmable 58 calculators.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1978
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1987.0435.03
accession number
1987.0435
catalog number
1987.0435.03
This is an example of the first model of a scientific calculator marketed by Texas Instruments. The handheld electronic calculator has a black and ivory-colored plastic case with an array of twenty-three plastic keys.
Description
This is an example of the first model of a scientific calculator marketed by Texas Instruments. The handheld electronic calculator has a black and ivory-colored plastic case with an array of twenty-three plastic keys. Twenty-one of these are square, the 0 and the total keys are rectangular. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, and four arithmetic function keys, the calculator has a reciprocal key, a square key, a square root key, a change sign key, an enter exponent key, a clear key, and a clear display key. Text above the keyboard, just below the display and to the left, reads: SR10. Behind the keyboard is a 12-digit LED display. Numbers larger than eight digits are displayed in scientific notation. A mark behind the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. An on/off switch is right and slightly above this.
The back edge of the calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter. A sticker on the back gives extensive instructions. It also gives the serial number SR10 275812.
Unscrewing screws near the top and bottom of the back reveals the workings of the calculator. It has a total of five chips. The largest of these is marked TMS 0120 NC (/) C7333. This is a TMS0120 chip, manufactured in mid-1973. Also in the case is space for three AA nickel-cadmium batteries.
The leather zippered case has both a loop and a hook for attaching the calculator to a belt. It also holds an instruction pamphlet entitled Texas Instruments electronic slide rule calculator SR-10, copyrighted 1973. A warranty registration on the inside of the back page indicates these instructions were originally sold with an SR-10 calculator with serial number 170334, purchased on September 27, 1973.
Texas Instruments described the SR-10 as an “electronic slide rule calculator,” hence the “SR” in the name. The first version of the device, introduced in 1972, did not have the mark SR-10 on the keyboard. The second version (introduced 1973) and the third (introduced 1975) did. This is an example of the first version. According to Ball & Flamm, it initially sold for $149.95.
Compare 1986.0988.351, 1986.0988.354, and 1986.0988.356.
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 153.
The online Datamath Museum includes versions of the SR-10 from 1972, 1973, and 1975.
date made
1972
Date made
1973
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.354
catalog number
1986.0988.354
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and black plastic case and an array of thirty rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and black plastic case and an array of thirty rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys. In addition the instrument has clear, clear entry, percentage, CS, and CA keys. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit red LED display. A mark at the back reads: Unisonic 1541L. The on/off switch is on the right edge.
A jack for a power adapter is along the back edge. At the top of the back is a compartment for a nine-volt battery. A sticker below it reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 031491 (/) Made in Hong Kong.
According to the Vintage Calculators website, this model calculator also sold as the Prinztronic 400, the dsc CAL-0041, the Meir 880, the RJP 880, and the Texet 880 Executive.
References:
Calcuseum website gives date of 1978.
[Advertisement], , August 7, 1979, p. 41. Advertises calculator.
Website vintagecalculators.com lists related models.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1979
maker
Unisonic
ID Number
1986.0988.246
catalog number
1986.0988.246
accession number
1986.0988
This compact scientific calculator has twenty rectangular plastic keys, each of which can take on two meanings. Keys are marked C (clear), +/- (change sign), EEX, and F (function or shift).
Description
This compact scientific calculator has twenty rectangular plastic keys, each of which can take on two meanings. Keys are marked C (clear), +/- (change sign), EEX, and F (function or shift). In addition there are ten digit keys, four arithmetic functions keys, a decimal point key, and a total key. These may take on functional values of inverse, squares, "CONV", "CF", trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions, exponents, powers, storage, logarithms, square roots, recall, pi, left and right parentheses, and summation. The on/off switch and the radian/degree switch are at the top of the keyboard.
Toward the back is a nine-digit LED display. A sticker behind it reads: Kings Point SC-11.
