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Canon Checkbook Recorder

Date of introduction:	1988	Display technology:	LCD
New price:		Display size:	12 characters, 12+4 digits
Size:	2.8" x 6.0" x 0.35" 70 x 152 x 9 mm³
Weight:	2.7 ounces, 71 grams	Serial No:
Batteries:	CR2025	Date of manufacture:	mth 05 year 1988
AC-Adapter:		Origin of manufacture:	Taiwan
Precision:	8	Integrated circuits:	Toshiba T9840
Memories:	3+90
Program steps:		Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner

The Canon Checkbook Recorder "Money Manager" did not only continue the idea of an Account Manager introduced already in 1982 with the Checkbook and continued with the beautiful Checkbook II but marked the eclipse of its genre.

In addition to the "usual" three checking and credit card account memories found on the original Canon Checkbook, the Checkbook Recorder added:

• Record of checking and credit card account transactions including item, date, and amount. Up to 90 transactions can be stored in three different memory banks
• 12 different categories describing your transactions can be stored, including HOUSE RENT, CAR LOAN, GAS, ELECTRICITY, TELEPHONE, FOOD, and so on.
• Clock and calendar feature from 1901 to 2099. Shows the year, month, date, day of the week, hour, minute, second, and AM or PM.
• Secret function to protect confidential information. No access to the data without the 8-character PASSWORD.
• Three different ways to retrieve data quickly: Sequential search, Date search, Item description search.

The box of the Canon Checkbook Recorder includes a wallet case, ball point pen, instructions, warranty card and a CR2025 battery.

The Checkbook Recorder uses a two-line LC-Display sporting in the upper row 12 alphanumerical characters with a 5*5 pixel font and in the lower row 12 seven-segment digits for numerals providing a perfect user experience.

Dismantling this Checkbook Recorder manufactured in Taiwan in May 1988 reveals a very solid construction centered around a Toshiba T9840 Application Specific CPU. Please notice that this early printed circuit board (PCB) was soon changed to fix an obvious design flaw.

We suspect that this chip includes about 800 bytes of internal memory and might be very similar to the device located in the TI-2700 Mini Data Bank introduced in 1987 and featuring a very similar display specification.

The battery holder of the Canon Checkbook Recorder looks at first glance rather odd but solves a well-known problem from similar devices. To avoid loss of data while changing the battery, you insert first a new battery in the empty slot, move the metal slider from one side to the other, and finally remove the old battery.

Learn more about single-chip calculator circuits used in Account Manager Calculators. Don't miss the Personal Digital Account Register introduced as AccuBalance.

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