National Semiconductor 850A Handheld Electronic Calculator
date: label: date made
content: ca 1978
name: label: maker
content: National Semiconductor Corporation
notes: label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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.
label: Description
content: A jack for a power adapter is on the left side.
label: Description
content: Compare 1986.0988.306 (a Novus 850) with 1986.0988.305 (a National Semiconductor 850A).
label: Description
content: Ball and Flamm, as well as a contemporary advertisement, mention the National Semiconductor 850A as on sale in 1978.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Guy Ball and Bruce Flamm, <I>The Complete Collector’s Guide to Pocket Calculators</I>, Tustin, CA: Wilson/Barnett, 1997, pp. 103–105. They give a 1978 price of $5.89.
label: Description
content: [Advertisement], <I>Kokomo Tribune</I>, August 13, 1978, p. 3. A National Semiconductor 850A calculator mentioned as a giveaway for a sufficiently large bank deposit.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: China: Hong Kong
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: 1986.0988.305
label: catalog number
content: 1986.0988.305
label: accession number
content: 1986.0988
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electronic calculator
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: plastic (case; keys; display cover material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (circuitry material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 in x 2 5/8 in x 5 in; 2.54 cm x 6.6675 cm x 12.7 cm