Canon Canola L100A

The Canon Canola L100A preceded the first desktop calculator manufactured by Texas Instruments - the TI-3000 - about one year. The external design of both is very similar, the differences are internal. 

Instead of the later single-chip calculator electronics found in the TI-3000 and its sibling TI-3500 the L100A uses two chips. The display module is very similar to the later Panaplex™ manufactured by Burroughs found in the TI desktop calculators. The high-voltage drivers needed in this design reside in the black modules (6248 for the digits and 6249 for the segments) between the calculating circuits and the display.

In Texas Instrument's history of calculator chips the L100A plays an important role. If you remember the four LSI-circuits of the L100 you will find in the L100A only two chips of a later generation but one step in front of the single-chip calculator chip. The same chip set was used with the wonderful early pocket calculator LE-10 introduced in the same time frame.

Please compare the quick evolution of the calculator technology:

The next desktop calculator in Canon's line was the L800 sporting the TMS0105 single-chip calculator chip and the somewhat larger L100S using the TMS0106 single-chip calculator chip.

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

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