Taiwan 1: The Unitron DC-12 Launches an Industry

 

TAIWAN AND THE ELECTRONIC CALCULATOR REVOLUTION PART 1

THE UNITRON DC-12 LAUNCHES AN INDUSTRY

The history of the development of the electronic calculator can be found spread widely through many sources - the internet, books, technical papers and oral histories.  Very largely, the quite thoroughly documented early part of it - that is to say, the 1960's and 1970's - centers heavily on the interactions between Japanese and US interests, be they inventors, entrepreneurs or corporations. 

Largely overlooked in this time period is the entry of Taiwan (otherwise, the Republic of China) into the field beginning early in the 1970's.  By the end of the decade, Taiwan was not just a participant in the industry but a powerhouse, manufacturing and exporting tens of millions of calculators per year.  The story of how this came to be and some of the individual efforts and products are the focus of this series.

Background

Although Taiwanese manufacturers did not enter the field of electronic calculators until the "single chip calculator" was possible, the roots of their effort date back roughly a decade.  Taiwan, as was the case with a number of nations at the time, decided to make a concerted effort to move from a national policy wherein local manufacturers were simply providing products that stood in against those imported from other countries and instead actively encouraged companies in Taiwan to think about large scale manufacture of products for export.  At the same time the mid-1960's saw a sharp rise in well-educated entrepreneurs in Taiwan eager to develop products "at home."  These developments, coupled with the success of Taiwanese businesses in fields that led to calculators in a linear fashion (televisions, radios and eventually IC fabrication) set the stage for the manufacture of electronic calculators.

Of course, the field of electronic calculators had behind it a variety of actors - in some cases, foreign corporations simply set up shop in Taiwan to manufacture IC's or whole calculators.  Some companies ended up operating simply to manufacture calculators for foreign contractors, maintaining their own local identities but not putting that identity on the finished product.  Still others operated in their own name or rebadged machines but had considerable foreign investment.  Finally, there were those few that decided to venture into the field on their own using whatever components could be acquired on the market but manufacturing and selling calculators under their own names.  Unitron, our subject here, was the first of the latter.

Unitron Industries Corp., Ltd.

Unitron was formed in 1969 with the financial backing of the Lin Rong-Chung family, whose major business until then was textiles.  Principals in the launch of the company were Professor Shi Min, and with him Qiu Xaixing, who had several years' worth of experience just before this working for an electronics company.  Unitron entered the field of chip manufacturing and packaging and was not only the first such manufacturer in Taiwan but very importantly was also the first such company in Taiwan to launch a Research and Design department. 

It was to that R&D department that now-legendary entrepreneur (and later founder of Acer) Stan Shih was added right after completing his education.  It was Stan Shih who was primarily responsible for the calculator that became the Unitron DC-12.

In 1971 when Texas Instruments announced that it would be selling, on the open market, a chip that could be used in a "single chip calculator," Qiu Xaixing arranged for Unitron to acquire these chips for use in a calculator.  (TI announced the availability of this chip, the TMS 1802, in September 1971).  

Texas Instruments experienced significant delays in supplying these chips as a result of the enormous demand, and this led to Unitron having to buy Mostek chips as a substitute.  

Stan Shih has been quoted as saying that he was not the only person at Unitron attempting to develop a calculator, and this seems to hint at the idea that Unitron was pushing to get a calculator built by allowing internal competition.  Whatever the case, Shih not only designed the important circuits for the calculator but also prepared the calculator for his superiors as a finished product as much as could be done.  For example, Shih had an industrial engineer design an attractive casing for the calculator and then himself found a Taiwanese company that could manufacture the molded casing.  Shih also performed a cost analysis that laid out the dollars and cents of building his new calculator.  No one else in Unitron went to this effort, and Shih's calculator was selected for production.  

Shih's superiors immediately began tooling up to build the calculator, and acquired the money necessary to mass produce it.  Actual dates are difficult to come by, but it seems as if the prototype was completed in April 1972.  In October 1972, the calculator was released to the market as the Unitron DC-12.

The Unitron DC-12 was a basic, four function desk calculator powered by either 115 or 220 VAC.  The chip used in the DC-12 was the Mostek MK 5012 P.  Display tubes of the VFD type were supplied by Iseden of Japan, and the keyboard was obtained from Japan as well.  The circuit boards inside the DC-12 as well as the entire body casing were manufactured in Taiwan.  We will take a look inside the DC-12 in a later article and describe its construction.

