Vintage Calculators Web Museum - The Pocket Calculator Race

[Radio Wrangler]

For anyone needing a quick fix of RPN calculation, there are downloads for simulations of many HP calculators for Windows and Mac OS on the nonpareil website.

David

[duncanlowe]

I was in some ways dissapointed with my Commodore 'programmable' calculator, expecting to be able to write programmes. When in fact all you can do is store a sequence of operations and replay them to repeat the same calculation again and again.

But I still have it, and it still works. 7 segment LEDs and all. Eats PP3s for fun, though.

[Mark1960]

The one I remember using was the commodore 9190, from about 1977, it might still be around somewhere, I think it was rechargeable, so possible the batteries have eaten it. We were not allowed programable calculators for exams, but this was pre-programmed with almost every function that was needed. Included a lot of statistical functions and linear interpolation, but was quite tricky to enter all the datapoints without making a mistake as there was no way to edit the points already entered.

[duncanlowe]

Originally Posted by Mark1960

The one I remember using was the commodore 9190, from about 1977, it might still be around somewhere, I think it was rechargeable, so possible the batteries have eaten it. We were not allowed programable calculators for exams, but this was pre-programmed with almost every function that was needed. Included a lot of statistical functions and linear interpolation, but was quite tricky to enter all the datapoints without making a mistake as there was no way to edit the points already entered.

For my Maths 'O' level, we weren't allowed calculators at all, but it was the last year they weren't. For 'AO', we were. But the Commodore I mention wouldn't have helped, as it only stored the sequence of steps programmed while it was still on. And was only useful to keep repeating the same sequence of steps you had to remember. I think for my 'AO' I had my Casio 'FX8x' again that I still have, and after a switch clean still works too. I use 'FX8x' because I think there was an FX80 that was widely used but expensive. The FX81 that I probably have didn't have the advanced statistics functions. Except it did. Same button sequence displayed 'err' instead of 'stat' but the buttons still worked just the same. A fine permanent marker converted mine. Well I was a child!