The power jack is on the back edge of the calculator. The back has a battery compartment and a sticker that reads in part: MODEL SC-11 (/) Made in Korea. It also reads Numbe [illegible] 0850. The black plastic carrying case is stamped: MADE IN KOREA.
Compare Kings Point scientific calculators 1986.0988.011, 1986.0988.298, 1986.0988.299, and 1986.0988.214.
No advertisements found. The calculator.org website gives a date of introduction of 1975. However, this model is not mentioned in advertisements from that year for other Kings Point calculators.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
maker
Kings Point Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.214
catalog number
1986.0988.214
accession number
1986.0988
This spiral-bound 341-page document gives detailed instructions on operating the HP-67 programmable electronic calculator.Currently not on view
Description
This spiral-bound 341-page document gives detailed instructions on operating the HP-67 programmable electronic calculator.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
1982.0222.04
catalog number
1982.0222.04
accession number
1982.0222
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal case with plastic trim and an array of twenty-three rectangular plastic keys with rounded corners.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal case with plastic trim and an array of twenty-three rectangular plastic keys with rounded corners. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a percentage key, a clear key, a clear entry key, and three memory keys. To the left in the top row of keys is an on/off switch. Behind this is an eight-digit liquid crystal display. Text above this reads: TEAL LC811.
The back edge of the calculator has the cover for a compartment that would hold two silver oxide batteries.
A sticker on the back of the calculator reads in part: TEAL LC811 (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. It also reads in part: SERIAL NO. 153744 (/) TEAL INDUSTRIES, INC. TORRANCE, CALIF. 90502 (/) MADE IN JAPAN.
The calculator has a black plastic sleeve that serves as a carrying case, and a leaflet with instructions.
TEAL calculators were made in Japan by Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory Ltd.
References:
[Advertisement], Washington Post, July 4, 1977, p. A8. Teal LC811 regularly costs $24.95, on sale for $19.95.
Teal Industries, Inc., Operating Instructions TEAL LC811 Super Thin Electronic Calculator, Torrance, CA (no date).
In 1978 Teal would introduce its Photon solar calculator, which had not only a liquid crystal display but was solar powered. See [Advertisement], Popular Science, vol. 213, #2, August 1978, p. 171.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
distributor
Teal Industries
maker
Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory Ltd.
ID Number
1987.0435.26
accession number
1987.0435
catalog number
1987.0435.26
Electronic calculators were frequently advertised in March and April as aids to Americans computing personal income taxes. Federal taxes on personal income had been legalized in the United States by the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913.
Description
Electronic calculators were frequently advertised in March and April as aids to Americans computing personal income taxes. Federal taxes on personal income had been legalized in the United States by the passage of the Sixteenth Amendment to the US Constitution in 1913. A form for calculating these taxes known as the 1040 was introduced soon thereafter, and was widely known by American workers by the 1970s. Hence the name of this calculator.
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and plastic case with an array of twenty-six rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, four memory keys, a square root key, a percentage key, a change sign key, an exchange key, a clear key, and a clear entry key. The keys are the same as those on the Unisonic 1040, although they are arranged slightly differently. Right of the top two keys is an on/off switch. A mark above this reads: Unisonic 1040. Behind this is an eight-digit green fluorescent display.
A power jack is along the back edge.
A sticker on the back gives calculation examples. A mark on it reads: 1040-AT. Another mark reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 353519 (/) MADE IN JAPAN. Below this is a compartment for four AAA batteries.
Compare five examples of the Unisonic 1040: 1986.0988.110 (the 1040), 1986.0988.291 (the 1040-1), 1986.0988.292 (the 1040-AT), 1986.0988.109 (the 1040-C), and 1986.0988.108 (the 1040-C). The keys are not identical.
References:
For a timeline of historical events relating to personal income taxes, see the website of the Internal Revenue Service at www.irs.gov.
