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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.



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

© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.