I wish I could own every calculator ever. I'd love to be able to review all of them and maybe make the world a better place. But sadly that is probably an impossible task because my home is small and I'm not rich. I have to be selective when calculator shopping now, so that means purchasing devices that stand out in some way. I've got plenty of boring calculators in my collection already.
The Omron 88M came from Japan way back in 1975. It runs on two AA batteries to power its green LED display. It has fairly basic functionality, with a floating point switch that allows the user to quickly and easily switch to financial calculations or avoid decimals completely.
I would never have guessed that this device was released in 1975. If I had to guess, I would have assumed early to mid 1980s, but that's when the LCD display became popular. This device looks and feels like something from an alternate timeline because I've never seen anything quite like it.
The peculiar design makes it fit comfortably in the palm of a hand and reminds me of those scanning devices from Star Trek. I wouldn't be surprised if the design of the 88M was inspired by the original series. By placing the batteries at the bottom, this device is perfectly weighted and clearly designed to be carried around.
The rough black faceplate was an odd but not unwelcome choice. It makes the calculator look and feel rugged, like something designed to be taken on an adventure. That may explain the keychain attachment, if that's what that is.
Each button sticks out prominently and is easy to press, with instantaneous response on the display. This is an easy device to use one-handed, and fits nicely in a pocket thanks to the strange profile.
Functionally, the 88M is nothing special. It works great, but I could say that about many other devices. It's the strange design that made me want this calculator. I found it on Ebay for about $9.
I had this review planned for the day after Christmas, but due to my hiatus, it has been delayed until today. But hey, Christmas starts earlier every year, so why not start in January?
TI-55.
When I ask people about calculators they remember fondly, almost every one of them begin with the letters "TI". Texas Instruments has been designing and refining calculators since 1973, and even in their early days they were absolutely killing it. Vintage TI devices have become collectibles for people like myself while newer devices still reign supreme in various markets.
The TI-55 was released in 1977, back when it was still cool to use LEDs. Later variants of the TI-55 used boring LCD displays. This was probably to preserve battery life, but I'll take a gorgeous display over longevity any day.
Speaking of batteries, the TI-55 had its own rechargeable battery pack. This might seem great until you remember this was way back in the 70s, before lithium ion batteries were a thing. Because of this, no stock TI-55 currently works today. Thankfully, this battery pack is fairly easy to remove and can be replaced with a standard 9 volt battery. The video review goes into a bit more detail about this, and there are guides online that explain why this works. It's just awesome that this calculator can be made to work these days.
Aside from the outstanding display, the TI-55 has a great color scheme and overall design. Sitting at a desk and looking down at it, you can see that this was designed to be viewed from an angle. This makes it ideal for school work, especially since it's fairly weighty and has rubber feet to keep it still on a flat surface. However, when viewed from directly above, the display is blocked. This may have been to prevent onlookers from seeing operations. Great care was taken in this calculator's design.
Slightly different angle shows display obscured.
Of course, this is The Calculator Review, so you know I'm going to talk about the button feel. Considering this device could technically be considered a pocket calculator, I am blown away by how amazing these buttons feel. They're clicky and responsive, and perfectly debounced to prevent accidental double-presses. I have no idea why Texas Instruments didn't choose to stick with this button design with later models because it's incredible.
It's a shame, really, that the LCD has become so ubiquitous in pocket calculators. From a technical perspective, it makes perfect sense, as it paved the way for solar and dual powered devices. But from an aesthetic perspective, it's disappointing. The TI-55 is a marvel of engineering and design. It looks beautiful in my collection.
Back of calculator.
Original battery compartment disassembled.
Each button was taken out to be cleaned. This was a huge pain to put back together.
Calculator completely disassembled.
Foam removed. It crumbled at the slightest touch, so it couldn't be reinstalled.
Duct tape used in place of the foam. Slightly alters the feel of the buttons, but still works just fine.