[Advertisement], Morning Herald [from Hagerstown, Maryland], November 28, 1975, p. 49. Selling Unisonic 1040 for $22.96.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, September 1, 1977; p. I2. Unisonic 1040 selling for $10.96, regularly $13.96.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1975
maker
Unisonic
ID Number
1986.0988.292
catalog number
1986.0988.292
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and black plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan and black plastic case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys. The top row of keys has an off key, an on key, a clear entry/clear key, a square root key, and a % key. Behind the keyboard is a gray LCD display. A label at the back reads: NSC National Semiconductor (/) 836.
A mark molded into the back of the case reads: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) RATING: DC 3V (/) USE PENLIGHT BATTERY 1.5V x2. Another mark there reads: MADE IN TAIWAN.
Pushing down a lever on the back edge of the calculator allows one to open the case to change the batteries (the object presently has no batteries). A sticker on the circuit board reads: PASSED 46. There is no provision for a recharger or power adapter.
No advertisements found.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1980s
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.233
catalog number
1986.0988.233
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld programmable scientific calculator has an array of thirty-five plastic keys. Most of them can take on four different meanings.
Description
This handheld programmable scientific calculator has an array of thirty-five plastic keys. Most of them can take on four different meanings. One is indicated in white atop the key, one (often a letter) in white to the lower right of the key on the keyboard, one in orange to the upper left of the key on the keyboard and one in blue on the upper right of the key on the keyboard. The functions of the calculator are described in detail in the accompanying manual.
The LCD display behind the keyboard. Results were calculated to twelve-digit precision and displayed either as common numbers or in scientific notation.
Marks above the display read: 32SII and: RPN SCIENTIFIC. A mark above this reads: hp (/) HEWLETT (/) PACKARD.
A compartment at the top of the back holds three button cell batteries. A mark below it reads: SINGAPORE 3406S89420 (/) CE 91 [copyright symbol] HEWLETT-PACKARD COMPANY 1987. The serial number indicates a date of manufacture of February (sixth week) of 1994 (thirty-four years from 1960). A note on the title page of the manual indicates that that the object was purchased October 13, 1994, for $62.95 (including shipping). According to Mier-Jedrezejowicz, the HP-32SII was introduced in 1991 and still in production at least as late as 1995.
Accompanying the calculator is HP32SII RPN Scientific Calculator Owner’s Manual. This is an example of the fourth edition, published in 1993.
The calculator has a black plastic sleeve. A mark on it reads: hp.
This example of the calculator was owned by Tom Simkin, Curator of Volcanology in the Department of Mineral Sciences at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
References:
Accession file.
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, pp. 89–90, 95–96, 133.
Accession file.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1994
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2014.0260.02
accession number
2014.0260
catalog number
2014.0260.02
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 .16 cm (less than 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 calculator has a total of twenty-six “keys” In addition to the sensor key, these include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and three memory keys. Behind these are a % key, and a clear entry key, as well as a STR key for storing a number in the memory and a COMP key for computing conversions by multiplying the stored value by the number shown on the display. Behind these are keys for off and for on/clear. Text next to these last two keys reads: ELSI MATE (/) EL-8152 (/) STORAGE COMPUTER. Behind this is the eight-digit LCD display. Text behind this reads: SHARP.
Text on the back of the calculator reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152. It also reads: SHARP CORPORATION MADE IN JAPAN BM. The most recent U.S. patent number listed is 3976994, a patent issued in 1976 and assigned to Sharp. A label below this reads: 07004741. The calculator ran on two squat cylindrical silver oxide batteries.
The calculator has a dark blue cloth carrying case. Text on the front of it reads: SHARP. This case, in turn, fits into a cardboard box with a small pamphlet. The cover of the manual reads: SHARP COMPET ELSI MATE (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152 (/) INSTRUCTION MANUAL. Also included loose in the manual is a warning not to carry the calculator in a back pocket. The sleeve for the box reads: SHARP (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-8152 A.
