Your First Calculator?  (It may not have been digital!) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:05:37 pm
content: My first calculator was digital, though I did try to use my Dad's college slide rule before that. This is my Novus MathBox digital calculator. It runs on a 9v battery and has a single potted die chip and lensed LED display with a fixed decimal point (for monetary calculation). It was a gift from my Grandparents for Xmas 1978, and it contains so few transistors that it does not even have debouncing - which always made keying in a bit problematic. Also, because of the limited number of registers the sequence for entering an equation is odd. It is like this...FOR 5x6 the sequence is:5, ENTER, 6, ENTER, XBut the biggest thing in 1978 was being able to impress other kids by typing words on the calculator upside down.

author: kfitch42
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:22:14 pm
content: Quote from: Frantone on April 22, 2013, 02:05:37 pmReverse Polish Notation!! Yay! I love my HP 48GX. It wasn't my first calculator (got it for calculus in high school), but, by far, my favorite. My 7 year old son even loves playing on it.

author: jmole
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:29:33 pm
content: RPN is the best. Love my HP 50G.

author: ecat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:40:13 pm
content: My very first calculatorImage From:http://www.photocalcul.com/Calcul/Regles/Autres/photo_Kingson.htmla gift from an aunt though I have no idea how it came into her hands.IIRC the bar you see at the left was the 'Clear All' function, pull it and all the numbers reset, lol.Several years laterImage From:http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/scientific___giant_scientific.htmlwhich I half built from a kit, I left the oh so fragile main chip to the soldering skills of my dad.

author: Prizmatic
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:41:11 pm
content: Texas Instruments TI-58 battery guzzler.

author: olsenn
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:50:13 pm
content: First was probably some cheap Casio basic calculator, but my first GOOD calculator was the TI-86. It is still my favourite!

author: poodyp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:53:04 pm
content: My first calculator was an abacus.

author: PaulAm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:55:12 pm
content: My first calculator was a slide rule :-) I guess that dates me.I bought a clone of one of the early HPs that was so bad I had to return it. As I recall the firmware for the trig functions gave wrong answers. I ended up with an HP25, which I still have although it needs a battery pack.I ended up with an HP16c which I still use to this day. Although you could get come calculators with hex or octal, this was the only computer science oriented calculator made. Shift, logical, floating point operations, oct/dec/hex/bin conversions. Really neat; they're still pricey if you can find one.Along the way, I picked up this beauty, the first programmable electronic desk calculator, an HP9100a. This is all discrete, not a single IC in it and the memory is magnetic core. The firmware is in a diode ROM. The display is a CRT and yes, it uses RPN. This started HP in the calculator business.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 03:10:48 pm
content: I suppose my first calculating aid was log tables and later a slide rule. I still have a slide rule.I used to use talcum powder on the slide rule to make it run smoother.Then in our school electronics club we got hold of some basic calculator boards (i.e. processor and display but no key pad) and used a pcb board and a wired needle (to prevent bounce)for the key pad.It was amazing when I first managed to afford a Casio scientific calculator. I used to look at HP calculators when they were demonstrated in shops but they were well out of my league!My first HP calculator was the 48x which sadly developed a column of missing pixels in the LCD display. It was far nicer than the modern HP calculators with their cheap keyboards, though I now have an HP 35s and I like it much more than the top of the range model I bought to replace the 48x and which now sits in a drawer unused.

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 03:18:47 pm
content: Quote from: ecat on April 22, 2013, 02:40:13 pmI remember those - I think I even had one.I used to live in Hong Kong as a child and it was amazing how fast shop-keepers with abacuses (or perhaps its abaci) could add totals.

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 03:25:29 pm
content: Here is my Dad's Dietzen slide rule, with original manual and leather case. It was the first calculating device I ever 'tried' to use. Analog calculation as accurate as your hand is steady!

author: Joules
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 03:29:52 pm
content: I wish I had a photo of it, but when I was 7 my Dad worked for an oil research outfit and we lived in Singapore in the early 70's. On the times he'd be working out of the Singapore office/warehouse I would go along and be given old equipment to take apart as it kept me quiet and in one place whilst Dad worked. One of the machines I spent alot of time on was a mechanical calculator, my skills at disassembly then consisted of screw drivers and hammer.... Some would say I haven't come much further in 40+ yrsHappy timesJoules

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 09:57:24 pm
content: Quote from: ecat on April 22, 2013, 02:40:13 pmThis is awesome! It really IS a pocket calculator! And with a stylus yet. Someone should repackage a version of this design as a knockoff iPhone.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 10:11:42 pm
content: Got a thread on it on the forum taken apart!Radio Shack EC-200

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 10:17:01 pm
content: You geezersmy first calc was a two doller chinese piece of crap. It even screwed up multiplication occasionally. Haha

