Handheld Electronic Calculator Homemade by John B. Priser
date: label: date made
content: 1982
name: label: maker
content: Priser, John B.
notes: label: Description
content: John B. Priser (1918–1997) was an astronomer by profession and a collector of electronic calculators by avocation. He donated much of his collection to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 1986 and 1987. Priser built this model calculator at home in Flagstaff, Arizona, in 1982.
label: Description
content: The calculator has an array of thirty-two round plastic keys and a translucent plastic case with four rubber feet. In addition to ten digit keys, a decimal point key and a pi key, it has four arithmetic function keys, a clear key, a clear entry key, a memory key, and a total key. The row of keys behind these has an EEX key, a change sign key, and two parenthesis keys. Three further rows of function keys typical of scientific calculators are behind these. At the back is a thirteen-place display. What these places indicated is not clear—it seems likely that not all are for digits. The calculator used at least two Mostek chips. A jack for a power adapter is on the back edge.
label: Description
content: A mark on the lower board of the calculator reads: DEVTRONICS (/) MODEL SR 55-1-A.
label: Description
content: A sticker on the front reads: HOMEMADE (/) BY: JOHN B. PRISER (/) FLAGSTAFF, AZ. (/) MAY 1982.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: James Sanders, <I>Hobbies: How Thirty-Seven Fascinating Hobbies Were Started</I>, Middle Village, N.Y.: J. David, 1980, pp. 110–114.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Arizona, Flagstaff
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Computers
label: See more items in
content: Computers & Business Machines
label: See more items in
content: Handheld Electronic Calculators
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of John B. Priser
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 1987.0435.32
label: accession number
content: 1987.0435
label: catalog number
content: 1987.0435.32
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electronic calculator
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (case; keys; circuit boards material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (circuitry material)
label: Physical Description
content: paper (sticker material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 7/8 in x 3 1/2 in x 6 in; 4.7625 cm x 8.89 cm x 15.24 cm