DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-1890 Converter Kit
| Date of introduction: | 1981 | Display technology: | LCD |
| New price: | $22 (October 1981) |
Display size: | 8 (5 + 2) |
| Size: | 5.3" x 2.9" x
0.35" 134 x 74 x 9 mm3 |
||
| Weight: | 2.9 ounces, 82 grams | Serial No: | 1946825 |
| Batteries: | 2*LR44 | Date of manufacture: | wk 15 year 1983 |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | USA (ATA) | |
| Precision: | 9 | Integrated circuits: | TP0455/CD4509 or TP0456/CD4559 |
| Memories: | 3 | ||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner | |
| Download manual: | 
(US: 3.8 MByte) |
This
interesting machine based on a TI-35 is really a converter. Giving the
US citizens a
chance to work with the International SI units, it converts easily between
old-fashioned yards, inches, gallons and ounces to the modern meters, centimeters,
liters or grams. The TI Converter has 194 built-in conversions and was delivered
together with the "Calculator and Converter handbook" that guides
step-by-step through common household and work related projects.
Success in the United States? I don't think so, I used this
machine to give you the above data in inches and ounces.
Comment from the editor:
"I lived in Germany till June 24, 2006"
Interested in converting calculators? Have a look on the Cessna Sky/Comp.
Within the Datamath Museum the TI Converter is placed due to
the housing and calculator chip in the "Scientific Calculators" album,
nevertheless the number TI-1890 is the name of a BASIC calculator. Four years later the converter functions were
really adopted to basic
calculators, view the TI-1889.
The first calculator performing metric conversions was
introduced already in 1974 with the Canon FC-80.
Recently fellow collector Stefan Klaes discovered an early
TI-1890 Converter with a Date code of ATA3781
(manufactured in Abilene, TX during week 37 of the year 1981). Dismantling this
calculator reveals with the CD4509 single-chip calculator circuit the
"buggy" version of the later CD4559 found in the pictured model on the
left. Read more about the TP0455 and
TP0456 CMOS calculator chips here.
Tired of converting weight, capacity, length and temperature units back and forth? Don't miss the MicroManager converting weight into power and time. No kidding!
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, January 3, 2002. No reprints without written permission.