New Calculator Today

Today I got a 1990s vintage calculator for practically free. I found a dollar on the ground and then minutes later, I go inside a thrift store and buy a TI 83 for a dollar. Supposedly this model was the high end for TI at the time of it's release in 1997. It shares in common with other models such as the Ti82, 83 and 85 a 6mhz Zilog Z80 cpu. The screen has the same horizontal resolution as a Ti83 but is wider and has higher vertical resolution. You can also type in lowercase letters on this thing. Overall a pretty nice calculator and it has a high end feel to it but compared to models you can buy today, it feels a little past it's prime.

Older TI Graphing Calculator

Grandfather of the Ti84 Tsubasa posted a photo of. I have Ti's first graphing calculator, the TI81.

These things have definitely evolved since the beginning. My Ti81 has no link port, 2kb of memory and a 2mhz Z80 processor. The Ti84 still uses a Z80 processor but at a higher speed, has a USB port and much more memory. Both have the same screen resolution and run off four AAA batteries.

My TI-84 Plus

Have you used TI-84 (Plus) in your high school? Well, I have. I had a lot of interesting problems solved by it. I sometimes use it even now to solve my equations on the graphing mode. Beneath the TI-84 is the Linkedin Japan notebook I got at the blogger event a few months ago.

For Large Numbers!

For large numbers, why not a large calculator? The photo is of a Sperry Remington 1209 I was given several years ago. Next to it is a modern pocket calculator and a book of matches to serve as a reference to show how big this thing is. I'm not sure of the age but I'm guessing this calculator was made in the late 60s or early 1970s. Also, it plugs into the wall; no batteries.

When I find my toolbox I'll post some more photos as the inside of this calculator is way more fascinating. The 12 digit display, instead of being a single panel like a modern calculator display, is actually 12 separate vacuum flourescent display tubes; one for each digit. Also, each key actually has a magnet directly under it and a glass tube containing two pieces of metal. When you press a key down, the magnet gets close to the glass tube and pulls the two pieces of metal in it together to form a complete electrical circuit. Primitive and facinating at the same time, I think. This calculator, with such a design, must have cost a fortune to build.