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 10:36:47 pm
content: I have repaired this one for a museum, also tried to bring two 9100B's back to live but no succes. Both had broken crts and lot of other dammage. At last it gave characters on the replacement crt but they do not make sensehttp://www.pa4tim.nl/?p=3964More picturesMy first was a slide rule, after I can not remember and then a casio fx-8? and a sharp PC-?programmable one.My favourites at the moment:- for beauty, my HP-35http://www.pa4tim.nl/?p=3866and some slide rules- for easy use, my HP-15C limmited edition and HP-35s- most used, my HP-48G- for fun, Casio FX-880P and FX-790P- just in case: 2x FX-115ms

author: ecat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 10:58:54 pm
content: I love those HPs with the baby CRTQuote from: Frantone on April 22, 2013, 09:57:24 pmWith that pointy stylus it would be more of an iPoke

author: Fsck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 11:07:41 pm
content: Technically, an abacus. my parents taught me while I was in elementary school.Before you old geezers think I'm older than you, I was born in '90.

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 12:34:22 am
content: My second calculator was (and is) a Texas Instruments TI-35 Galaxy Solar with a hard shell case. Still works great!

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 12:52:12 am
content: Here's my first and current calculator.(Couldn't find one of them so just used online images of the same model)

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:01:49 am
content: Quote from: ecat on April 22, 2013, 02:40:13 pmThanks for the photo!!! I was trying to explain to my daughter how my first calculator(s) looked,I had a few like that when I was in grade school, also paper slide rules (circular kind). These calculator were easier to use then an abacus (abacus was my first calculator), but certainly not as fast as abacus for adding. I then had a casio just prior to college (I think it was casio, can't remember the full brand name, just the Ca... part) LED 4 function calculator. In college, it was a good slide rule, HP35, then HP45.I found my slide rule (and misplaced again). Found my HP35 and 45 leather case, but don't know where the calculators are. I sure hope to run into them soon.Rick

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:10:09 am
content: Quote from: Psi on April 23, 2013, 12:52:12 amThat's my current calculator too - very good. Wish I had something cool to say was my first, but I think the first one I ever actually owned was a TI-84, so...

author: warp_foo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:11:32 am
content: I recall getting a cheap calculator when I was younger, but this is the first one I recall owning/using:It's possible I had the Radio Shack copy....Which was replaced by the TI-30 by the time I entered High School in 1978:I haven't used it in a while, but the last calculator I bought was an HP-48G back in 1994:Of course, now I have an HP-48 'app' on my android phone...m

author: perfect_disturbance
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:14:11 am
content: Quote from: smashedProton on April 22, 2013, 10:17:01 pmAgreed I would guess most younger members of the forum had a cheap disposable calculator as their first. Mine was most memorable because it bugged my parents when I would enter the number 7734 and hand it to my siblings. My first calculator I remember fondly was my HP 48g that was one sweet calc.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:16:42 am
content: That 48G is pretty!

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:20:00 am
content: Quote from: warp_foo on April 23, 2013, 02:11:32 amDoes that calc have a blue lens over red LEDs? I once had some mid-70's green lens T1-3/4 case LEDS with red GaAsP diodes in them. It just didn't work!

author: warp_foo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:24:10 am
content: Fran,I'm sure it had a blue lens as the most memorable item for that calculator were the cool 'purple' LEDs.Since non-electronic calculators are also in scope, I used variations of this for years:The ones I used were for KC-130F and R models, but the overall devices were more similar than different.m

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:27:25 am
content: Hey - that'll work just fine! A little fudging for a pound here and there...

author: amspire
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:32:46 am
content: Fran,Thanks for posting the photo of the Kingson calculator. I had one of those and I had almost forgotten about it.This is the first calculator I remember seeing around the house.My father was an accountant, and this Walther WSR-160 from the 1950s was the first calculator I ever used. I just used it to divide 2.0 by 1.41421356 to get 1.414213 with a remainder of 0.00000079867172. This 16 digit accumulator calculator was an upgrade model to the 13 digit Walther Model RMKZ from 1924. The release of new models was a bit slow back then! I never actually saw my father use this calculator - he started as an accountant in 1938 and was trained to add up columns of numbers by just running his finger down the column and add in his head. It probably took him about 10 seconds to add a column of 40 numbers and get the correct total.The slide rule I used in the first year at university (1974) is in front. In 1974, every engineering student had to have a slide rule and a book of log and trig tables, as decent scientific calculators were unaffordable. By 1975 TI and HP released some great affordable calculators and slide rules were totally obsolete - no student used one.My first calculator was a Sinclair Cambridge Scientific kit I got in 1974, and it still works. It was pretty dodgy trying to use it.By the way if the name Walther or the logo is familiar, yes, it is the same company.

