First device you had which used LCDs? - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

russell_w_b · 24th Sep 2019, 9:40 am

Still use my Casio FX-82 from 1982. I hope I retire with it! Not my main calc, though.

I actually have two: this one and a pristine one, which was my mam's when she taught maths at secondary school. They were issued to staff about 1981. Apart from some of the plastic going cheesy, they work a treat. If you peel the sticker off the back, it has FX-81 moulded into the plastic.

Before this I used a Rockwell LED and then Rockwell with the green vacuum-fluorescent(?) display that hasn't been mentioned - yet. These green displays used to play hell with MF radios, presumably because of the (relatively) high-voltage display driver chopper electronics.

G6Tanuki · 24th Sep 2019, 5:05 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

I don't think mass market LCD calculators arrived until the late 70s. In 74 and 75 they were normally VFD (which looked nice but ate batteries) and then were LED, usually powered by a PP3..

Yes, I had a LED Commodore calculator that was PP3-powered. Around that time, Ever-Ready actually offered a 'special' PP3 that was actually marked "Calculator" - can't remember if they charged extra for these over the price of a normal PP3, nor can I remember what was supposed to make them more-suitable for calculator use than the ubiquitous "Flying Bomb" PP3s we all used.

Herald1360 · 24th Sep 2019, 10:26 pm

My first LCD possession was a Casio FX1000, the first LCD scientific one I could afford. It was also the first calculator I deigned to buy- I was never a fan of the short battery life of LED ones. In fact the battery life of the FX1000 wasn't brilliant (its MOS chip wasn't CMOS!) but at least it was only a single AAA to replace not a PP3 or several AAs.

I may still have it, though I haven't seen it since I last moved..... a pity, since I gather they're quite collectable now.

Techman · 25th Sep 2019, 1:21 am

I've got both the Casio FX-82 and the FX-82A. Both still working. They look a bit funny in the picture as it was taken with them placed on top of their soft protective cases.

Refugee · 25th Sep 2019, 1:34 pm

I have just exhumed the remains of my old LCD watch.
The LCD panel failed and is long gone however the case and module are still there.
It cost about £30-40 when new.

electronicskip · 25th Sep 2019, 2:32 pm

Trafalgar LED watch in the 70s for me .

Hampus · 25th Sep 2019, 7:59 pm

My first LCD devices as far as i can recall was these two games. They were very popular back then.

They are still in working order!

Craig Sawyers · 26th Sep 2019, 9:16 am

I did an electronics degree from '74 to '77. In the final year there was a course called "Advanced Devices", and included in that was Liquid Crystals. I have my original lecture notes for that lurking somewhere in a cobweb infested corner of the loft.

In my first job in 1982, I inherited the late stage design for a product that used a VFD display. Buying an LCD display off the shelf that would do the job was not possible even then.

Craig

The Philpott · 26th Sep 2019, 10:26 am

My first LCD item was probably a little stainless watch with an alarm to the tune of 'The Yellow Rose of Texas'. Possibly Ingersoll (Around 1982/83)

The one thing i avoid using on the FX82A calculator is the on-off slider switch. It always struck me as the first thing that would fail (my ma and pa didn't follow this credo and theirs is now intermittent)

If you just rely on the auto-power off facility they last for 30 years (and counting..)

The battery cover has a weak point which cracks and had to be superglued on both calculators.

Hybrid tellies · 27th Sep 2019, 9:36 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by stitch1

Early 80s Casio watch for me although I don’t remember the model it was probably the same as this one which is my Dads and I have ‘borrowed’. About 1980 I believe, still working.

John

I think was my first LCD device. I got it for my birthday and was very proud of it. Sadly it did not last long.
I had just fitted this New Life CRT to a television in the local Radio Rentals workshop and was starting to set everything up and was adjusting the scan coils for purity which meant both hands were inside the television when the tube had a large flash over.
It totally killed the watch which lost its display. They tried to reset the watch but to no avail.

