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Texas Instruments TI-50

Date of introduction:  June 11, 1978 Display technology:  LCD
New price:  $35.00
 $32.95 (SRP Sep. 1980)
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:  2970248
Batteries:  2*LR44 Date of manufacture:  wk 19 year 1979
AC-Adapter:   Origin of manufacture:  USA
Precision:  11 Integrated circuits:  TP0321
Memories:  2    
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner
    Download manual: (US: 7.1M Bytes)

The TI-50 was the first US-built slimline scientific calculator from Texas Instruments. It used a low-power CMOS integrated circuit manufactured by TI instead the Toshiba circuit in the previous TI-25. Another big advantage of the TI design was the great AOS system with up to 3 pending operations within 15 parenthesis.

TI-50_PCB.jpg (33510 Byte)Manufacturing costs of the slimline models were not too high, the complete calculator uses one flexible printed circuit board (Flex-PCB) with the integrated circuit and a LCD-module. You won't find any soldering or usage of screws within the calculator. 

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

The keyboard is similar to the SR-40 or TI-1200 designs and they suffer all from the same problem of bouncing.

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

An example of the Basic slimline series:

• TP0311    TI-1030

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

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

The TI-50 was introduced together with a dozen other products by Texas Instruments at the Summer Consumer Electronics Show, June 11-14. Don't miss the original press release.

We discovered recently with the Sharp EL-503 a scientific calculator with the TP0327 single-chip calculator circuit, closing the missing link between the TP0326 located in the TI-38 and the TP0328 known from the Jeppesen Sanderson avstar. Don't miss the Radio Shack EC-497.

Find here an excerpt from the Texas Instruments Incorporated leaflet CL-199J dated 1981:

Slimeline TI-50

The powerful scientific calculator that retains memory contents even when turned off.

Provides over 60 functions, including statistics and the most commonly used logarithmic and trigonometric operations. Two fully arithmetic memories, plus TI’s Constant Memory* feature which allows both to retain stored data, whether the unit is turned on or off. Saves continuously used constants, values, and statistical data.
Statistical functions include mean, and both standard deviation and variances for sample and population data.
AOS* (algebraic operating system) entry system, with 15 sets of parentheses and up to 4 pending operations. Enter calculations as usually written, left to right.
Up to 1,000 hours of normal operation on a single set of batteries.

* Registered Trademark of Texas Instruments Incorporated

© Texas Instruments, 1981


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

© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.