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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-55 III (Taiwan)
Date of introduction: | 1985 | Display technology: | LCD |
New price: | Display size: | 8 + 2 | |
Size: | 5.8" x 2.8" x 0.85" 147 x 72 x 22 mm3 |
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Weight: | 3.0 ounces, 84 grams | Serial No: | 2292623 |
Batteries: | 2*LR44 | Date of manufacture: | mth 04 year 1985 |
AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Taiwan (I) | |
Precision: | 11 | Integrated circuits: | TP0456/CD4555, CD4556 |
Memories: | 1-8 | ||
Program steps: | 56-0 | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
Download leaflet: | ![]() |
The
story of this TI-55 III manufactured in Taiwan is somewhat difficult. Texas
Instruments introduced already in the year 1981 with the TI-55-II
a successful scientific calculator in a slanted design. Due to quality problems
of the keyboard and the high manufacturing cost in the US the calculator was
redesigned and the production shifted beginning of the year 1985 to Taiwan. We
know the rare TI-55 II (Taiwan) using still the
calculator chips of the original TI-55-II in a new housing (2nd generation
slanted calculators) with a greatly improved keyboard design. Marketing decided
to change the name of this 2nd generation TI-55-II and we got this TI-55 III for
the US market and the otherwise identical TI-56
elsewhere.
The
Date code on the backside of this TI-55 III
reveals a well known contract manufacturer: Inventec
Corporation, Taiwan's largest company assembling electronic calculators.
Please
notice the
small screw inside the battery compartment of this TI-55 III, calculators
manufactured by Compal
Electronics in Taiwan avoid it.
Even
the printed circuit boards (PCB's) of the two siblings manufactured in Taiwan
differ completely. Inventec Corporation placed both Integrated Circuits (IC's)
on one side, Compal Electronics used both sides of the PCB.
To make the story more confusing Texas
Instruments decided to shift the production of the slanted calculators during
the year 1986 back to US and Italy (European market). Don't miss the US
manufactured TI-55 III and the Italian
TI-55 III.
In the year 1986 the design of the 2nd generation slanted calculators was slightly changed:
• The TI logo moved from bottom left to
the top right of the calculator |
We know from other TI consumer products like the entire Speak & Spell line a similar movement in the corporate identity during the year 1986.
Between
1985 and 1986 Texas Instruments created an amazing number of different designs
in the "Second Generation - Slanted LCD" calculator series just by
moving production to Original Equipment
Manufacturers (OEMs) in Far East, moving manufacturing
back to their own facilities and revising the design. Please click on the
picture at the right as a switchboard to all known versions of the Second
Generation Slanted LCD calculators.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, November 20, 2002. No reprints without written permission.