Sales of the Unitron DC-12

It seems fairly certain, from extensive research, that the DC-12 was never sold in the United States.  It was sold however in Guam in late 1972 as seen below.

(Above, advertisement for the Unitron DC-12 published in the Pacific Daily News, Agana Heights, Guam on December 15 1972.  Illustration courtesy Newspapers.com.)

I have five Unitron DC-12 calculators in my collection; one of them was obtained from Greece, and its origin is unknown.  It may well have been sold there.  Four of them were obtained together from Spain and were found in the remaining items of an electronics and calculator repair shop which had been closed for 25 years.  We will examine all of these in detail in a later article, but it suffices to say that the DC-12 was on the market in Europe and certainly was in Spain.

We cannot yet know how exactly many were made or for how long, but it wasn't many and wasn't long.  These five are the only ones known to me as this is written in November 2023, and their serial numbers range from 05362 to 06832.  The four from Spain came with boxes, and clearly the repair service was mix and matching boxes as machines were sent out; the highest serial on any box is 06958.  This box actually says "73 06958" and the "73" is almost certainly a date code.  Chip dates are late 1972.  It is impossible that other examples do not exist, and some of them certainly are in Taiwan where the language barrier is a considerable blockade on discovering any in collections there.  It is conceivable that the first five thousand or so were sold in Taiwan.  It is remotely possible that production did not start at 00000.  

Detail photos, Unitron DC-12.

What we do know is that after one of Unitron's major chip customers, the giant ITT corporation, had tried to recruit talent from Unitron it was suggested that ITT buy Unitron, which it did in 1974.  Before that, the family that financially backed Unitron decided to spend the money to start a completely separate new company to only manufacture calculators and asked Stan Shih to move to it.  He did, before the end of 1972, but that's also yet another story for another article in this series.

The Unitron DC-12 hit the field in October 1972, according to Stan Shih, with fanfare as being the first Taiwanese calculator.  And indeed, although there was at least one calculator manufactured in Taiwan that was for sale before the DC-12, that other calculator was manufactured with overseas funds and was made for sale in the US.  The DC-12 had behind it Taiwanese money, Taiwanese ownership and was developed by an engineer educated wholly in Taiwan.  Considering the fact that by the end of the decade Taiwan would be manufacturing over seven million calculators a year, and by the mid 1980's over 40 million a year, it seems historically important to recognize the Unitron / Stan Shih effort for the milestone that it is. 

Notes.

Names - Names used above are the Westernized forms in the case of Unitron and Stan Shih.  In the case of Unitron, the direct translation of the characters on the serial number plates of the calculators comes out as "Universal Electronic Industry Co., Ltd."  When translated online from traditional Chinese into phonetic English, in articles written by industry insiders we find "Huanyu Electronics."  Stan Shih goes by that name in almost all his published sources, but in the Chinese we find his real name, Shi Zhenrong.  These challenges - and others - have led to the fact that while the story of Unitron can now be told in English fairly well, we absolutely are missing much of the nuance.

Sources - Many fragmentary accounts, Chinese websites, and ebooks have been consulted to attempt to string together the story above (and more of it is to come in future installments.)  Sources for this story and the others to come will be published on this blog when the series is complete.  

Unitron Industries plant, Hsinchu City, Taiwan circa 1972.
Courtesy National Chiao Tung University.

Researched and written by Will Davis, October - November 2023.

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.)

The Rise and Fall of Bowmar

by Will Davis

When the hand-held or "pocket" calculator business was new in late 1971, the biggest and most-widely discussed calculator manufacturer was Bowmar.  Officially, it was the Bowmar/ALI Division of Bowmar Instrument who made the calculators, but regardless of actual title the name "Bowmar" became well known in electronics circles and, for that matter, all over the world as the sales of its compact calculators exceeded all expectations.  By February of 1975 the entire company - both subsidiary and parent - had been bankrupted by the calculator business and was forced to not only reorganize but sell off the calculator products.  Here's the story of this amazing rise and fall in brief, illustrated by examples in my collection.

