DATAMATH  CALCULATOR  MUSEUM

Texas Instruments BA-20 Profit Manager (1990)

Date of introduction:  1990 Display technology:  LCD
New price:   Display size:  10
Size:  4.7" x 5.0" x 0.80"
 120 x 128 x 20 mm3
   
Weight:  3.9 ounces, 110 grams Serial No:  
Batteries:  LR41 (30µA) Date of manufacture:  mth 07 year 1990
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  Taiwan (C)
Precision:  10 Integrated circuits:  Inventa LI3163
Memories:  1    
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner

Compared with the original design of the BA-20 Profit Manager introduced in 1986 this later model lacks the switch to select between battery and solar cells operation.

Dismantling this BA-20 Profit Manager manufactured in July 1990 by Compal Electronics in Taiwan reveals a clean design centered around an Inventa LI3163 single-chip calculator circuit soldered on a double-sided printed circuit board (PCB) and powered by four solar cells. The small LR54 (LR1130) backup battery from the first design disappeared apparently with the switch - please notice that the PCB still sports the contacts for the omitted switch. We couldn't locate any differences between this BA-20 manufactured in July 1990 by Compal Electronics in Taiwan and a second BA-20 manufactured in September 1990 by Inventec Corporation in Taiwan (The Inventa chip was located in the unit from Inventec though). Production of the BA-20 was in Summer 1991 consolidated to an Inventec Corporation facility in Malaysia before shifted to China.

Please notice the clock module used with the TI-1798 and BA-20 Profit Manager next to the calculator display is powered by its own small LR41 battery. Later designs like the stylish EUROPA 10 powered the clock module directly from the calculator electronics and omitted the extra battery.

Inspecting the PCB of this BA-20 Profit Manager calculator brought our attention to a small mark reading IOBA20-02A, we spotted similar PCB-Marks already with the TI-1796 and TI-1798. We started compiling a list of the PCB-Marks on calculators manufactured by OEMs for Texas Instruments.

The third generation of the BA-20 Profit Manager introduced in 2000 omitted the integrated clock.

In Europe a very similar calculator was sold as TI-620.

Don't miss the rare TI-10 Profit Guide combining similar functions in a much smaller housing.

 



The BA-20 Profit Manager is featured in the Texas Instruments Incorporated sales catalog CL-1233 dated 1994.

 

horizontal rule

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

© Joerg Woerner, April 5, 2020. No reprints without written permission.