Launching Litronix Calculators

Calculator collectors are largely aware of Litronix' run in the calculator business.  To wit, Litronix (pronounced lye-TRON-ix) was one of the upstart LED display manufacturers that appeared at the end of the 1960's and who decided to join in on the pocket calculator craze.  Eventually becoming fully vertically integrated, the company offered a fair range of models and an industry-leading lifetime guarantee by the middle of the 1970's.  Like many others the company found itself losing money on calculators as unit pricing fell and then plummeted and the company quit the business in 1977 even with sales still on the rise.

It's been known for some time that Litronix produced an early device known as the Checkmate.  What has not been identified until now is the exact process that the company undertook to enter the field.  New research has unearthed these facts.

Litronix already had one vital component needed to launch calculator manufacturing, which was its proprietary LED display.  The company bought chip maker Advanced LSI Technology Inc. on November 22, 1972.  According to Horst G. Sandfort, the technology that this company was using required less energy than that employed by Texas Instruments, which would equal longer operating life for a calculator.  

Next, Litronix loaned money to San Diego Electronics Mfg. Co., which had begin to manufacture calculators.  Business publication "The Office" announced this company's new eight digit "Checkmate" electronic calculator in 1973.  Litronix later applied to trademark this name for calculators in 1974 and when it did so, the company stated that the first use in commerce for this name was on or about April 12, 1973.

Later, according to the magazine Electronic Components, Litronix assisted in listing public stock for San Diego Electronics Mfg. Co. but actually ended up buying all or enough to own the company.  Thus, Litronix had most of what it needed under one roof to successfully build calculators.

KNOWN EXAMPLES

We'll now take a look at some early Checkmate and Litronix calculators to determine where they might fall in the timeline loosely spelled out above.

This is the earliest style of Checkmate calculator.  This example happens to have a Wild Rover keyboard.  The rear label of the calculator is interesting given the timeline above.

The rear of this calculator shows absolutely no manufacturer name at all, and no serial number.  A look inside reveals a sticker with the number 44491, and a calculator chip in a white DIP package with just simply the code 019 on one end and a pencil mark on the other.  Other components inside the calculator appear to date to the 21st week of 1973 while the keyboard's inspection date is May 22, 1973.  See below for calculator chip and other internals.

It would seem that this calculator was in all probability built by San Diego Electronics Mfg. Co. while being assisted by Litronix but not yet fully owned by it.  It is interesting to note that other units of this same style have a much more formal code on their chips (including the code LIT-019 as the chip model) while this one appears much simpler.  The calculator was probably assembled in San Diego's facility.

The next style is essentially the same calculator, but assembled in Litronix' plant in Malaysia, which it opened in April 1972.

This calculator is properly a Checkmate 1002.  It shows clearly the Litronix name on the rear label and also states that it was assembled in Malaysia.

We can safely assume that this calculator was made after full acquisition and merger of San Diego Electronics Mfg. Co. since the only manufacturer name on the calculator is Litronix.  Again, note that the previous unit shown has no manufacturer stated anywhere, inside or out.

Later in 1973, Litronix announced to the trade papers its "first consumer product," which as we now know is somewhat misleading.  This first product was the Litronix 1100.  An extremely early example of this calculator is shown below.

Two photos above show a very early Litronix 1100.  Note the unusual rear label and the extremely low serial number 10066.  

Within a short time the company would add several other case designs and begin to increase the variety of functions available.  Below, a couple of later Litronix calculators in the most common body shape and in two different colors.

We now know how this early, major player in the electronic pocket calculator field "got in" - it bought a chip maker and a calculator manufacturer at the right time and probably at the right price, and the beginning of what, for a few years at least, was a great success story was written.  For collectors, Litronix calculators of a wide variety of models are easily available, but it's the early, boxy Checkmates with Wild Rover or Klixon keyboards that are the most unusual and thus most collectible.

(Sources for this article include Moody's, the US Patent and Trademark Office, the business periodicals The Office, Optical Spectra, Electronic Components, Machine Design, and Walker's Manual of Western Corporations.)