Electronic Calculator History and Technology Museum

Welcome to the Electronic Calculator History and Technology Museum. The purpose of this site is to preserve the history of electronic calculators by using the Internet to display information relating to the machines developed during the 1960s and mid-1970s.

From the sale of the first all-electronic desktop calculator in the early 1960s through the transition of calculators to commodity status in the late 1970s, electronic calculators served as an important target for design engineering efforts that resulted in the acceleration of technology during a critical time in the electronics industry. Calculators were the first item that could be sold in large quantities that required development of Large-Scale Integrated Circuits for their success. The R&D efforts put into LSI chip development helped develop new processes & technology that found applications in many aspects of everyday life. The first microprocessor was developed originally as a calculator chip, which served as a springboard for an entire industry.

Unfortunately, because calculators became so commonplace 20 years ago, much of the information and many of the early machines themselves have been thrown away. It is my hope that by using the Internet to create an Electronic-Museum, information about the development of and technology behind early calculators can be preserved for the future.

What's New & Update History

The site is grouped into the three main sections listed in the menu below. Inside each section are photographs and informational articles about early calculators. Please select from the following menu:

Desktop Calculators - Electronic desktop calculators from 1963-1975, plus some interesting later models. Also included in this section is a reference directory of nearly 1000 desktop calculator models.

HP Calculators - Calculators manufactured by the Hewlett-Packard company, both pocket and desktop category machines.

Pocket Calculators - Electronic pocket calculators from the early-mid 1970s of all types (basic, scientific, financial, etc.)


Desktop Electronic Calculator Directory:

This site is now host for a comprehensive directory of desktop calculators built from the mid-60s through mid-70s. Approximately one thousand different models of desktop calculators are listed in this table.

Please click here for access to the directory


Article on Basic Troubleshooting for battery-operated calculators
The Calculator E-Museum is looking for early-model electronic calculators and related items from the 1960s and early 1970s to add to the display. Please click here to see the Items Wanted Page if you have any old calculators or related items that may be of interest to the Archive.

The Trading Post - listing of items available for trading.


Links to other excellent Web sites dedicated to early calculators, computers, and other vintage electronics
This site is now a member of the Calculator Collecting Ring, a collection of sites on the internet dedicated to topics regarding old calculators. Please visit the other sites on the ring.

The Calculator Collecting Ring
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Acknowledgements - A listing of contributors to the museum.
This page is maintained by Alex Knight in the interest of preserving calculator technology and history. All original material is © Copyright 1997-2004 by Alex Knight, all rights reserved. Please send comments to calc05@calcmuseum.com.