Bowmar 901B

When the pocket calculator market was created in Fall of 1971, this is the device that did it (above) - the famous Bowmar 901B.  This calculator wasn't the first digital calculator; desk models had been out for a while.  It wasn't the first portable digital calculator; other printing models such as the Pocketronic had been on the market before it.  But this machine is that which captured the imagination of the public.  Of course, since it was introduced originally at a price of about $240 only the very well-heeled could afford one.  Price notwithstanding, "personal computing" had dawned with the introduction of this device.

Craig 4501

At first, Bowmar had considered that getting into the calculator business was only a way to ensure that its heavy expenditure into the technology of LED (Light Emitting Diode) displays paid off.  Integrated circuit chips, another vital part, had been under development for years, with a hand-held calculator only one of many possible ideas floating around for them.  In fact, Bowmar really only made the display and the case of this calculator and performed the assembly.  The logic chip for the calculator was provided by Texas Instruments; other companies supplied chips to drive the display, as well as manufactured various diodes and resistors soldered onto the circuit board inside.  The keyboard, well known among collectors as a "Klixon" keyboard (this being a Texas Instruments brand name and product) was actually a series 6KS keyboard - 6KS denoting a completely assembled, ready to install keyboard shipped from TI's facilities.  The fact that big corporations had done the leg work and made the large investments in such technologies as displays, chips and keyboards meant that just about anyone could (and later would) get into the calculator business with enough capital.  The fact that many did get in was one of the things that would eventually doom Bowmar.  But, for 1972 and much of 1973 Bowmar rode on the top of the world in sales.

Bowmar also originally thought that it would just make the calculators for others to sell - and it got contracts with Craig Corporation and with Commodore to do just that.  The Craig 4501 was sold heavily by mail order - the famous mail marketer Joseph Sugarman and his powerhouse JS&A company being primarily responsible.  (Craig 4501 seen above.)  Unfortunately for Bowmar, Craig decided to begin importing a large number of new Japanese calculators (although a couple of later Craigs were in fact Bowmars) and Commodore, understanding the business, built itself a large new calculator plant in California and stopped buying calculators from Bowmar.  Not long before the calculators appeared, Bowmar decided to also sell them under its own brand name.  

Bowmar 905

Bowmar fairly quickly had some stark realizations.  The first was that it was not in control of extremely important technology - mainly, the calculator chips.  These were sourced from Texas Instruments initially, but allegations of misdeeds and then even fraud rapidly escalated between the two after TI entered the business itself with its own Datamath calculator in 1972.  Bowmar would have to source chips from elsewhere, which it did throughout the rest of its operations but it also spent something over $7 million to construct its own integrated circuit chip manufacturing plant at Chandler, Arizona (its calculator plant was in Massachusetts.)  

The second realization was that manufacturing of the calculators in the United States was in fact cheaper than in Japan, but not necessarily cheaper than in other places, such as Mexico.  The company did open a manufacturing operation in Mexico as well as in the United States, and later model Bowmar calculators can be found made either in the US or in Mexico.  

As mentioned, with much of the seriously technical parts of a a calculator available for purchase essentially straight out of manufacturer catalogs a large number of companies began to get into the calculator business acting essentially as assemblers who then had to seek outlets for their products.  One of the aims of these companies (and the reason many quickly failed) was to be able to sell a calculator much more inexpensive than the price the Bowmars were selling for, and before the end of 1972 not only were there several brands (particularly, the Rapid Data "Rapidman 800") on the market selling at $99.99 there was also a Bowmar.  Breaking from the original boxy, cigarette pack shape and style was the all-white Bowmar 905 (seen above) which appeared before the end of 1972 and which was itself just under the $100 mark.  The example seen above is, by the way, perhaps the third or fourth one made, with serial number 100003.  (There is considerable evidence that these started at 100000 and not at 0.)  

Bowmar MX61

The calculator above points out for the collector the fact that with later models (starting in 1973) the manufacturer began to use a new model numbering system.  Its initial calculators were referred to just by three digit 900-series numbers -- witness the 901B and the 905 seen earlier.  This calculator, made in the USA, is a Model MX61.  This is what its label indicates on back and what the front of its instruction book shows as well.  However, also on the label on the rear of the calculator, at the bottom by the serial number is "Bowmar Model 90601."  Further, there is a code on the inside of the front cover of the instructions:  905-060-1.  This latter may be a code just for the manual itself, but this is by no means certain.  It may well be safe to say that with the rapid changes in the market, the rapid drops in price and the quick responses the company needed to make, a model numbering system capable of tracking more changes was needed and these new model numbers fit the bill.  Note how the long number 9050601 could be condensed into just 90601 if we assume that 905 is a generic calculator product code, and then note that MX61 contains the 6 and 1 of the second number version.  Some Bowmars fit this extrapolated pattern, but some don't; it may not in fact be deliberate.  Note that this calculator has a stand-alone = key. 

