DATAMATH

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
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.

From the technical view the L121F is from higher interest, it uses the TMS0201, TMS0302 calculator chip set developed by Texas Instruments. The chip set consists from on Data chip (TMS02xx) and one (TMS03xx) or two (TMS04xx) ROM chips. Both integrated circuits use 40-pin housings to drive a 12-digit display instead the 10-digit capability of the single-chip (TMS01xx) or first two-chip (TMS1824, TMS1825) solutions. Texas Instruments itself used this chip set with the SR-20, SR-22, TI-4000 and TI-450 calculators.

Please compare the quick evolution of the calculator technolgy:

Type	Year	Digits	Chip set
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.