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 01:56:43 pm
content: Quote from: amspire on April 23, 2013, 03:32:46 amOh Yea! A new movie franchise is born! Here is the scene as I see it:Barry Pindleton: MI5 Accountant(a dark room and somber dramatic music - a villain stands over a man in a modest business suit)Guard- "We found him sir! All he had on him was this..." (guard drops huge metal calculator on table)Villain- " Ah.... a Walther WSR-160. Only one man I know uses such a calculator...."BP- (slowly looking up to make eye contact with villain) "It's Pindleton. Barry Pindleton. British Secret Service..... Accounts Receivable. "(dramatic theme music - and scene!)

author: Slothie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:38:32 pm
content: I used slide rules in school because calculators where not allowed. But I did save up and get a Commodore 789M in 1978 before going into 6th form:

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:48:39 pm
content: I can't remember what my first calculator was any longer, but I do remember it was a birthday present and it did have a unique feature - auto power off. The auto power-off was in fact so effective, if you actually let it auto power-off, it would not actually turn back on again, ever. Took it back to K-mart for an exchange but the replacement did the same thing. Turned out to be a dud model and I didn't get a replacement after that. Can't remember what I must have then been given as an alternative birthday present. Probably lego.

author: digsys
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 02:59:37 pm
content: Back in the 70's, I contracted for a Business Equipment company to repair their Monroe Nixie Tube calculators (similar to link).Average repair cost $800.00-$1,200.00 (back then) - double layer gull wing hybrid PLCC body ICs were a bugger to remove.HEAVEN was when the slide-rule appeared, log-tables were a drag.

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:24:43 pm
content: This was my first electronic calculatorA VFD display and one of those new fangled LEDS for power on indication.That photo and one of the insides herehttp://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/tealtronic.htmlMy first scientific calculator was a side rule followed byI threw away the Tealtronic, should have kept it. I still have the side rule and SR-51A - both working

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:25:43 pm
content: First was this Otis King, round slide rule, then the Sinclair Scientific, and now a Texas Instruments TI-68 advanced scientific.

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:46:49 pm
content: Mine was anAbacus. If I remember correctly we were using it to kindergarten to learn how to count, and simple math operations. Every child had one.Alexander.

author: ResR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 03:54:12 pm
content: I had a lot of noname chinese garbage when I was in school that always had malfunction in carbon ribbon cable between board and lcd and eventually was taken apart. Currently I have a vintage "W" brand led bubble display calculator that I did a teardown and put back together carefully and it still works.Edit: It does look like Novus 850 but it has only 6 digits.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 04:09:05 pm
content: Casio FX 602P, still have it. Also a few others, HP and TI as well, and an old Olympus calculator.

author: Tepe
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 04:36:23 pm
content: Texas Instruments SR-50. I still have it, but have lost the battery pack.

author: warp_foo
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 10:10:59 pm
content: Quote from: Frantone on April 23, 2013, 01:56:43 pmReminded me of this:http://www.theonion.com/articles/it-wuz-always-bout-tha-numbahs,16650/(If you get offended easily, don't follow the link...)m

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 01:33:44 pm
content: Hey!Their cousins! Identical cousins and you'll find..... well you know the song if your in the USA.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 02:26:11 pm
content: My first calculator was a Sharp with only + - x / and 1 memory. I thought that was all that was needed for anything. Then I got a HP 25 and I was hooked. RPN, programming, scientific funtions. I bought EVERY HP calculator from that to the 48GX that I still use every day. Sorry but I cant stand the HP models that came after the 48GX.

author: kfitch42
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 02:38:29 pm
content: Quote from: Frantone on April 23, 2013, 01:56:43 pmReminded me of this:http://archer.wikia.com/wiki/El_Contador

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 02:47:18 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on April 24, 2013, 02:26:11 pmI love my 35s, but the rest of the recent models have been total crap. Just pathetic, considering how good they used to be.

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 03:04:40 pm
content: I found this really cool website on off-brand pocket calculator manuals with tons of models to choose from. They have the manual for my Novus Calc..... Very fascinating!http://www.wass.net/manuals/

author: JoannaK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 03:06:20 pm
content: My first one was Sinclair Cambridge Programmable (broke real soon), then TI 58C (with battery backed memory for programs)But best of them all.. HP 48SX .. it still works, and it's on my reach even today.. And yes, I do have 48-emulator at my android phone.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 04:23:54 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on April 24, 2013, 02:47:18 pmI think the best was theHP25. Best as in price/performance of the time. I had both HP35 and HP45 then, so I never got the HP25.By the way, I saw a few HP35 photos here; anyone have anHP45picture to post? I like to remember how it looks.

author: robrenz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 05:28:04 pm
content: HP 45

author: iloveelectronics
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 05:32:55 pm
content: Does an abacus count?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AbacusWe had to learn to use one of these in primary school here back in the days. Calculators were only allowed in high school then.

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 07:15:09 pm
content: Yet another of my calculators - This one is my office desk calc, it is a Sears 8D made in Japan in early'70's with AC power and a single tube blue vacuum fluorescent display. Super cool with real clicky keys.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 10:55:36 pm
content: Quote from: robrenz on April 24, 2013, 05:28:04 pmThank you for the photo, Robrenz...

author: Frantone
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2013, 02:47:32 pm
content: Now HERE is a CALCULATOR!A photo of Cal-Tech's breadboarded discrete transistor calculator. Can you feel the registers? I can.

author: GK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 26, 2013, 02:51:46 pm
content: I would love to see a schematic and/or block diagram for that.