DATAMATH

DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM

Canon Pocketronic

Date of introduction:	April, 1970	Display technology:
New price:	$395	Display size:	n.a.
Size:	8.3" x 3.9" x 1.9"	Printer technology:	Thermal
Weight:	1 pound 15 ounces	Serial No:	410383
Batteries:	6NiCd AA + 7NiCd 2/3AA	Date of manufacture:	year 1972
AC-Adapter:	Charger 21	Origin of manufacture:	Japan
Precision:		Integrated circuits:	TMC1730, TMC1731, TMC1732, SN21893
Memories:
Program steps:		Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner

Today we can assume that the people at Canon Inc. were heavily impressed by the Cal-Tech project started at Texas Instruments in September 1965 and finshed in 1967. Both companies developed together the Canon Pocketronic, the first calculator based on Large-Scale-Integrated (LSI) circuits. A total of three LSI circuits was necessary to do the four basic calculations with numbers of 6 to 12 digits. The production of the calculator was done in Japan but uses a lot of components manufactured by Texas Instruments. Beside the LSI-circuits they delivered the print head of the thermal printer and the transistors. Please note that the paper is running out in a horizontal matter compared to the later vertical style of printing calculators. A nearly identical calculator was manufactured from Canon for Monroe. Explore the rare Monroe 10.

This Canon Pocketronic is the most important calculator in the histoy of Texas Instruments.
Take your time and enjoy the next 8 pictures.

A side view of the sleek Canon Pocketronic. The paper runs out from the small slit.

Two Thermal Paper Tapes used instead a conventional display.

The inside view of the Pocketronic:

	Upper left: Print head with driving electronics
	Upper right: Paper feed mechanism with driver coil
	Middle right: Printed circuit board (PCB)
	Lower part: Keyboard

The print head magnified.

That's all ? No, this picture doesn't show the three LSI-circuits mounted below of the visible PCB. The visible PCB with the plastic encapsulated IC is only a later correction of some timing signals of the printer head.

The bottom shell of the housings holds 6 AA-sized batteries and 7 2/3-AA sized batteries. All are rechargable NiCd style.

The back of the calculator gives simple instructions how to use the Pocketronic.

The Pocketronic Charger 21 delivered with the calculator.

One of the PCB's of the Pocketronic changed with time, please find picture of three versions here.

The Pocketronic was later replaced with the Pocketronic II.

The next calculators in Canon's line was the L121 using four instead the three LSI circuits driving a 12-digit Nixie tube display. Withi some month both the desktop model L100 and the the wonderful pocket sized LE-10 appeared.

Don't miss the Sharp EL-8 and Sanyo ICC-0081.

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