This chunky handheld electronic calculator has a white plastic case with a black keyboard, twenty-five black and white square plastic keys, and a display with what appear to be nine separate cylindrical tubes. In addition to ten digit keys, it has a decimal point key, a change sign key, four arithmetic function keys, a cancel key, two memory keys, and a total key. A jack for a power adapter is along the top edge. The on/off switch is on the right edge.
The back of the calculator has a battery compartment at the top that would hold four 1.5V batteries. A sticker on the compartment cover reads: MINIPET (/) MODEL V-2 (/) RATING 6VDC 0.6W (/) ASSEMBLED IN U.S.A.
A second, lengthier sticker below this one is entitled: CALCULATOR OPERATION INSTRUCTION.
Reference:
[Advertisement], Washington Post, November 1, 1973, p. A21. Advertises a Minipet desktop calculator using “the same MOS LSI advanced circuitry as the famous Sharp Model 8M.” The device shown is not this calculator.
This handheld electronic calculator has a black plastic case and an array of nineteen rectangular plastic keys on a metallic-colored keyboard. It has ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear/clear entry key, a memory key, and a percentage key. The on/off switch is at the far right on the top row of keys. Text behind the keyboard reads: Unisonic 940. Behind this is an eight-digit green vacuum fluorescent display.
A jack for a power supply is on the right side.
A compartment for three AAA batteries is on the back. A sticker above this gives calculation examples. Text here reads in part: 940. It also reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 001412 (/) MADE IN JAPAN.
Ball and Flamm give a 1978 price of $10.97 for this calculator.
Compare the Unisonic 940A (1986.0988.320).
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 168.
The case of this handheld electronic calculator has a metal front and a plastic back. It has twenty-two indented plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, a clear key, a square root key, a % key, a change sign key, and two memory keys. An on/off switch is on the keyboard right of the two top keys. Behind this is an eight-digit green fluorescent display. A tag behind this reads: SANYO. A jack for a power adapter is on the back edge.
The back has a compartment for two AA batteries. Text molded in the case reads in part: SANYO CX-8132 OPERATION EXAMPLES. It also reads in part: INPUT: DC 3V (Two AA size batteries) (/) or DC 2.8 V (AC adaptor CU-20) (/) POWER: 0.3W (/) SANYO ELECTRIC CO. LTD. BM. A sticker below this reads: NO. 04900856 T (/) DAN MILLS. Text molded in the case below reads: MADE IN JAPAN.
References:
No advertisements found. The website calculator.org dates this calculator to 1975. The website epocalc.net dates the calculator to 1978.
This handheld electronic calculator has a black and white plastic case and an array of twenty-two square plastic keys. The keys are colored red, white, and blue, on a larger black base. They include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, four memory keys, a percentage key and a clear key. Left of the top two keys is an on/off switch. Behind this is an eight-digit green vacuum fluorescent display. A mark behind this reads: UNITREX (/) 901M.
An opening for a power jack is along the back edge.
A compartment at the top of the back of the calculator holds two AA batteries. A sticker below this reads in part: UNITREX (/) electronic calculator. It also reads in part: MADE IN KOREA (/) UNITREX OF U.S.A. (/) SER. NO. 5716157.
Reference:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, August 29, 1976, p. S_A6. Unitrex 901M on sale for $12.95.
The TI-1766 was the first solar-powered calculator sold by Texas Instruments. The handheld electronic calculator has a silver-colored metal case and twenty-five rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, four memory keys, an all clear key, a square root key, a percentage key, a change sign key, and a clear entry/clear key. A mark below the keys reads: LIGHT POWERED. Behind the keys is a solar cell. A mark behind this reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS TI-1766. Behind this is an eight-digit LCD display.
A sticker on the back of the case reads: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (/) electronic calculator (/) SOLAR AND LIGHT POWER (/) SERIAL NO. 118063 (/) 093 (/) MADE IN JAPAN. Unscrewing the back of the calculator reveals only the back of the chip and the back of the circuit board.
The calculator has a gray plastic jacket, marked on the back: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS.
According to the online Datamath Museum, Texas Instruments began selling the TI-1766 in 1981, using a Toshiba chip. A second design appeared the next year and a third in 1983. This calculator does not precisely match any of these designs—the model number is just below the display, not below the keys. It resembles a machine shown in advertisements from 1985 and 1986. The calculator came to the museum in 1987.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, November 28, 1985, p. Z11. Regular price $9.95, sale price $6.97.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, January 2, 1986, p. B10. The calculator had a regular price of $6.95 and a sale price of $5.90.
