DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
CONCEPT 24 (Version 3) distributed by Zayre Corp.
| Date of introduction: | October 10, 1976 | Display technology: | Fluorescent |
| New price: | SRP $19.99 | Display size: | 8 |
| Size: | 5.3" x 2.9" x
0.8" 134 x 74 x 21 mm3 |
||
| Weight: | 3.8 ounces, 108 grams | Serial No: | C292547 |
| Batteries: | 2*AA | Date of manufacture: | year 1976 |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Hong Kong | |
| Precision: | 8 | Integrated circuits: | Rockwell A5901CA |
| Memories: | 1 | ||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
Zayre Corporation was founded in 1956 by Stanley and Sumner Feldberg in Hyannis, Massachusetts as a discount department store chain. Zayre launched already in August 1975 the CONCEPT series of portable electronic calculators with the introduction of their first
CONCEPT 24.
The Zayre CONCEPT Calculator Series culminated in June 1976 with the introduction of the Texas Instruments
CONCEPT I, CONCEPT II, and
CONCEPT III calculators based on the
TI-1200, TI-1250, resp.
SR-16 II but disappeared already in August 1979 with the clearance sales of the
CONCEPT COMPACT calculators.
The CONCEPT 24 calculator in its
3rd design, aka
Style 8161, looks familiar to us and we think immediately about the Canon
Palmtronic 8M, i.e. the LD-8M 3.
But comparing the two calculators side-by-side proofs easily that the CONCEPT 24
is an original design of an unknown OEM (original equipment manufacturer)
in Hong Kong.
We
are eager to discover the true manufacturer of this CONCEPT 24 Version 3
calculator and decided to disassemble it completely. Not really difficult, the
calculator doesn't use any screws, everything is snapped-together. The backside
of the main printed circuit board (PCB) lists just a PCB identifier and the logo
of the PCB manufacturer, not helpful for us. The keyboard assembly list a
company named ETCO and a useless number of a patent application. The AW280
designator could be a model number of the calculator but we aren't sure about
it.
The
final step of removing the main PCB shows a nice layout centered around a
Rockwell A5901CA single-chip calculator circuit but didn't reveal what we were
looking for. Another "unknown" CONCEPT calculator, sold as Privileg
Super 50 in Germany.
The 3rd design of the CONCEPT 24 calculator was introduced in October
1976 and discontinued already in January 1977 with the blow-out sales of the
CONCEPT I, CONCEPT II, CONCEPT 10 and even the 2nd
design of the CONCEPT 24 calculators.
Fellow collectors - if you own a Zayre CONCEPT calculator, please report us the serial number and
date code from the back of the calculator
for our Database.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, February 5, 2010. No reprints without written permission.