DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-1766 (1st design)
| Date of introduction: | 1981 | Display technology: | LCD |
| New price: | $19.95 | Display size: | 8 |
| Size: | 4.6" x 2.6" x 0.35" | ||
| Weight: | 1.9 ounces | Serial No: | 482362 |
| Batteries: | n.a. | Date of manufacture: | mth 03 year 1982 |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Japan | |
| Precision: | 8 | Integrated circuits: | Toshiba T6758S |
| Memories: | 1 | ||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
With
the TI-1766 Texas Instruments entered 1981 the market of LCD-calculators powered by solar
cells. Compared with Japanese companies this was late, Sharp introduced already
in the year 1976 the EL-8026 Sunman.
This calculator was developed and produced in Japan. The electronics of the TI-1766 is based on a Toshiba calculator chip compared with the US chips in the slimline calculators like the TI-1031.
Comparing
the TI-1766 with the Toshiba LC-847
gives the impression that the whole calculator is is a Toshiba design.
The
printed circuit board (PCB) inside this TI-1766 manufactured early in 1981. It
makes use of the Toshiba T6758S single-chip calculator circuit.
In 1982 Texas Instruments changed the design of the TI-1766 slightly by replacing the redundant "SOLAR AND LIGHT POWER" phrase with a more precise "LIGHT POWERED" slogan.
If we trace back the routes of Toshiba calculator chips within
the TI-line we evaluate:
| Type | Model | Introduction | First Toshiba IC |
| Basic | TI-1750 (1st) | year 1977 | T3532, year 1976 |
| Basic SLR | TI-1766 | year 1981 | T6789, year 1981 |
| Scientific | TI-25 | year 1978 | T3636, year 1977 |
| Scientific SLR | TI-30 SLR | year 1982 | T6824, year 1982 |
| Financial | none | T6787, year 1982 | |
| Financial SLR | BA-SOLAR | year 1986 | T7917, year 1986 |
It took only a short time between the introduction of a
Toshiba calculator chip and the corresponding Texas Instruments calculators. For
the financial calculators TI used between the years 1978 and 1986 always their
own chips, the missing link could be found with the Canon
Financial calculator.
A big advantage of the Toshiba design was the smooth and flawless keyboard. Within two years the TI-1766 got a thinner and much smaller housing with the TI-1776 and a cheaper appearance with the short living TI-1006 and the TI-1706. In 1986 the TI-1766 II was still more valuable than a TI-1706 II. In later years the design of a TI-1766 III was identical with the TI-1706 III.
At the same time with the TI-30 SLR the first scientific calculator with solar cells was introduced.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, September 20, 2002. No reprints without written permission.