Nickthedentist · 27th Sep 2019, 2:17 pm

My mum bought a little Toshiba alarm clock in about 1978 from a chain called Scotcade. It sat on the piano for a few years, telling me how much longer I had left to practise. It ceased to function after only about 5 years, surprisingly, and was dumped.
https://farm2.static.***********/1379...ed1f16ae_b.jpg

whiskas · 27th Sep 2019, 6:20 pm

for me it was a 'Odyssey' brand LCD watch from Dixons ~1978

ionburn · 28th Sep 2019, 12:03 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hampus

My first LCD devices as far as i can recall was these two games. They were very popular back then.

They are still in working order!

HaHa A 'Game and Watch'. I had completely forgotton. I have a 'Snoopy Tennis', similar looking to the 'Octopus', now stored away in it's original box. I used to love playing it at the time.

Fazio63 · 28th Sep 2019, 4:27 pm

My father gave me a 1984 Casio CA-501 with a digital calculator. I'm still keeping it in my collection.

Wendymott · 28th Sep 2019, 6:20 pm

When I worked in the Physics dept at Bradford University, we had an "open day" most years to entice skool leavers to do physics. In 1972, we borrowed some LCD items from GEC, Wembley, of which one item was a NASA wrist watch, supposedly either been to the moon or was.... Unfortunately we had to return it. At that time our Solid State Physics dept was being formed, with the eminent CB Thomas "Trog" as its head..he was a refugee from RRE at Malvern.... where it is said Liquid Crystals were either invented or..developed.
We had access to the very first Twisted Pneumatic displays and some of the conventional lcd,s which were quite difficult to see.
I adapted one of the Earth resitivity meters we designed, to become a digital version, using a Twisted Pneumatic display... this was about 1975. The problem with early LCD displays were they were quite sensitive to excess temperatures i.e 25 deg C..which meant in sunlight the screen would go black. and for an outdoor piece of kit.. that was a big problem.
Fortunately development was speedy and thus we have what we have now..

duncanlowe · 28th Sep 2019, 9:02 pm

Like others, an LCD watch, commodore if I remember OK. I did somehow get a Casio VF rechargeable calc without a charger and fitted an external battery pack which it used to eat. After that I got a Commodore programmable LED calculator that still works (todays children are gobsmacked) and a Casio LCD that it was fun reversing the LCD polarity. My OH also has an early Sharp LCD from the same era, and it's hard to believe but is still on original batteries!!!

Refugee · 28th Sep 2019, 10:05 pm

The watch I showed in post#25 used to go black if it got warm.
I had to cool it down again to get the display back.

mickash · 29th Sep 2019, 2:58 am

My first LCD device was also a watch. A Casio similar to John's in post 19.

I bought it from Dixons in 1979. It cost £32 when I was earning £28 per week!

I still have it and it still works but gains time now, about 2 minutes per month.

Michael.

Andrew2 · 29th Sep 2019, 8:55 am

Working 'in the trade' at the time, it is difficult to remember which was my very own first LCD device and which were the ones I just came into contact with via my job.
I stuck to analogue/quartz watches for a long time and it's only recently that I've gone to LCD/TFT displays, mainly for exercise monitoring.
I think the first LCD device I owned was a very pretty SHARP calculator, very small and slim. Everyone at work got one as a gift from the Sharp rep one Christmas, probably around 1980. There's a chance I've still got it stashed somewhere. I've just had a scoot around the 'net but I can't find the exact one. AFAIR, it was one of their 'credit card thin' models. Previous to this I used my faithful 1973 Sinclair Cambridge type 1 LED calc, which I definitely still have and it still works!

G6Tanuki · 29th Sep 2019, 11:33 am

I remember ther "Credit Card Thin" LCD calculators - some time in the early-80s my father had a Barclays Bank-badged 'currency converter' version; it had a non-volatile memory into which you entered the exchange-rate-of-the-day then you could enter a price in Pounds/Pence, press the > key and get the price in Deutschmarks or whatever; the < key did the conversion the other way round.

