DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-150
| Date of introduction: | December 1974 | Display technology: | Panaplex |
| New price: | Display size: | 8 | |
| Size: | 6.5" x 3.2" x 1.8" | ||
| Weight: | 10 ounces | Serial No: | 150-007486 |
| Batteries: | 4*AA NiCd | Date of manufacture: | wk 04 year 1975 |
| AC-Adapter: | AC9150 | Origin of manufacture: | USA |
| Precision: | 8 | Integrated circuits: | TMS0852 |
| Memories: | |||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Cleo McCall | |
| Download manual: | 
(US: 2.3 MByte) |
The
TI-150 looks on the first view very familiar to us collectors of early
calculators manufactured by Texas Instruments. It combines the wedge shape of
the TI-2550 with the silver trim around the display of
the SR-10. The display seems to be a
miniaturized Panaplex known from the desktops like the TI-3500.
The TMS0852 calculator circuit found its way with slightly modifications into the Canon Palmtronic LD-series. Don't miss the LD-80.
This is the most important question - the calculators seems to be pretty rare. (Rumors told us that only 4000 TI-150's were produced !)
Thomas Brockmeier donated some pictures and this gives us the opportunity to understand easily how rare this calculator really is. Just take your time and watch the next six pictures carefully.
| The side view demonstrates that the TI-150 uses the same mold as the TI-2550. The only difference is the color of the parts. The TI-2550 uses light grey parts instead of these black molds. |  |
| The backside demonstrates that even the battery compartments is identical to the TI-2550. Please notice the leading zeroes of the serial number. Perfect circumstances for high production numbers. |  |
| The printed circuit board of the keyboards shows the missing memory keys of the TI-2550. The key positions are identical to the sister model. |  |
| This inside view gives you some details of the main electronics. The display is a miniaturized Panaplex gas-discharge unit using a molded display frame. The calculator chip was used only for the TI-150, same is true for the power adapter/charger. |  |
| Each of the
above pictures makes clear that this calculator was prepared for mass
production ! But compare the box of the TI-150 with the box of the rare SR-16.
They didn't finished the design of the box before market introduction ! This is really a rare calculator. |
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| What happened ?
The TI-150 was simply a wrong calculator at the wrong time ! The introduction time was too late for an expensive calculator without memory. Just four month later the TI-1200 with a fraction of manufacturing costs appeared and killed the TI-150 immediately. |
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Known serial numbers:
001148, 004258, 004625 (Jason Baucom), 004693 (Ken Meine), 004862 (Christa J. Anderson), 005040 (Ken Meine), 005920, 006953, 007108, 007189 (Ken
Meeks), 007486, 007901, 008085 (Scott Reynolds), 008428, 009235 (Scott Reynolds), 009319 (Scott Reynolds),
009342, 009359, 9600 (eBay ebhospace), 009629 (Scott Reynolds), 009649 (Scott Reynolds),
009720 (eBay towndvd), 010038 (Roger Whitaker), 009814 (eBay highdesertstamps), 011257,
011326, 011821, 016262 (Brendon Loyd), 016297 (eBay mu89stang3), 016742 (Joerg Woerner),
016818 (eBay wradgeman), 017013 (eBay monkeynomad23), 017800 (Scott Reynolds).
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.