DATAMATH

DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM

Texas Instruments TI-1606

Date of introduction:	1985	Display technology:	LCD
New price:		Display size:	8
Size:	3.9" x 2.4" x 0.25" 98 x 62 x 6 mm³
Weight:	1.0 ounces, 29 grams	Serial No:
Batteries:	n.a.	Date of manufacture:	mth 02 year 1985
AC-Adapter:		Origin of manufacture:	Taiwan (C)
Precision:	8	Integrated circuits:
Memories:	1
Program steps:		Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner
		Download manual:	(US: 1.3 MByte)

The TI-1606 could be called one of the smallest, thinnest and lightest "Portrait-Style" solar powered calculator manufactured by (or more accurate for) Texas Instruments. Compare it with the TI-1626 introduced in the same year and the later TI CARD calculator TI-1786.

Dismantling the featured TI-1606 - a non-reversible process - manufactured in February 1985 by a non-disclosed Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in Taiwan for Texas Instruments reveals a clean design centered around an unknown single-chip calculator circuit soldered on a double-sided printed circuit board (PCB) and powered by four small solar cells and surrounded by just a few discrete components.

While the TI-1626 uses a rather unusual electrical connection between the solar cells and the PCB with a flexible PCB, sports the TI-1606 a traditional design with hand-soldered wires instead.

Inspecting the PCB of this TI-1606 calculator brought our attention to a small mark reading S25T-11, together with the leading "C" in the Date code of the calculator we assume that it was manufactured by Cal-Comp Electronics. We noticed a similar mark reading S4T-10 already with the TI-1780 introduced in 1984 and started compiling a list of the PCB-Marks on calculators manufactured by OEMs for Texas Instruments.

With the TI-1505 a sibling powered with a thin coin shaped battery was introduced in the same time frame.

If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.