An example of the Sharp EL-8152 was shown in a 1994 exhibition on modern Japanese design, held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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], Chicago Tribune, December 23, 1979, p. B1. Calculator advertised (EL-8152) said to be 1/16” thick, selling for $39.95.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, May 1, 1980, p. 17. This advertisement lists the Sharp EL-8152 calculator (not the EL-8152 A) as on sale for $32.97.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, September 4, 1980, p. B13. Sharp EL-8152 (not EL-8152 A) advertised as on sale for $39.99.
Kathryn B. Hiesinger and Felice Fischer, Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950, Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994, p. 123.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1979-1980
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1997.0032.01
catalog number
1997.0032.01
accession number
1997.0032
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case and twenty-three rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a clear entry/clear key, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, four memory keys, a % key, and a square root key.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case and twenty-three rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a clear entry/clear key, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, four memory keys, a % key, and a square root key. Left of the top row of keys is an on/off switch. A mark above it reads: 835. A mark to the right of this mark reads: NOVUS.
Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LED display. A jack for an adapter is on the left side. The back of the calculator has a compartment for a battery.
Compare to the National Semiconductor 835 (1988.0988.229) and the National Semiconductor 835A (1986.0988.230). National Semiconductor made Novus calculators.
Reference:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, April 17, 1976, p. C5. Novus 835 listed as on sale for $15.95. Among the least expensive of the Novus calculators listed.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, June 13, 1976, p. S8. Novus 835 listed as regularly priced at $13.88, on sale for $9.88.
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, April 13, 1978, p. SF_A10. Novus 835 listed as regularly priced at $7.99, on sale for $5.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976-1978
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.276
catalog number
1986.0988.276
accession number
1986.0988
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
As early as 1977 Sharp Corporation had combined the functions of a handheld electronic calculator, a clock telling time worldwide, and a stop watch.
Description
As early as 1977 Sharp Corporation had combined the functions of a handheld electronic calculator, a clock telling time worldwide, and a stop watch. In the late 1980s, it began to sell more elaborate “electronic organizers.” This example had a built-in calendar, schedule, listing for telephone numbers, memo pad, world clock, local clock, and calculator. It also was possible to purchase additional “IC cards” which expanded the memory, offered language translation, and provided a dictionary and thesaurus. The device also could be linked to a printer or a microcomputer.
The organizer has a black plastic case that opens to reveal a keyboard on the right and a display with a space for additional cards on the left. A mark at the center of the left side reads: SHARP OZ-7200 (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR WIZARD. A mark above the display reads: 64KB. A mark on the bottom reads: OZ-7200 SHARP CORPORATION (/) MADE IN JAPAN (/) Lic. U.S. Pat. 4117542. This patent, filed by Judah Klausner and Robert Hotto, both of New York, New York, was granted in 1978. The serial number of this calculator is: 9703190X.
Inside the cardboard box holding the calculator is also an operation manual. It has a copyright date of 1989.
This example was purchased by the Information Age exhibition at the National Museum of American History in April 1990. It was not used. This product was a successor to the Sharp PA-7000 organizer, first sold in 1987.
References:
[Advertisement], New York Times, May 2, 1990, p. A2. Sharp OZ-7200 selling for $279.98.
[Advertisement}, Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1991, p. D19. Sharp OZ-7200 on sale for $159.00.
Kathryn B. Hiesinger and Felice Fischer, Japanese Design: A Survey Since 1950, Philadelphia; Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1994, p. 176.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1990
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1991.0081.01
catalog number
1991.0081.01
accession number
1991.0081
This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A.
Description
This black plastic power adapter has metal prongs to fit into a wall socket and a plastic-covered plug to fit into a calculator. A mark on the object reads in part: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) POWER (/) SUPPLY (/) ASSY IN U.S.A. (/) ADAPTER (/) MODEL AC 9131 (/) 3776.
This model adapter was used with the Texas Instruments SR-40 calculator (for an example see 1986.0988.049) and the Texas Instruments Programmable 59 calculator (for an example see 1990.0609.01).