This hefty handheld electronic calculator has a metal case and eighteen indented square plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear display key (CK), a clear all key (CA), and an arrow key pushed to show digits not indicated on the display (the display shows eight digits in the result, but calculations are to sixteen digits). The addition and subtraction keys also serve as total /difference keys.
The keyboard also has a switch that may be set at 0, 2, or 4 to indicate the placement of the decimal point. A mark below it reads: DECIMAL P. Behind the keyboard is a light that indicates when the battery is low. A tag next to it reads: SANYO. Behind this is the eight-digit gas discharge display. An on/off switch is on the right side and a jack for a power adapter at the back edge.
A tag on the back of the calculator reads: SANYO MODEL ICC-807D (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR (/) INPUT DC 7.5 V (/) DC 7.5V, DC 2.5W (/) SERIAL NO. 77123492 T (/) SANYO ELECTRIC CO., LTD. MADE IN JAPAN.
Compare 1986.0988.177.
References:
A manual is online at the wass.net website, accessed October 9, 2014.
The calculator.org website dates this calculator to 1972-1973. The epocalc.net website dates it to 1971. No advertisements found.
This handheld electronic calculator has a plastic case with metal keyboard and twenty-four rounded rectangular plastic keys. These include an array of ten white digit keys and five black keys for the four arithmetic operations and percentage. Decimal point, exchange, clear entry/clear, equals, four memory functions, and D (display) keys are red. A red LED display for eight digits and a decimal point is behind the keys and a battery compartment at the top. A mark above the display reads: MONTGOMERY (/) WARD P201. A power jack is along the back edge.
A silver-colored paper tag on the back gives operating instructions. It reads at the top: MONTGOMERY (/) WARD. It also reads near there: P201 MEMORY CALCULATOR (/) OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS. It reads near the bottom: DAN-8659A (/) Model No. It also reads there: 47X-47654 (/) Serial No. The bottom of this tag reads: Assembled in U.S.A.
Compare the APF Mark 25 (1986.0988.165).
The calculator was made for Montgomery Ward by APF Electronics.
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 102.
Online Datamath Calculator Museum, accessed August 29, 2014.
This handheld electronic calculator has twenty-four indented square plastic keys. These include ten white digit keys and an eleventh white decimal point key; and keys for the four arithmetic functions as well as percentage, square root, clear entry/clear, and equals keys. Five orange memory keys are in the rightmost column. The on/off switch is above these keys on the left, and the nine-digit fluorescent display is behind this. A mark below the display reads: aPF rechargeable MARK 65r. The hole for the recharger/adapter is on the top edge.
The black plastic case has two rubber feet at the top. A silver-colored paper sticker below this reads: aPF ELECTRONICS, INC. (/) MODEL NO. MARK 65r (/) D.C. 4.5 VOLTS (/) CAUTION. Use only A.C. adaptor/recharger (/) model 751S to operate on A.C. (/) SERIAL NO. H65r-024822 (/) 7545.005 HONG KONG. Below this is the cover for the sealed battery case. A black paper sticker on this reads: THIS UNIT IS EQUIPPED WITH (/) RECHARGEABLE NICAD BATTERIES. (/) BATTERY COVER IS SEALED. (/) DO NOT ATTEMPT TO OPEN.
Ball and Flamm mention a 1977 advertisement for this calculator which gave a price of $18.95.
Compare the Sears F85 (1986.0988.182).
Reference:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector's Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 30.
The calculator manufacturer Unicom was started by integrated circuit manufacturer American Microsystems, Inc., and purchased by Rockwell International in 1972. Rockwell would soon begin to sell calculators under its own name.
This handheld electronic calculator is designed for scientific as well as arithmetic calculations. It has a tan plastic case and an array of twenty sloping square plastic keys. Symbols on the keys are for ten digits, a decimal point, four arithmetic functions, total, change sign, transfer, and clear. A twentieth key is marked F. Pushing it changes the meaning of the other keys to a function denoted above the key. The keys will then allow one to evaluate logarithms, exponents, powers, trigonometric functions, inverses, pi, and inverse trigonometric functions. Five keys serve various memory functions.
The on/off switch is above the keyboard on the left. A switch on the right above the keyboard allows for entries of angles in degrees or radians.
Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit vacuum fluorescent display. A jack for a battery charger is along the back edge.
A compartment at the bottom of the back of the calculator holds four AA batteries. A sticker above it reads: 202 SLIDE RULE (/) Rechargeable NI-Cad Batteries. Use Unicom NI-Cad bat- (/) tery charger to recharge. Allow 7 hours for full charge. (/) Do NOT use battery charger with NI-CAD batteries re- (/) moved. Disposable Batteries: Use 4 AA alkaline batteries. Do NOT use battery charger with disposable batteries. (/) Unicom Systems (/) Rockwell International 192609-50 (/) UNICOM SYSTEMS, SUNNYDALE, CALIFORNIA 94086 (/) ASSEMBLED IN MEXICO.