Red goes to black and black goes to red. It's annoying, but that's how this calculator does it.
New 9 volt battery adapter installed.
Electrical tape used to hold things in place.
Testing the new battery setup to make sure everything's working just fine.
The battery is loose without the cover, but with the cover it's held comfortably in place.
Happy Friday! Today is another Facebook review day, and since my reviews there got better, it means less work for me! I mean, I still did the work, but I don't have to do it now, and present me is happy about that.
Once again, the context of this Facebook review has been lost a bit, but I'm going to leave it as it was.
Radio Shack EC-21.
Eventually, I knew I was going to have to repeat companies with these reviews. I wanted to put it off for as long as possible, but then I realized if I kept doing that, I'd just be reviewing the same three companies' calculators for weeks. So this is my first repeat company, but I made sure to pick something interesting to distract from that.
The appropriately named Radio Shack EC-21 is more than just a calculator. If you've already looked at the images, this build up is pointless, but if you haven't, then you'll be stunned when you learn that this is also a gaming machine! The EC-21 not only handles basic calculations, but can also play rounds of Blackjack.
Fancy leather cover.
Before I get into the game play of the Blackjack, I want to give credit to the construction of this calculator. It feels like a solid block of aluminum- sturdy, but lightweight. The buttons are clicky and responsive, and don't have that remote-control squishy feel most calculators tend to have.
To play, simply slide the left slider to GAME and 0 will begin blinking. It's asking you to place a bet. You can bet however much you want, so I like to pretend I'm rich and bet $5. Press the bet button, and you'll be dealt cards represented by a single digit. It plays like any electronic game of Blackjack, but can be a nice distraction from a long day of math homework.
The one flaw that I didn't notice until I spent a few minutes with regular calculator use is the positioning of the equals button. Most calculators place this in the bottom right, but for some reason Radio Shack put it at the top, and not even in the right-most position. I found myself pressing the ( ) button, which is useless for most basic operations, and I had to clear the screen to try again.
The EC-21 was built in 1978 and runs on three AAA batteries. It comes with a nice leather case that also houses the manual. Nothing about it is complicated enough to warrant the need for the manual, but it's a nice touch. With its brushed aluminum exterior, It's a beautiful calculator, even without the case. I found it at Goodwill for probably $3.
I often ponder the development cycle for a calculator. Every product is created to fill some need, and for the past decade or two, it could be argued that calculator innovation hasn't exactly been booming. A lot of the devices in my collection do the same things, so what inspires a company to put forth the time and resources to create a new model? This is the question that today's calculator raised for me.
Staples BD-6108 Scientific Calculator
The Staples BD-6108 Scientific Calculator is ugly. It's thinner than many scientific calculators, sure, but what were the designers thinking when they decided to go with a clear button scheme? Taking a step back, the black back plate and white face plate is a bold choice, and I don't know of another device that uses this level of contrast. With just the red Staples label, this could have been a bold calculator that would look awesome on any desk.
But they went with clear buttons. This design not only annihilates the aesthetic, but makes finding the button you need a chore. Black buttons with white text would have looked outstanding and make this easier on the eyes.
I'd have been happier with this calculator if they'd decided to go with bright, obnoxious colors and made it absolutely hideous. At least then it would be interesting. As I keep taking glances at the device while writing this, I just get more annoyed with it. I don't like it.
The display isn't particularly great either. Any time light hits it directly, or it's tilted just slightly too far, the digits become unreadable. This might be useful to keep someone sitting next to you from cheating, but why would anyone bother if they saw you using this thing?
Then Staples had the nerve- the NERVE- to forgo a solar panel and use a non-standard battery type (CR2025) with a pain-in-the-ass series of screws to get inside this calculator to change said battery.
They still sell this on their Canadian website for $7. Who is the market for this calculator? With so many other great- even crappy- calculators, why on Earth would anyone bother with the BD-6108?
