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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM

TI Programmable 57

Date of introduction:	May 24, 1977	Display technology:	LED-stick
New price:	$79.95, £49.95 $40.00 (October, 1981)	Display size:	8 + 2
Size:	5.8" x 3.2" x 1.4"
Weight:	6.5 ounces	Serial No:	1246799
Batteries:	BP6, BP7	Date of manufacture:	wk 32 year 1977
AC-Adapter:	AC9131, AC9132	Origin of manufacture:	USA
Precision:	11	Integrated circuits:	TMC1501
Memories:	8
Program steps:	50	Courtesy of:	Joerg Woerner
		Download manual:	(GER: 12.579 kB)

Introduced together with the TI-58 and TI-59 the TI-57 represented the low budget programmable calculator of that epoch and replaced the SR-56. Unbelievable that this powerful calculator made use of the one-chip approach of the SR-40 calculator.

A sales brochure of 1977 says: "The key to its value is a remarkable advance in integrated circuit technology - a single MOS/LSI chip with the equivalent capacity of 30,000 transistors". Well, today the guys of TI integrate millions and millions of transistor on one chip.

A novel step was the squeezing of key entries into program code, the time before the memory hold the key codes. This technique allowed up to 3 key entries (i.e. INV-2nd-sin) to be compressed into one program step. Sure that marketing sold a calculator with 50 memory places as a calculator with 150 program steps !

Please read this interesting comment from Anders Persson: "However, it was actually possible to pack up to four keystrokes in one step, not only three. An instruction like INV-2nd-Prd-4 would still fit in one step (code -39 4). Admittedly, not many instructions took four keystrokes - perhaps this is the only one...".

If you are interested in the calculating accuracy of scientific calculators don't miss the Calculator forensics.

Early in production (about wk 36 year 1977) TI changed the battery pack and the related connector and charger from the SR-51-II style to the TI-55 style. The battery packs are not compatible, don't use a BP6 with a AC9132 charger !

Simply by comparing the designation of the integrated circuits of the upper line "Majestic" calculators, you'll get the all members of this family:

	TMC1501 TI-57
	TMC1502 MBA
	TMC1503 TI-55

Later in production the metallized TI logo was replaced with an unmetallized. This gives in total 3 different US versions. View here the TI-57 w/o chrome. Finally we should add an early TI-57 assembled in Italy with different styling.

The TI-57 was sold under the label of Radio Shack as EC-4000.

The calculator was available till the year 1982.

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