Sony Sobax ICC-500 Electronic Calculator
date: label: date made
content: ca 1968
name: label: maker
content: Sony Corporation of America
notes: label: Description
content: By the early 1960s, Sony Corporation had gained an international reputation for such consumer electronics products as a pocket transistor radio and a transistorized television. It exhibited a prototype desktop electronic calculator in 1964. In 1967, it released the SOBAX, or solid state abacus. It was called an "ICC" or integrated circuit calculator. By 1968, the machine sold in the United States for $1,250.
label: Description
content: The non-printing, four-function desktop electronic calculator has an array of nine digit keys at the center front. Zero and decimal point keys are below these. Immediately to the right are cancel, subtraction, and addition keys. Right of these keys are memory clear, memory input, and total keys, as well as a round-off switch.
label: Description
content: Immediately to the left of the digit keys are division, multiplication, and result keys. Left of these are repeat and memory out keys. Still further left are the on/off switch and the clear key. Behind is a fourteen-digit display window. A decimal point lever is below the result display, and a minus lamp is at the far left. The case includes a plastic handle at the top. A cord extends from the back and can be wound around protruding “cord anchors” for storage.
label: Description
content: A mark on the left front of the machine reads: SOBAX. A tag at the top reads: SONY.
label: Description
content: Compare CI*334388.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: Sony Corporation of America, <I>SOBAX: SONY Solid State Calculator ICC-500W Owner’s Instruction Manual</I>, New York: Sony Corporation, no date. This is CI*313986.10.
label: Description
content: Sony Corporation, “Press Release: Sony Portable Electronic Calculator ‘SOBAX ICC-500’.” May 15, 1967. This is CI*313986.07.
label: Description
content: P. H. Wiggins, “Calculators Hold Answers for Business,” <I>New York Times</I>, June 2, 1968, p. F26.
label: Description
content: An extensive discussion of the development of the SOBAX 500 is at the online Old Calculators Web Museum.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: Japan: Tōkyō, Tōkyō
topic: label: Subject
content: Business
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: Desktop Electronic Calculators
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Sony Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: CI.334389
label: accession number
content: 313986
label: catalog number
content: 334389
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electronic calculator
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: glass (register cover material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (feet, cord material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 7 in x 10 in x 16 1/2 in; 17.78 cm x 25.4 cm x 41.91 cm