Bowmar MX80

Here we see that the original body size, if not exact shape of the Bowmars continued on into the new model numbering series.  This is an MX80, Bowmar Model 90152.  This calculator adds a percent key as compared to the first model, omits the D key to refresh the display and like the earlier (not shown) Bowmar Ten, has a ten digit display.  This is also a US-made calculator.  By the way - Bowmar trademarked its name for calculators, with a "first use" being given as October 15, 1971 (surely the appearance of the 901B.)  It also trademarked its later, familiar "Bowmar Brain" ad phrase which was actually only first used on a Bowmar product January 5, 1973.  So, if you see a Bowmar product using the phrase "Bowmar Brain" or some such, it's made during 1973 or later.  (The MX61 shown earlier does in fact use the phrase on its instruction manual.)  As to our guesses on the extrapolated model numbering, the only thing that pops out here is that of the number 90152, five and two and one added together equal eight, and the MX number for this calculator is 80.  Again, this should be taken as speculative and not definitive.  

Digi-matic M8

All the manufacturers sought to get contracts with the giant US retailers and their corporate relatives elsewhere; the calculator above fits that mold.  This is a Digi-matic M8 sold by Simpsons-Sears and by Simpsons in Canada.  This is actually a Bowmar MX75 (Bowmar Model 90705) but in this case carries the Sears styled model number 41028 on its rear by its serial number.  This calculator has a switchable constant feature (the sigma switch on the top left) and, you will note, no longer uses the combined +/= and -/= keys seen on early square body models, having a separate = key.  

Century Mark IV

Mail order sales companies got into the act too, and Bowmar supplied at least this model for one of them; this carries the mail-order firm's trademarked "Century Mark IV" name (also used on radios, binoculars and other things sold via inserts in Gulf Oil billing mailers) but still also identifies itself as a Bowmar.  On the rear we find a modified but identifiably Bowmar label telling us that this calculator is a Model 90512.  Also made in the USA; note that this calculator is in all functional and dimensional ways identical to the original 905 seen earlier.  Only the colors of the various external plastic components differs.  

1974 saw Bowmar no longer on the top of the world in sales, even though its own sales continued to grow.  The company worked to get its new chip plant in Arizona into full operation; statements by Bowmar during 1974 tell us that the company hoped eventually to source all of its chips from that plant.  However, this was not to be.  The erosion of profit by the plummeting price of calculators on the retail market was killing the company, as likely was prolonged litigation between it and several other companies - most notably, Texas Instruments.  

The first quarter of 1975 saw both Bowmar-ALI and its parent Bowmar Instrument declare bankruptcy and enter reorganization.  The parent company would survive, in part due to a later $5 million out of court settlement with Texas Instruments.  The calculator operations though were about to enter an interesting, almost unfortunate, final phase.

Almost certainly in order to appease creditors, the company sold its calculator (and digital watch) business to a company called International Fastener Research in June, 1975.  IFR was given the right to use the Bowmar name on calculators and watches, but had a large number of quality and use rights stipulations placed on the agreement by Bowmar.  It appears that IFR almost immediately began to exceed its rights on the use of the name, according to a lawsuit filed later by Bowmar.

The story takes another turn in the Fall of 1975 when a new corporation, named Continental Microsystems, Inc. purchased all of the Bowmar rights and business from IFR.  In fact, it appears that ownership of the two firms overlapped.  Bowmar was not immediately informed of this change - and, to make a long story short, even more misuse and infringement on the name occurred as the new company not only advertised but sold other kinds of products using the name Bowmar in some way, shape or form.  Bowmar sued, of course, and won judgments against the offending companies.  

It's not known how long calculators lasted in production under the new ownership of the two companies, IFR and Continental Microsystems - but collectors do know that there are some very cheap, foreign made calculators around carrying the Bowmar name.  Now we can add one more interesting item to the end of the story, as shown below in two photos. 