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.372
catalog number
1986.0988.372
accession number
1986.0988
This advanced scientific calculator, to use the maker's phrase, was the first graphing handheld electronic calculator made by Hewlett-Packard. It also was the first HP calculator using algebraic expressions and the first to allow integration and differentiation.
Description
This advanced scientific calculator, to use the maker's phrase, was the first graphing handheld electronic calculator made by Hewlett-Packard. It also was the first HP calculator using algebraic expressions and the first to allow integration and differentiation. It was introduced in 1987 and sold into early 1988.
The object has a black plastic case hinged along the left edge. Opening it reveals a double keyboard. Thirty-five sloping rectangular keys are on the left side and another thirty-seven on the right. Keys on the left side have letters and symbols; keys on the right include digits, symbols for arithmetic operations, and symbols associated with trigonometry, statistics, plotting, integration, and differentiation.
Above the keyboard on the left is a list of object types (e.g. complex number), symbols used to designate that type (e.g. parenthesis for complex numbers) and examples (e.g. (123.45, 678.90) for the complex number 123.45 + 678.90i). The display on the right side shows four rows of text, indicating what number or command is stored in each of four stacks. The display also can be using to show the graph of functions. A mark above it reads: hp HEWLETT (/) PACKARD 28C.
The battery cover is on the right side. A mark on the back reads: COMPLIES WITH THE LIMITS FOR A CLASS B (/) COMPUTING DEVICE PURSUANT TO SUBPART (/) J OF PART 15OF ICC RULES (/) ATI confrome classe B 2729A04383 (/) MADE IN USA. The serial number indicates the device was made in the 29th week of 1987.
Programming for the calculator – both internally and by users – was in a programming language known as RPL (Reverse Polish Lisp or ROM-based Procedural Language), a variation on the programming language LISP.
For related documentation, see 1999.0291.02. For an example of the closely related calculator that succeeded it, the HP-28S, see 2012.0063.01. The HP28-C sold for $235.
This HP28C was used by Professor Norton Starr, who taught mathematics at Amherst College in Massachusetts.
References:
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, pp. 84–87, 133.
David G. Hicks, The Museum of HP Calculators, http://www.hpmuseum.org/, accessed July, 2014.
Yves Nievergelt, “The Chip with the College Education: the HP-28C,” The American Mathematical Monthly, vol. 94, # 9, November 1987, pp. 895–902.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1987
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
1999.0291.01
accession number
1999.0291
catalog number
1999.0291.01
This programmable scientific handheld electronic calculator was Hewlett-Packard’s third model of a handheld scientific calculator (after the HP-35 and HP-45), and its first programmable handheld calculator.
Description
This programmable scientific handheld electronic calculator was Hewlett-Packard’s third model of a handheld scientific calculator (after the HP-35 and HP-45), and its first programmable handheld calculator. Hewlett-Packard staff dubbed it a “personal computer.”
The gray plastic case holds a keyboard with thirty-five keys at the front, two switches, and a display. The keys are square or rectangular on top and slope downward at the front. Many of them may take on three meanings. One is shown on the top of the key, in black or white, one shown on the sloping front of the key in blue, and the third shown in gold behind the key on the keyboard.
The lower part of the keyboard includes data entry keys for ten digits; as well as decimal point, enter, enter exponent, and clear display keys. It also has keys for the four arithmetic operations. Pressing the R/S (run/stop) key in the bottom right corner begins program execution.
Above this set of keys are prefix keys (function, inverse function, store, recall, a second function) which are followed by other keystrokes to complete a command. Above these are five keys for programming – DSP (to format the display), GTO (go to), LBL (label), RTN (return) and SST (single step). Above this are five lettered keys that stand for user-definable functions or subroutines. Behind the keyboard are the on/off switch and a second switch that may be set for writing programs or for running them.
Behind the keyboard is a red LED display for up to ten significant digits, plus two-digit exponent and appropriate signs for both.