The calculator has a brown carrying case that has been cut so that it might be worn on a belt.
References:
[Advertisement], Los Angeles Times, November 13, 1973, p. C6. Scientific calculator for under $200 – cost $195.00.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, September 10, 1974, p. A9. Calculator advertised as on sale for $119.88.
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, March 11, 1975, p. 6. Calculator advertised as having regular price of $109.95, sale price of $79.88.
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, pp. 165–166.
This machine-embroidered cloth arm patch was worn around 1944 by a US Navy Specialist I, Third Class. Navy Specialist is a rating that refers to an enlisted sailor's job specialty and the letter I inside the diamond indicates that the sailor who wore this patch had been trained to be a machine operator for a punch-card accounting machine, an electric accounting machine, or a tabulating machine. The single red chevron below the diamond indicates that the specialist's rate, or pay grade, was equivalent to that of a Petty Officer Third Class.
Grace Murray Hopper (1906-1992), a mathematician who became a naval officer and computer scientist during World War II, donated this patch to the Smithsonian. Hopper joined the U.S. Naval Reserves in December 1943. From July 1944 she worked with the Navy’s Computation Project at Harvard University’s Cruft Laboratory writing computer code for the Mark I computer, formally known as the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator.
Similar patches (with white background) are shown on World War II images of specialists working on the Computation Project. Hopper herself had been commissioned a lieutenant (junior grade) before she was assigned to the project, so she would not have worn this patch.
This handheld electronic calculator is on a key chain. It has a gold-colored metal case with an array of twenty-five metal keys and a metal chain. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, and four memory keys, it has a square root key, a percentage key, a clear entry key, an on/clear key, and an off key. A mark above the keys reads: ZYKKOR LC-244. Behind this is an eight-digit LCD display.
Zykkor was a Japanese manufacturer of optical lenses and other photographic products. In the 1980s it distributed a wide variety of electronic products.
A mark on the back reads: MADE IN TAIWAN R.O.C. (/) FABRIQUE A TAIWAN R.D.C.
The calculator.org website gives a date of introduction of 1985 for this calculator.
References:
Calculator.org website, accessed July 8, 2015.
[Advertisement], New York Times, January 29, 1985, p. A7. Zykkor LC-220 (a different model calculator) advertised as on sale for $3.95.
This Corona Standard typewriter was produced by L.C. Smith & Corona Typewriters Incorporated of Syracuse, New York around 1935. This typewriter has an interesting variation on the standard QWERTY keyboard, as each key has an image of an animal, along with the alphabetical character. This special keyboard was available on three different models of Corona’s —the Silent, the Sterling, and the Standard—for a $2.25 charge. The keyboard was designed to help teach children how to type, and came with a set of nine rings, four on each hand and one on the thumb. Each ring had the image of an animal that corresponded with an animal on the key—you hit the bear with the finger that had the bear ring, the rabbit with the finger that bore the rabbit ring, the spacebar with the thumb that bore the elephant ring, etc. This typewriter is rare, as the Great Depression made an extra fee for a child’s keyboard difficult for many families to afford.
The success of the Standard Typewriter Company’s Corona model typewriter prompted the company to change its named to the Corona Typewriting Company in 1914. In 1926 the company joined with the L. C. Smith & Brothers Typewriting company to become Smith Corona. Smith Corona manufactured typewriters and typewriter accessories throughout the 20th century, becoming Smith Corona Marchant in 1958. After two bankruptcies, Smith Corona returned to operation in 2010 as a thermal paper manufacturing company.
This control panel is a small part of a very large programmable calculator built by Bell Telephone Laboratories of New York for the U.S. Army. By the mid-twentieth century, improving communications required complicated calculations. In order to improve the clarity and range of long distance voice signals, George Stibitz, a research mathematician at Bell Labs, needed to do calculations using complex numbers. Stibitz and Bell Labs engineer Sam Williams completed a machine for this purpose in 1939–it later was called the Bell Labs Model I. With the outbreak of World War II, Stibitz and Bell Labs turned their attention to calculations related to the aiming and firing of antiaircraft guns. Stibitz proposed a new series of relay calculators that could be programmed by paper tape to do more than one kind of calculation. The BTL Model 5 was the result. The machine consisted of 27 standard telephone relay racks and assorted other equipment. It had over 9000 relays, a memory capacity of 30 7-digit decimal numbers, and took about a second to multiply 2 numbers together. Two copies of the machine were built. This one was used by the U.S. Army for ballistics work at Aberdeen, Maryland and then at Fort Bliss, Texas. Machines that used relays were reliable, but slower than those using vacuum tubes, and soon gave way to electronic computers.