Bowmar MX100

The calculator above is a Bowmar MX-100, Bowmar Model 92001.  This is a late style scientific calculator, but look closely; it's the same size and shape as the original 901B, and the keyboard area formerly occupied by a TI 6KS Klixon keyboard with large keys is now occupied by a keyboard with much smaller keys which, interestingly, have a very positive action just like the Klixon variant.  The most interesting thing about this calculator, though, is found on the rear label.

Bowmar MX100, rear label

The rear label of the MX100, seen above, shows quite clearly the name "Continental Microsystems, North Hollywood, CA 91605" and "Assembled in Mexico."  This is the only example I have seen so far that actually carries the name of either of the two companies who succeeded Bowmar in carrying on Bowmar's calculator business before being forced to halt it.  It seems almost certain to me that this calculator was made very soon after Continental bought the business from IFR in late 1975, and the serial 100659 seems to imply that this would be the 659th example of this model made by Continental Microsystems.  As a side note, a small flat area can be seen at the bottom of the rear of the calculator with two screws on it.  Normally on early models this is covered by a sticker that says "REMOVAL VOIDS WARRANTY" and under which is a stamped date code.  However on this example it appears as if no sticker was ever there, and no date code is visible.  

So, then, the Bowmar calculator enterprise itself lasted about three and a half years on the retail market with perhaps another six months or maybe a little more tacked onto the end as unscrupulous buyers attempted to wring some further life out of the name.  Overall the failure of any company in the calculator business in the 1970's wasn't surprising, but the failure of the "father of the industry," Bowmar, perhaps was.  In the final analysis the company didn't actually control enough of the technology to make the calculators as it needed to in order to control final product supply and cost.  The factors that had led it into the calculator business in the first place had eventually contributed to its end. 

SOURCES - As on this blog's source page, plus the following:

"Shakeout Time for Calculators," Nathaniel C. Nash.  New York Times, Dec. 8, 1974

Bowmar Instrument Corporation vs. Continental Microsystems, Inc., CMI Products, Inc., Global Marketing Company and International Fastener Research Corporation.  US District Court of New York, August 21, 1980.

RES Mark I: One of One, for Now

The sole printed reference book for calculator collectors, "The Complete Collector's Guide to Pocket Calculators" (Ball & Flamm, 1997) states on page 16 that, as of that time,

"Previously unknown models continue to surface, adding to the excitement."

That appears to be true roughly two decades later, as the RES Mark I seen here is the only known example; it appears nowhere on the net*, is not in the Ball & Flamm book, and has no references anywhere that we can find.  For the moment, this calculator is the only known example.

RES stands for Radiant Energy Systems, a California company known to have been working on developing methods to improve the manufacture of printed integrated circuits in the early 1970's but about which not much else is known.  California business records show that this company existed only for the ten year period 1969-1979, making it yet another one of that phalanx of companies which got in with the rush of IC's, calculators and the like and which also did not survive the decade.  The calculator in question was won on auction this year, and came complete with box and sleeve, shipping (cardboard) cover and instruction book.  It is of interest to note that the label "Made in Hong Kong" is a sticker, applied only to the one side of the box - the other being identically printed but omitting the sticker.

The calculator, which is serial number 010141, is an eight digit machine having memory, as well as memory exchange, sign change and percent functions.  The calculator has strange, small, clicky keys which have raised edges and stickers in their centers.  The calculator operates on a 9V battery or an AC adapter, which is not included and whose model is not referenced.

Like many early calculators this model does not clear on startup and also has the negative zero bug.

Startup gobbledygook on RES Mark I screen before clearing.

The display of the RES Mark I will shut down to just a "-" in the center of the display after 15 seconds of no use; the EX key is depressed twice to restore the display.  (This simply exchanges the previous keyboard entry; use of the C key will restore the display as well but clears the operations.)  The clear key on this machine acts as 'clear entry' on the first depression and 'clear all' on the second. As mentioned, EX swaps the last entered figure with that previous for inspection of possible error.  

An automatic constant feature is included on the machine, it being the last entered value in a calculation.  For example to use the number 37 in a set of calculations as a constant, the operator might first enter "100" and then hit "+" and then "37" and then "=".  The number 37 is automatically the constant; if the operator then presses "10" and then "=" the calculator will toss the previous final result, add the new entry 10 to the constant 37 and display 47.

