Collecting Calculators

Home > Calculator Photo Library

Early Hand-held LCD Calculator Photographic Library

This page has links to photographs of early LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) pocket calculators, that is those manufactured up to about 1980. The technical development of calculators slowed down around this time and so after 1980 they are of less interest and are not featured on this page.

LCD displays are explained further in the Calculator Displays section. In general the order of development was:

  • Reflective LCD: silver numbers on dark background, from Rockwell (1972).
  • Reflective "COS" (Crystal on Substrate) LCD: reflective LCD silver numbers on dark background, from Sharp (1973).
  • Yellow LCD: black numbers on a yellow background, has yellow filter in front of the display to protect the LCD from harmful UV light (mid- to late-1970s).
  • Grey LCD: black numbers on a grey background (mid-1970s onwards).

Click on a calculator to see a photograph of it, then click on your browser "Back" button to return to this page.


Adler (German company, was a division of Litton Industries)

Adler LS822

Adler LS822 (yellow LCD)


Busicom (these LCD calculators under the Busicom name were probably sourced by the British company Broughtons of Bristol, which acquired the rights to the name after Busicom went out of business)

Busicom LCD119

Busicom LCD119 (yellow LCD), 4-function, %, memory, square root, 2-AA rep. batt., 86x136x28mm / 3.4x5.4x1.1". May 07


Casio

Casio BQ-1100

Casio BQ-1100 "Biolator & Watch" (grey LCD), also capable of calculating the body's biorhythms (see the Kosmos I for an early biorhythm calculator) , 113x62x6mm / 4.4x2.4x0.25". May 07

 

Casio College fx-80

Casio College fx-80 (yellow LCD).

Casio MG-880

Casio MG-880 (grey LCD), game and melody calculator. Has a rudimentary game and you can play tunes on it - manufacturers were starting to add other features to boost sales, 113x68x7mm / 4.4x2.7x0.3". May 07

Casio Micro-Mini

Casio micro-mini (M800) (grey LCD), in fitted case, tiny but thick calculator, 43x62x14mm / 1.7x2.4x0.6", was also available with a yellow LCD. Jul 07

Casio Mini Card LC-78

Casio Mini Card LC-78 (yellow LCD), the first credit card sized calculator. Featured calculator.

Casio Mini Card LC-78G

Casio Mini Card LC-78G (yellow LCD), looks identical to the LC-78. Featured calculator. Jul 07

Casio MQ-2

Casio MQ-2 (yellow LCD), tiny calculator with clock. Details.


Commodore (CBM - Commodore Business Machines - Canadian/U.S.A. company. See the Calculator Companies section for more information.)

Commodore CIL55PD

Commodore CIL55PD (yellow LCD), 10 digits, 4-function, %, memory, square root, 4-AA rep. batt., 114x238x40mm / 4.5x9.4x1.6", Japan. Jun 07

Commodore CIL-80

Commodore CIL-80 (grey LCD), 8 digits, 4-function, %, memory, 2- button cells, 92x60x5mm / 3.8x2.4x0.2", Japan. Jun 07
 

Commodore LC43SR

Commodore LC43SR, photo2 (yellow LCD).

Commodore LC4512

Commodore LC4512 (yellow LCD), scientific, 2-AA rep. batt., 78x160x23mm / 3.1x6.3x0.9", Japan. Jun 07

Commodore LC925

Commodore LC925 (yellow LCD), 4-function, %, memory, square root, 2-AA rep. batt., 75x139x30 mm / 3.0x5.5x1.2", Hong Kong, similar to vfd display model 9R25.
 


Elektronika (made in U.S.S.R.)

Elektronika B3-30

Elektronika B3-30 (yellow LCD), 4-function, quare root, 70x109x10mm / 2.75x4.3x0.4", 2-button cells, looks similar to Sharp EL-8020. Jul 07


Dataking

Dataking LC800

Dataking LC800 (reflective LCD) model made by Rockwell, unusually powered by two PP3 9v batteries (1973-74).