The HP-65 was specifically designed to assist in repeated calculations required in such disciplines as science, engineering, finance, statistics, mathematics, navigation, medicine, and surveying. Toward that end, it contained a small magnetic card reader and recorder. Users who had worked out a series of commands they wished to reuse could save the program to a magnetic card. The cards are 7.2 cm. w. x 1.1 cm. d. and made out of mylar coated with a layer of ferric oxide. Programs could have up to one hundred steps. A variety of prewritten programs were available for purchase.
The back of the calculator has an outlet for a power adapter, a battery case, and a sticker that reads in part: HEWLETT-PACKARD HP-65 USER AIDS. A sticker below this one reads: HEWLETT•PACKARD (/) SER. NO. 1608S 02068. The first four digits of the serial number indicate that the calculator was made in the eighth week (March) of 1976. The S signifies manufacture in Singapore.
The calculator has a battery charger and AC adapter, as well as a battery pack that holds three batteries (the batteries were decaying and discarded). A transparent plastic box labeled “STANDARD PAC” contains forty magnetic cards. Nineteen of these are fixed programming cards, one is for cleaning, and the remaining cards for programs by the user. The spiral-bound HP-65 Quick Reference Guide is copyrighted 1974. Also part of the object is a metal security cradle that can be taped or screwed to a desk or other stand. It also could be held via a security cord. The calculator cord (and the security cord, if it was used) were set in holes in the back of cradle and the cradle then locked with a key, making theft more difficult. The cradle is in a box with screws, tape, the security cord, and paper instructions.
The HP-65 sold for $795.
References:
Chung C. Tung, “The ‘Personal Computer’: A Fully Programmable Pocket Calculator,” Hewlett-Packard Journal, May 1974, pp. 2–7. Further articles in this issue of the journal discuss other aspects of the HP-65 calculator.
W.A.C. Mier-Jedrzejowicz, A Guide to HP Handheld Calculators and Computers , Tustin, California: Wilson/Burnett Publishing, 1997, pp. 42–44, 132.
David G. Hicks, The Museum of HP Calculators, http://www.hpmuseum.org/, accessed July, 2014.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Hewlett-Packard Company
ID Number
2011.0023.01
accession number
2011.0023
catalog number
2011.0023.01
In addition to selling calculators under the Novus name, National Semiconductor Company sold models with the same capabilities but somewhat different styling under its own name.
Description
In addition to selling calculators under the Novus name, National Semiconductor Company sold models with the same capabilities but somewhat different styling under its own name. This handheld electronic calculator has the same capabilities as the Novus Mathematician.
The calculator has a black plastic case, thirty-two rectangular plastic keys, and a plastic display cover. The function of the keys is written on the keyboard rather than being marked on the keys themselves.
At the bottom of the keyboard are ten digit keys, a decimal point key, and a clear key. To the right of these is a column of four arithmetic function keys. Depressing the F key in the upper left corner of the keyboard allows two of these keys to be used as memory keys, another for entering degrees, and the fourth for entering radians.
Above these keys are an enter key and a variety of function keys, some of which also can assume more than one function. These include two memory keys, a change sign key, a pi key, a square root / square key, a log key, an exchange key, a power key, an exponent key, a natural log key, an inverse key, and keys for trigonometric and inverse trigonometric functions. A mark above the keyboard reads: Mathematician.
Problems are entered into the Mathematician using reverse Polish notation.
Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit red LED display. It has no provision for displaying results in scientific notation. A mark above the display reads: National Semiconductor. The jack for a power adapter is along the back edge and a power switch is on the left edge.
A battery compartment opens on the back of the calculator. A faint mark molded into the plastic near the top of the back reads: MADE IN MALAYSIA (/) P641. This particular example lacks both a cover for the battery compartment and any stickers identifying the model and serial number.
Compare the Novus Mathematician (1986.0988.277) and the HP-21 (1987.0435.08).