Some collector references such as Ball & Flamm and some websites do feature some other known Radiant Energy Systems calculators, but none is this model and none matches it.  We're quite lucky for now to have an "only one known" calculator, although prior collecting experience tells us that sometime soon another will come up.  What's interesting now is that even this long after the end of the classic era of early calculators (1971-1979) there are still unknowns like this that can pop up!

* - The RES Mark I pictured on Serge Devidts' "Calcuseum" website is this example; apparently the photos were taken from the auction page.  RES Mark I serial 010141 is in the Will Davis collection.

An Early Novus

Collectors will often run across calculators manufactured by National Semiconductor, especially those carrying the name "Novus."  This name was adopted by the company for calculators in the mid-1970's to sell along with its NS Electronics and National Semiconductor brands; the conventional thinking (see Ball & Flamm) is that the different brand names allowed the company to market similar calculators at slightly different price points.

I've turned up an oddball Novus, seen here, that is pretty unusual in that it has no model number whatsoever, front or back.  The calculator simply is named NOVUS.

The calculator is a basic four function machine with an = key, which is not what's usually found on the cheaper end of the Novus line.  This machine also has a K (constant) feature and auto-display shutoff at 25 seconds of inactivity; the D key is used to restore the display.  The serial is 022588.

Unfortunately the calculator came just as you see it here - that is, no box, instructions or receipt.  It does work however and displays two hallmarks of either early or else very cheap calculators.

Above we see the display of the Novus after switching on.  This calculator does not automatically clear itself on startup; the user must use the C key to clear it before attempting any calculations.  While a range of E's as seen here is common the display may be blank or filled with random digits on startup.  

The Novus also has the "negative zero bug."  This means that the calculator will display the value zero with a negative sign attached.  To test for this, use the calculator to subtract to a value below zero and then add back up to exactly zero.  If the calculator retains the negative sign, it has what has been called the "negative zero bug."  This was designed out of later / more expensive calculators which test for a result of zero and then remove the carried-along negative sign.

So when was this made?  Well, advertising is almost wholly absent, but we do have some hints.  Inside the calculator however, on the circuit board section supporting the LED display we find two part numbers as seen here which may be of some help:

The stylized NS emblem (associated with the NS Electronics brand) seen on this card first was used by the company, according to the US Patent and Trademark Office, on September 5, 1973.  (I am assuming that the two part numbers are for using this particular part in either Novus or NS Electronics branded calculators.)  Novus brand calculators began using a stylish emblem which resembles a 'swoopy' letter N in June, 1975.  These two dates almost certainly bracket Novus serial 022588 here, and adding in hints from sparse advertising data it might be safe to guess that this calculator appeared in 1974.  It also might well be the first model carrying the name Novus, although this is not an entirely safe guess.  The calculator's gold face plate is not unlike that seen on some early Novus 650 and/or Mathbox calculators, it should be noted - and it should also be noted that this calculator fairly closely matches the known Novus 820 model except that the 820 has a silver face plate and has only a C key, not a CE/C.  The Novus 822 "The Professional" appears to have developed from this Novus and the Novus 820.  

What is safe to say is that this Novus is unusual in having no model number - and for that we're glad to have it here!  If you can add any information, please do so in the comments.  

Melcor 370: "First 100% Solid-State Calculator"

Melcor Electronics Corp., located in Farmingdale, New York was a significant but early manufacturer of small or pocket-sized calculators which didn't survive the decade of the 1970's.  It did however contribute some interesting calculators for collectors to ponder today and, it appears, did in fact make some history by offering to the trade the first fully solid-state calculators - its models 360 and 370, which were among the first models offered by the company in 1972-1973.

Here, we will consider the 370 as seen below.  Note that this calculator is missing its make/model label below the display but is otherwise not only intact but operable and, fortunately for us, also has its original instruction book.

At once the Melcor 370 can be seen to have an unusual feature; the model incorporates a touch pad instead of more normal keys or buttons.  This feature, referred to by Melcor as the Touch-Tronic keyboard, is described in the manual as follows:

"Your calculator features the Melcor space age Touch-Tronic keyboard which provides the ultimate in reliability.  With a little practice in the technique outlined below, you'll enter numbers and operations faster and more accurately:

1)  Entry is made by pressure on the key pad.  There is no actual movement.
2)  Approach the key pad with your finger nearly parallel to the top surface of the calculator.
3)  Bring the ball of your finger down rapidly into the key opening and apply moderate pressure to the key pad.
4)  Withdraw finger rapidly from the key pad.
5)  Do not attempt to brush or "tease" key.  The keyboard is very sensitive and this may result in entering two numbers.
6)  Do not use fingernails or other sharp objects on keyboard.  This may damage calculator and will void warranty."

