Early electronic desk calculators 1966

hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com

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Nov 12, 2019, 2:13:55 PM11/12/19

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In 1966 there were ads for desktop electronic calculators (see
links below). They were costly, about $1,600 to $2,000.
As shown in the ads, consumers still had a choice among
various classic electro-mechanical models. Despite being
clunky and slow, the old models were still very popular
until the early 1970s, when electronics finally won out.

I can't believe how expensive they were, and don't forget,
$2,000 back then is like $10,000 today. It would seem a
few circuit cards would be enough to do basic calculations
and display the results on a screen. Unlike a computer, they
didn't need a high pulse rate and could use cheaper slow
transistors.

Friden
https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1966-04/page/n66

Marchant
https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1966-05/page/n17

Victor (appears to be chip based)
https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1965-11/page/n121

also, Friden tape word processor
https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1965-11/page/n21

Robert Billing

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Nov 17, 2019, 7:20:31 AM11/17/19

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On Tuesday, 12 November 2019 19:13:55 UTC, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> also, Friden tape word processor
> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1965-11/page/n21

Aaagh!!! It's a Flexowriter. There were used for data prep for the Titan in Cambridge, which was obsoleted just before I went up. However there were a LOT of the earlier model lying around the university.

Quadibloc

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Nov 18, 2019, 1:23:51 AM11/18/19

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On Sunday, November 17, 2019 at 5:20:31 AM UTC-7, Robert Billing wrote:
> On Tuesday, 12 November 2019 19:13:55 UTC, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> > also, Friden tape word processor
> > https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1965-11/page/n21

> Aaagh!!! It's a Flexowriter.

Why, yes, of course. Didn't you know that?

John Savard

hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com

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Nov 25, 2019, 4:22:50 PM11/25/19

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Here's a Friden from 1964:

https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1964-08/page/n43

Charlie Gibbs

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Nov 25, 2019, 8:22:40 PM11/25/19

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On 2019-11-25, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

> Here's a Friden from 1964:
>
> https://archive.org/details/Nations-Business-1964-08/page/n43

Ah, yes - the Friden 130. A friend saw one at the 1962 world's
fair in Seattle and fell in lust. Years later, he managed to
find one somewhere. With memory being so expensive back then
it relied on delay lines, and by the time he got his hands on
it it was getting pretty cranky.

I have an old Burroughs calculator with nixie tubes - they
were another form of technerd porn.

--
/~\ cgi...@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ / I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
X Top-posted messages will probably be ignored. See RFC1855.
/ \ "Alexa, define 'bugging'."

Scott Lurndal

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Nov 25, 2019, 8:34:06 PM11/25/19

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Charlie Gibbs <cgi...@kltpzyxm.invalid> writes:
>On 2019-11-25, hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com <hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote:

>
>I have an old Burroughs calculator with nixie tubes - they
>were another form of technerd porn.

Which one? I have the C3661 with 16 nixie digits. They were actually
made by one of the big Japanese firms and badged with the Burroughs
logo.

Charlie Gibbs

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Nov 26, 2019, 5:01:50 PM11/26/19

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Can't remember offhand - I'll have to dig it out.
It has at least 12 digits.

hanc...@bbs.cpcn.com

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Nov 27, 2019, 4:07:45 PM11/27/19

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On Monday, November 25, 2019 at 8:22:40 PM UTC-5, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

> I have an old Burroughs calculator with nixie tubes - they
> were another form of technerd porn.

In high school, the tech kids would frequent army-navy
stores for surplus cheap electronics. Nixie tubes
were popular to play with.

The kids noticed a loudspeaker from an aircraft carrier.
They wanted to buy it, but it was somewhat overpowered
for their needs.