Reference:
[Advertisement], Steubenville [Ohio] Herald-Star, September 7, 1977, p. 11. National Semiconductor Mathematician is on sale for $13.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975-1977
maker
National Semiconductor Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.232
catalog number
1986.0988.232
accession number
1986.0988
This is an example of a scientific calculator introduced by Texas Instruments in 1975 that offered many of the capabilities of the SR-16 calculator at a lower cost.
Description
This is an example of a scientific calculator introduced by Texas Instruments in 1975 that offered many of the capabilities of the SR-16 calculator at a lower cost. The handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case with an array of thirty-one small rectangular plastic keys. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a change sign key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear display key, and a clear key, the calculator has twelve further function keys. These are for powers, reciprocals, square roots, squares, logs to the base 10, storage, recall, summation, exponents, natural logarithms, entering exponents, and pi. The meaning of the keys is indicated on the keyboard, not on the keys themselves. Text on the keyboard, above the keys and to the right, reads: SR-16 II. Behind the keyboard is a twelve-digit LED display that shows eight-digit positive and negative numbers and two-digit positive and negative exponents. A mark below the display reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS. The on/off switch is right and slightly above this mark.
The calculator has a jack for a recharger/adapter along the back edge. A sticker on the back gives instructions. It also gives the serial number SR-16 II 180524. It also reads: ASSEMBLED IN USA. Above the sticker is a compartment for three batteries. A mark below the sticker reads: LTA4375.
Unscrewing four screws on the back reveals the workings of the calculator. It has a total of three chips. The largest of these is marked TMS1016NL (/) KAΔ7543. This is a TMS1016 chip, manufactured in late 1975.
The calculator comes in a dark brown plastic zippered case with belt loop.
References:
[Advertisement], New York Times, May 5, 1976, p. 10. Gives a sale price of $29.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, October 19, 1975, p. A7. Gives price of $44.95.
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 153.
Online Datamath Museum.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1975
maker
Texas Instruments
ID Number
1986.0988.352
catalog number
1986.0988.353
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and dark brown and tan plastic case and an array of twenty-five square plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a metal and dark brown and tan plastic case and an array of twenty-five square plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys. In addition the instrument has a change sign key, an exchange key, a square root key, a percentage key, and a clear entry/clear key. Above these is the on/off switch. Behind is an eight-digit red LED display. A mark at the back reads: Unisonic 1540L.
A jack for a power adapter is along the back edge. At the top of the back is a compartment for two AA batteries. A sticker inside it reads: 59545. A sticker near the base of the back reads in part: Remove batteries if unit unlikely (/) to be used for more than 7 days. (/) Made in Hong Kong.
References:
[Advertisement], Ludington [Michigan] Daily News, August 29, 1977, p. 18. Unisonic 1540L on sale for $8.88, regularly $11.59.
[Advertisement], Grand Prairie [Texas] Daily News, August 11, 1977, p. 14. Unisonic 1540L on sale for $8.88, regularly $11.59.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1977
maker
Unisonic
ID Number
1986.0988.294
catalog number
1986.0988.294
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld electronic calculator has a black and white plastic case and an array of twenty rounded rectangular plastic keys.
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a black and white plastic case and an array of twenty rounded rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a % key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear key, a clear entry key, a square root key, and a total key. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit purple LED display that seems to have a ninth character space. The on/off switch is behind the display on the right. A tag left of this reads: SHARP ELSI MATE (/) EL-104.
At the top of the back is a compartment for a nine-volt battery. Text below this reads: ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) EL-104. Further text reads: SHARP CORPORATION (/) MADE IN JAPAN BM. A paper sticker below the mark gives a list of U.S., Canadian, Swedish and Australian patents protecting the device. The latest American patent is 3621219, issued in 1971 and initially assigned to Hayakawa.
The calculator has a leather or imitation leather carrying case with a metal snap and plastic edging. This case also has a hook so that it could be worn over a belt.
Compare 1986.0988.133 (Sharp Elsimate EL-206).