In addition to not having an inbuilt debounce feature (which later calculators incorporate to prevent double or triple digit entry upon light pressure to a key) this calculator also shows another feature common to some very early calculators:  The Melcor 370 does not have automatic clear upon startup.  When the calculator is turned ON, the display will likely have a nonsensical number displayed with one, two, three or more decimal points.  The calculator must be cleared before any calculations can be done by depressing the C key.  Later calculators have an inbuilt automatic clear function upon startup.  Below, we see the Melcor 370 immediately after having been turned on; the gibberish result in the display (which is not repeating, but totally random) is proof that the calculator doesn't have clear-on-startup.  This feature of early calculators has carried on to modern users who instinctively clear calculators on startup even today, even though they've been built with clear-on-startup since the middle 1970's.

Once the calculator is cleared, another feature that a number of early calculators had but which was considered confusing and was later engineered out is shown; the calculator always powers all digits of the display, even if they are zeroes.  Eight digits are always displayed, and the decimal point floats to wherever it's required in the display.  Here is the calculator after having been cleared and awaiting the performance of actual work.

(Note that the right-most digit does in fact have a failed LED segment, upper right.) 

Performance of calculations with this machine can incorporate digits beyond the eight displayed as is described below in a shot from the Melcor 370 instructions; most calculators of this day would overload if beyond the display limit.

When a calculation is performed, as noted earlier and above, the display will still be fully lit all the way across; "automatic zero blanking" was still in the future.  Below is the result of muliplying 9 by 9 to get 81.

One feature the Melcor 370 does have is prevention of false entry on double key depression; this prevents two keys being pressed simultaneously from making an input on the second key to be hit.

Speaking of keys, it's the on/off key that really allowed Melcor to claim that this was the first 100% solid state calculator, since the use of the on/off key removes having any kind of mechanical power switch on the machine.

(Above - Melcor 370 instruction book front cover.)

And speaking of power - the Melcor 370 is, properly, a two-model range comprised of the sub-models 370B and 370R.  The 370B, which we're showing here, operated off of a disposable 9V battery but also had an AC adapter port.  On a number of early calculators of various makes and models, the use of the AC adapter would attempt to charge the disposable batteries, so the operator either had to ensure no battery was installed in AC operation or else in some cases a switch was supplied to ensure the battery didn't explode.  However, on the advanced Melcor 370 the battery was automatically disconnected when the calculator was AC powered.  The other variant, the 370R, included a non-replaceable, rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery pack which had to be recharged through use of the adapter.  According to the instructions, the 370R model would charge the battery whether the calculator was on or off, but would only charge at about 1/4 the normal rate if the calculator was being used while the battery was charging.  Interestingly, according to the book the 9V battery version would run about 7 hours in use before needing a new battery while the rechargeable version would only run about 4 hours before needing a recharge. 

As we know today, calculators with keypads didn't last long - either in use, or in a larger sense, on the market.  While several makers tried this kind of design in the early-mid 1970's it must have proven to be more trouble than it was worth, and all of them (including Melcor) changed to calculators using conventional keys (or "buttons").  Below, we see the Melcor 370 with the very next model, the 380 (which uses a very different keyboard and a new case) as well as the later 392 (same case as the 380 but with yet again different keys.)  We'll see more Melcor calculators on the blog so stay tuned.

Melcor 370, 380 and 392.  It's interesting to note that the oldest, the 370 at left, has the Touch-Tronic keypad and a single on/off key; the 380 at center has the Melcor Full-Travel keyboard with separate on and off keys, while the 392 at the right has a conventional on/off mechanical contact type switch.

JCE Mark II

Even the most casual user of calculators of any era is likely to recognize common brand names such as Texas Instruments, Sharp, or Casio - but would be highly unlikely to recognize the brand of this calculator since the company responsible for it did not survive longer than perhaps a couple of years in the early 1970's.  Today, this is an unusual calculator.

At hand is the JCE Mark II, manufactured probably about 1972 by John Colling Enterprises.  This company, located in Palo Alto, California, seems to fit the pattern of dozens of small startups at that time which entered the calculator competition in that it purchased major components used in its calculators from other makers.  In fact, both the main chip and the keyboard in the Mark II are products of Texas Instruments.

