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Texas Instruments TI-38

Date of introduction:  1979 Display technology:  LCD
New price:  $33 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:  
Batteries:  2*LR44 Date of manufacture:  wk 18 year 1981
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  Italy
Precision:  11 Integrated circuits:  TP0326
Memories:  1    
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Andreas Krause

The TI-38 was a simpler version of the TI-35 introduced in the same year. Instead of the statistical functions of the TI-35 two conversion functions were added: DD<->DMS (Decimal Degrees to Decimal/Minutes/Seconds) and P<->R (Polar to Rectangular coordinates). The goal was to replace the TI-30 but market acceptance kept low. 

Simply by comparing the designation of the integrated circuits of the calculators you'll get the first members of the slimline family:

TP0320    (CD3201) TI Investment Analyst 
TP0320    (CD3202) TI-30-II 
TP0321    TI-50
TP0322    TI-Business Analyst-II
TP0323    TI-53
TP0324    TI-35
TP0326    TI-38 and TI-20

Don't miss the TI-20 based on this TI-38.

In 1984 the era of the slimline calculators was over and Texas Instruments introduced a family of three calculators manufactured in Taiwan:

TI-30 III   
TI-35 II
BA II

Don't miss the rare Business Card, probably the missing calculator using one of the TP032x chips.

TI-38? Read more about Chinese Lucky Numbers.



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

© Joerg Woerner, January 6, 2002. No reprints without written permission.