References:
The online MyCalc database dates this calculator to about 1976. The online Calculator.org database dates it to 1976. No advertisements found.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1976
maker
Sharp Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.315
catalog number
1986.0988.315
accession number
1986.0988
This handheld electronic calculator has a white plastic case with twenty square plastic keys with depressions (of the Klixon type).
Description
This handheld electronic calculator has a white plastic case with twenty square plastic keys with depressions (of the Klixon type). The keys include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a memory key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, a square root key, a clear key, and a clear entry key. The memory key may serve for storage or accumulation. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit red LED display. The on/off switch is right of it. A power jack is on the back edge. A tag on the front reads: Summit.
A tag on the back of the calculator gives operating instructions. It reads in part: SUMMIT INTERNATIONAL CORP. (/) Serial No. 1716 SQR 16M (/) Salt Lake City, Utah Manufactured by NCE NUCLEAR (/) made in U.S.A.
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, June 21, 1973, p. N_A13. This calculator advertised as selling regularly for $199.95, on sale for $129.88.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, September 11, 1973, p. C5. The calculator is given as having a list price of $129.95 and a sale price of $99.88.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, February 7, 1974, p. A2. Calculator is advertised as having a list price of $129.95 and a sale price of $75.88.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
1973-1974
maker
Summit International Corporation
ID Number
1986.0988.280
catalog number
1986.0988.280
accession number
1986.0988
Walt Disney’s cartoon character Mickey Mouse has appeared on American consumer goods ranging from yo-yos to lunch boxes to watches to handheld electronic calculators.
Description
Walt Disney’s cartoon character Mickey Mouse has appeared on American consumer goods ranging from yo-yos to lunch boxes to watches to handheld electronic calculators. This device can be used either to do calculations or, in quiz mode, as an educational game.
It has a bright yellow plastic case with a black and white plastic cutout of Mickey Mouse on the cover. Mickey Mouse holds a sheet that reads: MICKEY (/) MOUSE’S (/) SCHOOL (/) BOOK. Opening the latch reveals a calculator with eighteen rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a clear key, four arithmetic function keys, a longer bar marked “?”, and a total key. Below these keys is a switch that may be set either at “Calc” or “Quiz.” Next to this switch is the on/off switch.
Behind the keyboard is a green fluorescent display. Above this is a green light marked “Right” and a red one marked “Wrong;” above this is a plastic cutout of the face of Mickey Mouse. A space at the top of the calculator would hold two batteries. It presently has no batteries and the cover is missing. A jack for a power adapter is on the top edge.
Next to the calculator is a space that could hold a ruler. This example has no ruler. The inside of the lid of the case – right of the calculator when it is open – hold a pad of paper with odd numbers jotted on it. A sticker below the paper on the inside of the lid reads: IN ORDER TO REFILL PAD, PLEASE NOTE, (/) PAD SIZE TO FIT INTO YOUR MICKEY MOUSE (/) NOTE BOOK WOULD BE (89x149x6m/m SIZE) (/) 007577.
The back of the case has another image of Mickey Mouse. A mark in the molded plastic near the bottom reads: MADE IN TAIWAN.
The calculator dates from between 1974, when inexpensive electronic calculators became common, and 1986, when it was given to the Smithsonian. Hence a rough date of 1980. No specific printed references to this calculator found. It resembles some Unisonic calculators.
References:
Ted Hake, Hake’s Price Guide to Character Toys, New York: Avon Books,1998, pp. 444–455.
Michael Stern, Stern’s Guide to Disney Collectibles, Paducah, N.Y.: Collector Books, 1989, pp. 10–55. This includes only materials from 1928-1938.
Location
Currently not on view
date made
ca 1980
ID Number
1986.0988.340
catalog number
1986.0988.340
accession number
1986.0988

Our collection database is a work in progress. We may update this record based on further research and review. Learn more about our approach to sharing our collection online.

If you would like to know how you can use content on this page, see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use. If you need to request an image for publication or other use, please visit Rights and Reproductions.