As can be seen, this calculator has (as was common at the time) no dedicated "=" key.  Instead, the "=" sign appears on the "+" and the "-" keys.  Operation with a keyboard such as this is as follows:

Addition:  To add the numbers 15 and 20, the operator first clears the machine with the C key.  The key operations are then 1, 5 and +/=.  The display now shows 15.  Next, the operator presses 2, 0 and +/= with the final key stroke resulting in the machine adding the two stored numbers and displaying the result as 35.

Subtraction:  To subtract the operator must first enter the minuend or the number from which another is to be subtracted and depress +/= to enter that number into the calculator.  The operator then must enter the subtrahend, or the number to be subtracted from the minuend and then the operator will depress the -/= key to perform the actual operation and display the desired result.  For example, to perform 8-6=2 the operator presses 8 then +/=, followed by 6 and -/=.  The screen will then display the result, 2.

In multiplication the operation is more like that of what today's users would think is normal; the two factors (or, if you prefer, the multiplicand and the multiplier) are entered with only the "x" key between them.  However, to perform the multiplication operation the +/= key must be used.  As an example, to multiply 2x4=8, the operator would press 2, then "x", then 4, then +/=.  The display would show 8.

The JCE Mark II also has a K or Constant switch which is used to force the calculator into Constant mode.  After the K switch is moved to K position the next number entered will become the Constant.  Also, the calculator has a three position decimal control switch on the front edge of the case with positions "F 2 3" for floating decimal point, fixed 2-place decimal display and fixed 3-place decimal display.  The calculator displays eight digits; will display an E if any entry exceeds eight digits and a square if any calculational result yields more than eight digits to the left of the decimal point.

What's the D key, you say?  Many early calculators have a key such as this; on these machines the display shuts off automatically after a period of inactivity to save battery life.  Pressing the "D" key restores the display.  However, oddly, the Mark II instructions mention no auto display power off and in fact tell the operator that the operation of either the CE or D key simply clears the last entered number.  If we can get either of these in condition to operate, we'll test that out.

I actually have two JCE Mark II calculators.  On the left is a very early example, with serial number M06074.  JCE calculators of other models with low serials are known to have the code letter preceding the serial.  On the right is serial number 506494M.  It is assumed that the M identifies the Mark II model.

The newer of the two JCE Mark II examples came complete with its presentation case (whose red foam is rapidly crumbling) as well as instructions and warranty card.  

One of the interesting things about the JCE Mark II is that the calculator has what would appear to be a battery door on the back, but which is actually the top of a removable battery cartridge or tray.  This comes completely out of the calculator to accept five AA batteries; the tray has contacts which mate with other contacts inside the calculator when properly installed.  As with most early calculators an adapter was available - but it appears that with the JCE, at least, the adapter was an optional extra and not included with the basic purchase.  Below, the battery tray shown in detail.

The whole JCE calculator enterprise appears to have lasted only 1972-1973 or so, from what little can be discerned from the extant materials and advertisements.  In January 1973 the JCE Mark II was being sold mail-order by JS&A for $75.00 with the AC adapter included; by sometime later in 1973 the price had plummeted to $39.95 from the same retailer, again with adapter.  This reflects the incredible pace downward that calculator prices were making and also, not surprisingly, easily shows why many manufacturers could not survive the drops in prices that the truly huge and integrated makers like Texas Instruments could weather.

"Integrated", you say?  That's right.  JCE didn't make any of the really truly important parts of this calculator - the chip, the keyboard, the display.  Possibly not even the circuit board.  Many companies just like this sprang up - with enough new engineering talent, venture capital, some connections and know-how, some marketing and a supply of expensive-to-develop parts made by much bigger companies, dozens of startups flashed briefly on the scene and failed.  Big corporations like TI could weather the temporary losses on calculators until their manufacturing costs were brought in line by sapping profit from other lines; little companies that just made calculators would die soon in deficit.  Others, not integrated, tried to spend money they didn't really have to do things like start making displays or even integrated circuit chips.  Some made it, some failed.  And a couple got in, made money, and got out safely.  JCE?  Well, this company appears to have died as quickly as it started - and today, collectors should keep an eye out for JCE calculators.

   (Above, front and rear print details from instructions found with JCE Mark II s/n 506494M.)