24th Sep 2019, 9:40 am	#21
russell_w_b Dekatron Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Penrith, Cumbria, UK. Posts: 3,687	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? Still use my Casio FX-82 from 1982. I hope I retire with it! Not my main calc, though. I actually have two: this one and a pristine one, which was my mam's when she taught maths at secondary school. They were issued to staff about 1981. Apart from some of the plastic going cheesy, they work a treat. If you peel the sticker off the back, it has FX-81 moulded into the plastic. Before this I used a Rockwell LED and then Rockwell with the green vacuum-fluorescent(?) display that hasn't been mentioned - yet. These green displays used to play hell with MF radios, presumably because of the (relatively) high-voltage display driver chopper electronics. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Regds, Russell W. B. G4YLI.

24th Sep 2019, 10:26 pm	#23
Herald1360 Dekatron Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK. Posts: 16,535	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My first LCD possession was a Casio FX1000, the first LCD scientific one I could afford. It was also the first calculator I deigned to buy- I was never a fan of the short battery life of LED ones. In fact the battery life of the FX1000 wasn't brilliant (its MOS chip wasn't CMOS!) but at least it was only a single AAA to replace not a PP3 or several AAs. I may still have it, though I haven't seen it since I last moved..... a pity, since I gather they're quite collectable now. __________________ ....__________ ....\|____\|\|__\|__\_____ .=.\| _---\__\|__\|_---_\|. .........O..Chris....O

25th Sep 2019, 1:21 am	#24
Techman Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Lincolnshire, UK. Posts: 5,000	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? I've got both the Casio FX-82 and the FX-82A. Both still working. They look a bit funny in the picture as it was taken with them placed on top of their soft protective cases. Attached Thumbnails

25th Sep 2019, 2:32 pm	#26
electronicskip Nonode Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gloucester, Glos. UK. Posts: 2,150	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? Trafalgar LED watch in the 70s for me .

25th Sep 2019, 7:59 pm	#27
Hampus Pentode Join Date: May 2010 Location: Sandviken, Sweden Posts: 233	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My first LCD devices as far as i can recall was these two games. They were very popular back then. They are still in working order! Attached Thumbnails

25th Sep 2019, 1:34 pm	#25
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,553	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? I have just exhumed the remains of my old LCD watch. The LCD panel failed and is long gone however the case and module are still there. It cost about £30-40 when new. Attached Thumbnails

26th Sep 2019, 9:16 am	#28
Craig Sawyers Dekatron Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 4,978	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? I did an electronics degree from '74 to '77. In the final year there was a course called "Advanced Devices", and included in that was Liquid Crystals. I have my original lecture notes for that lurking somewhere in a cobweb infested corner of the loft. In my first job in 1982, I inherited the late stage design for a product that used a VFD display. Buying an LCD display off the shelf that would do the job was not possible even then. Craig

26th Sep 2019, 10:26 am	#29
The Philpott Dekatron Join Date: Aug 2016 Location: Colchester, Essex, UK. Posts: 4,105	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My first LCD item was probably a little stainless watch with an alarm to the tune of 'The Yellow Rose of Texas'. Possibly Ingersoll (Around 1982/83) The one thing i avoid using on the FX82A calculator is the on-off slider switch. It always struck me as the first thing that would fail (my ma and pa didn't follow this credo and theirs is now intermittent) If you just rely on the auto-power off facility they last for 30 years (and counting..) The battery cover has a weak point which cracks and had to be superglued on both calculators.

27th Sep 2019, 2:17 pm	#31
Nickthedentist Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Oxford, UK. Posts: 17,841	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My mum bought a little Toshiba alarm clock in about 1978 from a chain called Scotcade. It sat on the piano for a few years, telling me how much longer I had left to practise. It ceased to function after only about 5 years, surprisingly, and was dumped. https://farm2.static.***********/1379...ed1f16ae_b.jpg

27th Sep 2019, 6:20 pm	#32
whiskas Octode Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Knutsford, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 1,488	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? for me it was a 'Odyssey' brand LCD watch from Dixons ~1978 __________________ ...where on earth did that spring/screw go??

