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Texas Instruments SR-16 II

Date of introduction:  August 1975 Display technology:  LED-stick
New price:  $49.95 Display size:  8 + 2
Size:  5.8" x 3.2" x 1.3"
 147 x 81 x 32 mm3
   
Weight:  5.7 ounces, 163 grams Serial No:  204909
Batteries:  3*AA Date of manufacture:  wk 44 year 1975
AC-Adapter:  AC9180 Origin of manufacture:  USA
Precision:  8 Integrated circuits:  TMS1016, 2*SN27882
Logic:  Chain    
Memories:  1    
Program steps:   Courtesy of:  Joerg Woerner

The SR-16 II followed soon in the steps of the rare and famous SR-16. It uses a very similar housing to the SR-50A but gives a rather boring appearance with the few black keys and the printed keyplate. The rare SR-40 prototype was sandwiched between the SR-50A and SR-16 II. 

This SR-16-II introduced in 1975 gave already a first impression of the best-selling Texas Instruments scientific calculator ever, meet the TI-30 introduced in 1976.

Dismantling the featured SR-16-II manufactured in October 1975 by Texas Instruments in their Lubbock, TX facility reveals a very clean design centered around a TMS1016 single-chip calculator circuit, supported by two SN27882 digit drivers for the 12-digit LED display and powered by three AA-sized alkaline batteries with a simple step-up converter.

The TMS1016 is actually one of the few calculator applications of the famous TMS1000 Microcomputer family introduced in 1974, later products used usually modifications of the TMS1000 to reduce manufacturing costs.

A rare sibling of the SR-16 II was sold with the CONCEPT III. All three known CONCEPT models based on Texas Instruments calculators seem to be very rare, don't miss the CONCEPT I and CONCEPT II.

You'll find similar calculators in the Basic-Album, view for example the TI-2550 II. Very unusual is the poor calculating precision, the internal resolution is only 8 digits. If you are interested in the calculating accuracy of scientific calculators don't miss the Calculator forensics.



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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.