This handheld electronic calculator has a brown plastic case and eighteen rectangular plastic keys. In addition to ten digit keys and a decimal point key, it has a clear entry/clear key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, and a percentage key. On the left on the brown and off-white keyboard is an on/off switch. Text above it reads: National (/) Semiconductor 850A. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LED display.
A compartment for a battery opens on the top of the back. A mark in molded plastic on the bottom of the back reads: MADE IN HONG KONG.
A jack for a power adapter is on the left side.
Compare 1986.0988.306 (a Novus 850) with 1986.0988.305 (a National Semiconductor 850A).
Ball and Flamm, as well as a contemporary advertisement, mention the National Semiconductor 850A as on sale in 1978.
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, pp. 103–105. They give a 1978 price of $5.89.
[Advertisement], Kokomo Tribune, August 13, 1978, p. 3. A National Semiconductor 850A calculator mentioned as a giveaway for a sufficiently large bank deposit.
This handheld electronic calculator has an off-white plastic case and an array of nineteen rectangular plastic keys. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, four arithmetic function keys, a total key, a percentage key, a clear entry key, and a clear key. Above the keyboard on the right is the on/off switch. A mark next to it reads: UNITREX (/) mini 8.
Behind these is an eight-digit red LED display. A jack for a power adapter is along the back edge.
The back has a compartment for a nine-volt battery. A mark on the back of the cover of this compartment reads: A57K11831. Text impressed into the calculator at the base of the back reads: UNITREX mini 8 (/) EIKO BUSINESS MACHINE CO. LTD. (/) DC 9V 0.5W (/) MADE IN JAPAN.
The case is very similar to the Unitrex Mini Handy 80R (1986.0988.018).
References:
[Advertisement], Atlanta Constitution, December 19, 1974, p. 27A. Unitrex Mini 8 selling for $19.95.
[Advertisement], Boston Globe , August 7, 1975, p. 28. Unitrex Mini 8 selling for $15.95, regularly $19.95.
[Advertisement], Washington Post, August 25, 1977, p. D6. Unitrex Mini 8 offered in clearance sale for $4.99. Sold previous year for $7.95.
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 9132 (/) 7801.
The Bowmar Instrument Corporation was established in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in 1951 by Edward A. White, an engineer who had attended Tufts University. The firm came to sell solid-state light emitting diodes, but was unable to persuade Japanese calculator companies to use them in calculator displays. This prompted Bowmar to enter the calculator business in 1971. This is a relatively early Bowmar calculator.
This handheld electronic calculator has a plastic case colored tan and brown with a plastic display window and keys. It has an array of nine digit keys above the zero and decimal bars. Four keys for arithmetic functions are right of these. At the top is a constant switch, a clear entry key, a clear key, and an on/off switch. Behind this is a red eight-digit LED display. A mark at the top reads: BOWMAR.
A plug for a power cord is on the right side. This example lacks a cord.
An "OPERATING OUTLINE" in raised characters on the back of the case gives instructions. A tag at the bottom reads: MODEL 905 Serial (/) NUMBER 118910 (/) BOWMAR/ALI Inc. Acton, Mass. 01720 U.S.A. (/) Made in U.S.A.
Four screws hold the back of the case to the front. Removing these reveals one small and two large circuit boards. A mark inside the case near the top reads: E905-010.The same mark is on the inside bottom of the case. A mark on the upper circuit board reads: D905-300. A space for a battery or battery pack is empty. The calculator has no separate battery compartment.
A different form of the Bowmar 905, with a percentage key rather than a constant switch, was advertised in the Washington Post in 1973. A January 28, 1973 advertisement gives a price of $99.99. The ad, which included several electronic calculators, was entitled "if you're still using your head, you're not using your head."
References:
Robert Metz, "Market Place: Keeping Figures in Your Pockets," New York Times, May 27, 1972, p. 36.
Washington Post, January 28, 1973, p. K10.
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector's Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, pp. 35–36.
This is a version of the Datamath calculator (the TI-2500) produced by Texas Instruments for sale by Longines Symphonette. Longines Symphonette was a subsidiary of the Longines-Wittnauer Watch Company that began sponsoring radio concerts on three large American networks in the 1940s. In about 1960 they began selling tapes, records, radios, and recording equipment as well as watches. By 1970 sales in watches had dwindled to less than half of total sales. Longines also worked with Texas Instruments on the development of digital watches.
The handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case with a dark brown keyboard. It has an array of eighteen keys, sixteen of them square and two rectangular. These include ten digit keys, a decimal point key, a total key, four arithmetic function keys, a clear entry key, and a clear key. A switch at the right in the top row of keys may be set at “CHAIN” or “CONST.” A mark above this switch reads: Longines Symphonette. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit LED display.
A jack for a power outlet is along the back edge. An on/off switch is on the left side. A sticker on the back reads: Longines Symphonette (/) electronic calculator (/) A Product of Texas Instruments Incorporated. It also reads in part: Serial Number (/) D1000 37880. The sticker indicates that the calculator had a built-in battery that gave four to six hours of portable operation and fully recharged in ten hours. There is no easy access to the batteries.
Unscrewing three long screws on the back of the case allows one to remove the back. The inside has five chips. The largest reads: TMS0119NC (/) 7325. This is a TMS0119 chip, manufactured in the 25th week of 1973. A mark on the circuit board reads: CAL30367H (/) MADE IN U.S.A. There is space for four soldered batteries.
The instrument has a black plastic zippered carrying case.
This appears to be the same design as the second version of the TI-2500, introduced in February 1973 (see especially 1986.0988.188 as well as 1986.0988.189, 1986.0988.190, and 1986.0988.342).
References:
Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, p. 157.
Online Datamath Museum, accessed May 15, 2015.
Isadore Barmash, “Longines Is Ticking With Taped Tunes,” New York Times, September 8, 1970, p. 59, 62.
This handheld electronic calculator has a cream-colored plastic case that is gray around the display. The keyboard includes ten digit keys, a decimal point key, four keys for arithmetic functions, a percentage key, clear and clear indicator (e.g. clear entry) keys, a graph printout key, a non-add key that prints figures not affecting calculations, a square root key, three keys relating to memory, and a total key. Behind the keys are four switches, as well as an all clear key depressed with a pen point after battery replacement.
Behind this is an eight-digit display. A mark above the display reads: Canon TP-7 (/) POCKET PRINTER. Behind the display is a narrow paper tape
Text on the back of the case reads: Canon TP-7 (/) BM. It also reads: CANON INC. It also reads: NO. 056273 JAPAN. A compartment for a bank of four AA batteries is at the bottom of the case. A socket for an AC adapter is along the top edge.
The calculator is stored in a cardboard box with an instruction pamphlet labeled: Canon (/) POCKET PRINTER TP-7. Instructions are given in English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish. Also in the box is a warranty. A number on the back of the instructions reads: 0983B103.
Also received as part of the object is a box of thermal roll paper for Canon calculators. It contains five rolls of paper.
This handheld electronic calculator has a tan plastic case and twenty-four rectangular plastic keys. The ten digit keys and the decimal point key are brown. The total key, four arithmetic function keys, inverse key, exchange key, percentage key, and four memory keys are lighter brown. The clear key is orange. Behind the keyboard is an eight-digit red LED display. The on/off switch and the socket for a power adapter are along the top edge.
A battery pack at the base of the back of the calculator would hold four batteries. A tag above the battery compartment reads in part: CORVUS 415 (/) ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR. It also reads: SERIAL NO. (/) 415-100759. It also reads: POWER 8VDC 100 mA 115 (/) VAC with adaptor. (/) CAUTION Attempted repair (/) by unauthorized persons will (/) void warranty. (/) corvus (/) [. . .] EXAS
Four screws hold the back of the calculator to the front. Taking off the back reveals two circuits, one of green plastic and the other (directly under the keys) apparently of glass. A mark on the smaller board reads: corvus. Another mark reads: 1700135B. The chip is not visible. Founded in 1969 as a spinoff of Texas Instruments, Mostek Corporation became a leading manufacturer of semiconductors. Some of its first products were chips used by the Japanese firm of Busicom in desktop electronic calculators. In 1970 Busicom introduced such a calculator that used only a single Mostek chip. Mostek became one of the world’s leading manufacturers of metal oxide semiconductor read-only memories, before being acquired by United Technologies in 1979.
For a brief time in the 1970s Mostek also sold electronic calculators through a subsidiary, Corvus Corporation of Dallas, Texas. According to trademark registration for Corvus, the term was first used in commerce referring to an electronic digital calculator in 1973. The latest Corvus calculator in the collections dates from about 1976.
References:
[Advertisement], Chicago Tribune, October 1, 1974, p. 6. Several Corvus calculators advertised. The Corvus 415, regularly $89.95, is advertised as on sale for $59.88.
Manual at http://www.wass.net/manuals/Corvus%20415.pdf, accessed June 13, 2014.