28th Sep 2019, 4:27 pm	#34
Fazio63 Banned Join Date: Sep 2019 Location: Middleton Stoney, Bicester, Oxfordshire, UK. Posts: 2	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My father gave me a 1984 Casio CA-501 with a digital calculator. I'm still keeping it in my collection.

28th Sep 2019, 6:20 pm	#35
Wendymott Octode Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 1,795	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? When I worked in the Physics dept at Bradford University, we had an "open day" most years to entice skool leavers to do physics. In 1972, we borrowed some LCD items from GEC, Wembley, of which one item was a NASA wrist watch, supposedly either been to the moon or was.... Unfortunately we had to return it. At that time our Solid State Physics dept was being formed, with the eminent CB Thomas "Trog" as its head..he was a refugee from RRE at Malvern.... where it is said Liquid Crystals were either invented or..developed. We had access to the very first Twisted Pneumatic displays and some of the conventional lcd,s which were quite difficult to see. I adapted one of the Earth resitivity meters we designed, to become a digital version, using a Twisted Pneumatic display... this was about 1975. The problem with early LCD displays were they were quite sensitive to excess temperatures i.e 25 deg C..which meant in sunlight the screen would go black. and for an outdoor piece of kit.. that was a big problem. Fortunately development was speedy and thus we have what we have now.. __________________ Should get out more. Regards Wendy G8BZY

28th Sep 2019, 9:02 pm	#36
duncanlowe Nonode Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK. Posts: 2,531	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? Like others, an LCD watch, commodore if I remember OK. I did somehow get a Casio VF rechargeable calc without a charger and fitted an external battery pack which it used to eat. After that I got a Commodore programmable LED calculator that still works (todays children are gobsmacked) and a Casio LCD that it was fun reversing the LCD polarity. My OH also has an early Sharp LCD from the same era, and it's hard to believe but is still on original batteries!!!

28th Sep 2019, 10:05 pm	#37
Refugee Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Worksop, Nottinghamshire, UK. Posts: 5,553	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? The watch I showed in post#25 used to go black if it got warm. I had to cool it down again to get the display back.

29th Sep 2019, 2:58 am	#38
mickash Hexode Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Derbyshire, UK. Posts: 289	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? My first LCD device was also a watch. A Casio similar to John's in post 19. I bought it from Dixons in 1979. It cost £32 when I was earning £28 per week! I still have it and it still works but gains time now, about 2 minutes per month. Michael.

29th Sep 2019, 8:55 am	#39
Andrew2 Nonode Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK. Posts: 2,036	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? Working 'in the trade' at the time, it is difficult to remember which was my very own first LCD device and which were the ones I just came into contact with via my job. I stuck to analogue/quartz watches for a long time and it's only recently that I've gone to LCD/TFT displays, mainly for exercise monitoring. I think the first LCD device I owned was a very pretty SHARP calculator, very small and slim. Everyone at work got one as a gift from the Sharp rep one Christmas, probably around 1980. There's a chance I've still got it stashed somewhere. I've just had a scoot around the 'net but I can't find the exact one. AFAIR, it was one of their 'credit card thin' models. Previous to this I used my faithful 1973 Sinclair Cambridge type 1 LED calc, which I definitely still have and it still works! __________________ Andy G1HBE. Last edited by Andrew2; 29th Sep 2019 at 9:18 am.

29th Sep 2019, 11:33 am	#40
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 13,996	Re: First device you had which used LCDs? I remember ther "Credit Card Thin" LCD calculators - some time in the early-80s my father had a Barclays Bank-badged 'currency converter' version; it had a non-volatile memory into which you entered the exchange-rate-of-the-day then you could enter a price in Pounds/Pence, press the > key and get the price in Deutschmarks or whatever; the < key did the conversion the other way round.