Fortunately, I didn't pay much for my BD-6108. It was $3 at a used book store, and I can totally see why its previous owner ditched it. As a calculator collector, I will keep and care for this device, but that won't stop me from giving it dirty looks whenever I see it.
One of the strange side-effects of reviewing calculators is that people really like telling me when they're using a calculator. People also send me pictures and tell me stories about devices they used long ago. I love this. Many have inspired me to seek out calculators to try them myself, and this has been a huge motivator for continuing this project. Please feel free to send me messages on any social media platform if there's something you'd like to share!
The Lloyd's Accumatic 30.
What I also like is that I come across devices such as the Lloyd's Accumatic 30 Microelectronic Handheld Calculator. I admit to having been unfamiliar with the Lloyd's brand, but it's actually very interesting. While looking up other devices, I noticed a lot of them had a similar look to this one, but each had buttons positioned in different ways. An image search of "Lloyd's Calculator" will yield what initially looks like a bunch of the same calculator.
Of course, I'm not here to talk about all of them. The only Lloyd's I've got in my collection so far is this Accumatic 30. This beautiful device wears its decade on its sleeve and is unmistakably from the 1970s. The dyes required to make these shades of brown apparently only existed during that time.
Another great 70s feature that is sadly underutilized in other decades is the amazing bluish-greenish fluorescent display. I can appreciate a calculator that works just as fine in the dark as in direct light.
Face plate removed.
Everything about the way this calculator looks appeals to me, even on the inside. Taking this thing apart was very satisfying, so it's definitely worth checking out the pictures I've got below this review.
The Accumatic 30 also feels great. It's dense and sturdy and almost too wide for the palm of my hand. It's not big enough to qualify for desktop status, but it's almost too big to call a pocket calculator. The leather case is just a cherry on top of this mathematical sundae.
Functionally it's pretty basic. The buttons feel fine, but aren't anything special. You can easily see what this device is capable of doing with a quick glance at any picture. Even though the device is pretty large, and it lacks more advanced functionality, it doesn't seem like it's too big for what it can do.
Top view. Slightly broken plastic.
It's not my rarest or most valuable calculator, but this is one I keep in my display case simply because it looks like it belongs there. I'm definitely intrigued by the Lloyd's brand, so I'll be keeping my eye out for more of them.
I found this one at Goodwill a while ago, probably for around $3.00. It runs on four AA batteries.
The Calculator Review series began on Facebook, so there have been more reviews than just those posted here. Since the first few weren't particularly in-depth, I thought it'd be a good idea to rewrite them here. So, for the next several weeks, every Friday will be a Facebook review updated for the modern era.
The Aurora DC-10
The Aurora DC-10 was not only the first calculator I ever reviewed, but the first calculator I ever collected. Yes, I had devices before it, but I didn't think much of them. The DC-10 changed everything for me.
Even from a distance, the DC-10 is magnificent. Its bright brushed aluminum face place sits in stark contrast to the finished black plastic exterior. The 10 digit screen is wide and bold, and every button sticks out prominently. This is the kind of device that has no intention of being mistaken for anything else.
Picking it up, it's surprisingly heavy, even without the batteries. Oh yeah, this badass runs on two D batteries. It's absurd. There's a minor feeling of crunchiness every time you squeeze it, but that's only because this thing has so much room on the inside. Having taken it apart for a deep cleaning, this was very appreciated. The Duke is a device you can put on your desk without worrying about losing it under piles of paper.
All this praise, and we haven't even got to the functionality yet.
Switching it on, the fluorescent display is very bright and easy to see from a comfortable angle while sitting. Every button feels as good as it looks, and feedback on the screen is instantaneous. This is the closest a calculator of mine has felt to being a mechanical keyboard. It's glorious.
Basically the only place you can find any information about
this calculator
How the Aurora DC-10 didn't become the standard for desktop calculators, I will never understand. In fact, there's hardly any information about it available anywhere. The company's website doesn't even mention it, and other online calculator museums just have a few photos. You can find these on Ebay for around $20, so I know there are more out in the wild.
