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Vintage Computers Any vintage computer systems, calculators, video games etc., but with an emphasis on 1980s and earlier equipment.

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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 4:30 pm   #1
Paul_RK
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Default A non-pocket calculator...

Whilst sound and, to an extent, vision are my main fields of interest hereabouts, auctions have sometimes had me straying into, as G.E.C. used to put it, " everything electrical " .

Thus it was that one day I came home bearing an Anita calculating machine from, I'd guess, the early 60s: size and weight comparable to the more ambitious Eddystone receivers. Model number is given as D/VIII/005920/A (I'd guess that's actually model followed by serial number).

Does anyone know anything about it? As I recall there are something like 300 devices inside appearing to be miniature valves, plus a number of transistors (I haven't looked lately)...
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 4:50 pm   #2
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

Ah...birth of the forum made me think of this beast, and only after entering the above did I think to try Google...So, the 200 odd devices are trigger tubes: I'd forgotten about the row of ten ECC82s at the back...and it does seem to be one of the first workable electronic calculators, introduced 1961 was it? Anyways, may as well leave the posting, the continued existence of such an item may be of interest to someone. Price in the early 1960s £355: price circa 1993 £1.
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 6:03 pm   #3
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

Paul,

there is a lot of interest in these early calculators - it was a lucky find.

I have one of the later desk units, which uses IC logic, but not LSI, and NIXIE display, but unfortunatly, the case has been damaged beyond repair.

Jim.
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 7:47 pm   #4
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

Thanks Jim.

This one's pretty good, though not altogether operational - apparently a great number of high value resistors soon started giving problems. Also here is a Casio fX-1 from, I learn, 1971: about the first " scientific " model, with 5 LSI chips and a host of others. Still working, though temperamental, and a fine sight in felt-lined wooden carrying case with solid leather handle worthy of a late 20s " transportable " radio...
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Old 2nd Jan 2004, 7:53 pm   #5
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

When I was young, well about 10, in the late 1970s, I bought some PCBs from the Drayton Manor radio rally (yes I know its sad - I started young....), which had a large number of sub minature wire-ended valves on them, and were a sort of sawn off triangle shape (sound familiar Paul....). Being young, they were soon canabalised for the useful resistors and caps, and the valves discarded.

Last year, I found out what they were for, and, that spare parts were very rare........

Ooops!

Jim.
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Old 3rd Jan 2004, 12:52 am   #6
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

I am hazy to what make it was, but when I first started work in the early 80s, someone bought in a huge calculator to cannibalise. This beast had no TTL logic at all in it, just row upon row of transistors. It must have cost shed loads of dosh when it was new! It kept the department in " home project " signal transistors for years.
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Old 3rd Jan 2004, 12:55 am   #7
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

Hi

I have a Friden EC130, first US built electronic calculator. It used a 5 " CRT for display. It can be seen on the following site:

http://www.fridenites.com/

Check under photos, submitted by me.
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Old 4th Jan 2004, 6:21 pm   #8
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

When I first started work, the lab I joined had about 40 engineers and we shared one HP 2116 computer
and an HP 9100 scientific programmable calculator.

The calculator sat on a small trolley with 10' flag pole
attatched to it so that you could find it in the sea of
desks and benches.

I still have a working 9100. It uses a crt to display
three registers and you can store up to 50 register
or function type operations in its core (nice, non-volatile)
memory. You can also store programs or data on a
magnetic card.

I can vaguely remember plotting out some nice waveshape simulations back in the early seveties on a companion XY plotter which could be attatched.

I think the 9100 was introduced in about 1968.

Peter

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Old 18th Jun 2004, 3:02 pm   #9
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Default Re: A non-pocket calculator...

Just in case anyone should be interested in an Anita MkVIII (1961 introduction: apparently it was chiefly sold here and the very similar MkVII on the continent), an example has surfaced on eBay, evidently not highly rated by its present owners ...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...705424540&rd=1

Paul

PS....Hmm... £122 for an example dusty from the loft and apparently lacking mains lead and cover (both of which mine has). Looks as though it was £1 well spent...
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