DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Canon Canola L121F
| Date of introduction: | 1972 | Display technology: | Panaplex |
| New price: | Display size: | 12 | |
| Size: | 10.3" x 9.5" x 2.8" | ||
| Weight: | 4 pounds 6 ounces | Serial No: | 200697 |
| Batteries: | n.a. | Date of manufacture: | year 1972 |
| AC-Adapter: | 220V | Origin of manufacture: | Japan |
| Precision: | 12 | Integrated circuits: | TMS0201, TMS0302 (TMC1815, TMC1814) |
| Memories: | 1 | ||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
The
Canon Canola L121F followed the famous Canola L121 with
its unique combination of Large-Scale-Integrated (LSI) circuits and a Nixie tube
display.
It represents a typical desktop calculator available in 1972.
Due to the limited digit capabilities of the TMS0100 calculator-on-a-chip series, Texas Instruments developed the TMS0200 Chipset for 12-digit desktop calculators. This TI-4000 introduced in 1973 marks the first application based on the TMS0200 Building Blocks and makes use of the TMS0200 Data Chip named TMS0201 and the TMS0300 ROM Chip named TMS0301 accordingly. Later designs added either the TMS0220 Printer Chip (TI-500), or the TMC0400 ROM/Register Chip (SR-22), or both of them (TI-620).
From the technical view the L121F is from very high interest, it marks with the TMS0201 Data Chip and TMS0302 ROM Chip the first third party application of the TMS0200 Chipset and we can easily follow the timeline of Texas Instruments' calculator chips.
Please compare the changes in complexity of the chipset during the fast paced evolution of the calculator technology:
| Type | Year | Digits | Chipset |
| L100 | 1971 | 10 | TMC1737, TMC1753, TMC1754, TMC1807 |
| L100A | 1971 | 10 | TMS1824, TMS1825 |
| L100S | 1972 | 10 | TMS0106 single chip |
| L121F | 1972 | 12 | TMS0201, TMS0302 |
The display module is very similar to the later Panaplex™ manufactured by
Burroughs found in the TI desktop calculators.
The next desktop calculator in Canon's line were the
nearly identical L1210 adding the square-root function, the L800
sporting the TMS0105 single-chip calculator chip and the somewhat larger L100S
using the TMS0106 single-chip calculator chip.
The neat styling of the housing was continued with the Canola F-11 statistical desktop calculator and the Canola L1632.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, May 23, 2002. No reprints without written permission.