Ragen

Ragen Microelectronic Calculator

Ragen Microelectronic Calculator. Early low-cost, LCD calculator, probably never went on sale - announced early 1972. Featured calculator.


Royal (Royal Typewriter Company. U.S. company, distributed in Britain by Imperial Typewriter Company, both Litton Industries companies)

Royal MemoCalc

Royal MemoCalc (yellow LCD) - unusual mini-cassette recorder/calculator.

Royal Solar 1

Royal Solar 1 (yellow LCD), very early solar-powered model.


Sharp (Japanese company - One of the most innovative calculator manufacturers with many firsts to its name. Its first LCD models used its COS (Crystal on Substrate technology). For more information about Sharp see the Calculator Companies section.)

Sharp EL-805

Sharp EL-805 (reflective COS LCD), the first pocket-sized LCD calculator, 1973.

Sharp EL-808

Sharp EL-808 (reflective COS LCD). Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-825

Sharp EL-825 (grey LCD), early solar LCD credit card calculator. Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8001

Sharp EL-8001 (reflective COS LCD). Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8009 & EL-8019

Sharp EL-8009 & EL-8019 (reflective COS LCD & yellow LCD), clam-shell cases. Featured calculators.

Sharp EL-8009S

Sharp EL-8009S (reflective COS LCD), clam-shell case. Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8010

Sharp EL-8010, rear with batteries (reflective COS LCD). Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8015

Sharp EL-8015 (reflective COS LCD). Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8026

Sharp EL-8026 (grey LCD), the first calculator with solar cells, on the back! for recharging the batteries. Featured calculator.

Sharp EL-8110

Sharp EL-8110 (reflective COS LCD). Featured calculator.

Sharp PC-1211

Sharp PC-1211 (yellow LCD), one of the world's first pocket computers, programmable in Basic, 1980. Featured calculator .


Teal (Tokyo Electronic Application Laboratory Ltd., Japan, and Teal Industries Inc., Carlson, California, U.S.A. For more information see the Calculator Companies section of this site.)

Teal LC842

Teal LC-842 (yellow LCD). Mar 08.

Teal Photon

Teal Photon (yellow LCD), one of the first solar powered calculators. Featured calculator.


Timex

Timex Timemate

Timex Timemate (yellow LCD) calculator and alarm clock. Details.

Home
1) Mechanical Calculators
2) Desk Electronic Calculators
3) Hand-held Calculators
4) Non-Decimal Calculators
5) Calculator Companies
6) Calculator Photo Library
7) Collecting Calculators
8) British Calculators
9) Puzzle Corner
10) Calculator Time-line
11) Calculator Technology
12) To make a Pocket Calculator
13) Index to the Calculators
14) Calculator Resources
15) Frequently Asked Questions
16) Update Information
17) Vintage Calculator News
18) About this site
19) Search this Site

Photo Library
& Book Addendum

Calculator Photo Library 0-9
Calculator Photo Library A
Calculator Photo Library B
Calculator Photo Library C
Calculator Photo Library D
Calculator Photo Library E
Calculator Photo Library F
Calculator Photo Library G
Calculator Photo Library H
Calculator Photo Library I
Calculator Photo Library J
Calculator Photo Library K
Calculator Photo Library L
Calculator Photo Library M
Calculator Photo Library N
Calculator Photo Library O
Calculator Photo Library P
Calculator Photo Library Q
Calculator Photo Library R
Calculator Photo Library S
Calculator Photo Library T
Calculator Photo Library U
Calculator Photo Library V
Calculator Photo Library W
Calculator Photo Library X
Calculator Photo Library Y
Calculator Photo Library Z
LCD Calculator Photo Library
Desktop Calculator Photo Library
Mechanical Calculator Photos
Old Calculator Advertisements
Calculator Book Addendum A-B
Calculator Book Addendum C-D
Calculator Book Addendum E-I
Calculator Book Addendum J-O
Calculator Book Addendum P-R
Calculator Book Addendum S
Calculator Book Addendum T-Z

Vintage Calculators

© Text & photographs copyright Nigel Tout  2000-2008 except where noted otherwise.