And Here We Go - Calculators!

Another decade - in fact, another century - and another hobby.  My brother Dave and I started collecting early pocket calculators in April of this year and, frankly, we're hooked.  And largely alone.

Not that there aren't some collectors out there - there are a handful.  Astonishingly there has already been formed, operated and completely dissolved an official organization - IACC or International Association of Calculator Collectors.  That association had a newsletter, "International Calculator Collector" and published the only collector book on the subject, "The Complete Collector's Guide to Pocket Calculators."  Citing increasing family demands, the founders disbanded the association years ago and, just like that, official calculator collecting went from extant to extinct.

Yes, there are a couple of small (just around 100) groups on Facebook for collectors, and there are some websites out there; see our website link list in the sidebar.  But in terms of organized collecting, information gathering and so forth - well, if it's happening, it's individual and not being done as a community so far as we can tell.  Serge Devidts has perhaps the most impressive possible website (again, see list) and is still active, and we've noted a couple of other folks out there who seem to be asking for information.  But the free transfer of analysis and history so vital to the real enjoyment of any hobby seems quite sparse in the field of calculator collecting.  We're going to try to fix just a little of that with this blog.

Our plan is to document what we have and what we know.  We'll heavily rely on the references you see mentioned in the side bar boxes as well as our decades of collecting experience in other areas (typewriters, World War 2 weapons, albums, and more) to provide, we hope, some new insight into the exciting if brief early history of calculators. 

Before we get any further let me answer those questions you're trying to ask.  Why would there be interest in these things?

•Probably no advanced technology ever went from military to individual home use faster than the integrated circuit chip - and it did so first in the pocket calculator.

•Pocket calculators went from uber-expensive executive play toys to broadly affordable to cheap inside the span of just about eight years... EIGHT YEARS.  From 1971 to 1978, to be specific. (1)

•There is a fascinating aspect to the rapid rise of these devices, the rapid efforts in many areas to cash in; an entrepreneurial drive often coupled with venture capital to produce dozens and dozens of makes and models of calculators..  which would all COMPLETELY VANISH before the 1970's were over.  Many millions were invested - and many millions were made, but many millions were also lost by many companies.  These stories speak of both innovation and shortcut; they bridge into the studies of engineering as well as marketing. 

•The facts above mean that for the true collector there are unusual and even relatively rare makes and models out there to be found.  Many have been found since the publication of Ball & Flamm (1) in 1997 and have been added to the general knowledge on the internet.  Perhaps more are yet to be found!

•While some makes and models required special adapters, many others operated off disposable batteries, meaning that with cleaning and care the machines MAY still work today.  Many of ours do, but many of ours don't and won't.

•Unlike many other products, in the early days calculator component makers freely sold their parts to other companies.  This mixing and matching of parts, and the free availability of many kinds of components (mainly chips, keyboards, and LED displays) has a great deal to do with the history of the calculator in the 1970's as you'll see play out as we continue the blog.  But for now, look at the photo at the top of this page - four very different makes and models of calculator (from companies that had nothing to do with each other) all of which have Texas Instruments "Klixon" keyboards.  None of the four companies survived the calculator price and production war of the 1970's.

I could go on and on, but instead of further rationalizing I'll simply invite you to come along with us on this blog as we look at the early calculators.  We use the ones that work and test them; you're sure to find some of the results interesting.  NO, they don't all work the same - not by any stretch!  From big to small, simple to scientific - you'll see these devices and their stories here. 

Two Texas Instruments calculators from the 1970's; the TI-30 on the left has an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, while the TI-150 on the right incorporates an orange vacuum-fluorescent display likely to be a Burroughs Panaplex design. The calculator on the right, according to the Datamath website, is rare - perhaps only 4000 were made.