My best guess is it was released in the late 70s or early 80s. I base that only on the fact that it runs on D batteries, which isn't common at all. If you search online for Aurora DC-10, you're going to mostly find information about an airplane, and as far as I can tell, this calculator has absolutely nothing to do with that. What I do know is that it was made in Taiwan because that's what it says on the back label.
While it's not the most valuable calculator I own, it's the most precious to me. No other calculator in my collection fills me with as much pride and joy as the DC-10. I cannot recommend this calculator enough if you're looking for a solid desktop with basic algebraic functionality.
I found this beautiful representation of vintage electronics at Goodwill for $2.99, and my life hasn't been the same since.
An easily disassembled calculator is always appreciated.
Amazing that such a small board can handle so many calculations
A fan has requested that I post the original Facebook review as well, so I will do this for each calculator:
It's Halloween, my favorite holiday of the year! For some reason this isn't a federal holiday, so I have class tonight and won't be able to take part in the festivities. But I'm going to do the next best thing: review my spookiest, scariest calculator! Prepare yourself for a few paragraphs of fright and terror as I review what I've nicknamed "The Zombie Calculator."
I found this device for $1 at a yard sale, and it looked like any normal vintage calculator. There was no hesitation to purchase it from the old lady quietly knitting something in the corner of the garage. She gave me a slight smile, and little did I know that this was probably a knowing, sinister smile...
The Litronix 1102 -
Looks like any other vintage calculator, right?
It sat in my car as I explored the other sales that day, and I hardly thought about it after making the purchase since I had found plenty of much cooler stuff. It came home with me and was added to the pile of calculators I'd need to inspect and possibly repair. That's how these stories always begin, isn't it? No one ever expects to be in a horror movie at the beginning. There's always this moment when they realize that something is not quite right.
That moment came when I finally got around to testing the Litronix 1102. It didn't come with any batteries, which explained why it felt so light, so I grabbed a handful of AAs and opened the back panel. Now, I'm no stranger to corrosion, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw.
The corrosion was really bad, is what I'm saying.
I tried to install the batteries anyway, hoping to just see if the thing worked, but the metal just snapped off. There was no way I was going to be able to use this calculator without some serious effort. So I ordered some conductive tape and got to work.
The first step was disassembling the device. Two screws beneath the metal serial plate were all that held it together. I have no idea why Litronix chose to do this, because I had to remove the plate to get inside.
The corrosion on the battery terminals was severe. They needed to be completely replaced if I was going to get any sort of connection. Fortunately, I had my conductive tape and a pair of scissors, so I made some of my own.
I also covered the still-working parts just to ensure good connectivity. I placed electrical tape over parts that didn't need to be exposed to prevent unwanted conduction.
Now it was time to see if my efforts were worth it. I put the batteries in before reassembling so I could see if the calculator would even turn on. The corrosion on the battery terminals wasn't a problem anymore, but this is a very old device. There may have been corrosion in places I couldn't get to, or there could be other problems that require more expertise to fix.
Amazingly, it started right up! I had brought a calculator back from the dead! It was hungry for calculations, so I ran a few to satiate it. After some adjustment and refinement of the connections, it was time to put this zombie calculator back together.
It didn't fit perfectly back together due to the added material, but it holds together strong enough to live on. This scary tale of calculator repair has a happy ending after all. Or does it...?
I realize this isn't much of a review, but the video review goes into detail about what I like about it. This calculator was built in Malaysia and released in 1974, runs on four AA batteries, and is pretty good. There is another version of the 1102 that runs on three AA batteries placed horizontally, but from what I can tell, every version of the 1102 suffers from severe corrosion on the battery connectors.
Not previously mentioned: the battery cover looks terrible.
It may be back from the dead, but can we really be sure that we're safe?
