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Calculators: Handheld: Canon Palmtronic 8 (aka LD-84)
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| Size (approx): |
72mm
x 130mm x 20mm (w x h x d) |
| Power: | 3.0V DC using 2 x AA size batteries. It accepts an adapter (3V DC 0.4W) through a socket on the top side to the far left. |
| Case: | The case is two-piece mottled black plastic. It is brick shaped with rounded front vertical edges and a full-ridged design on the front top area. A metallic gold and black label bears the make and model number and sits in its own recess. The keyboard surround is shiny brushed aluminium. The neutral display filter is flat, flush and shaped like the case and gives a clean bright image. The springy keys are long travel with a soft click and work very well. |
| Display: | 8 digit blue VFD with a ninth digit for negative, error and memory indicators. |
| Features: | Standard four functions with percentages, square root |
| Age: | est. 1976 |
| Manufacturer: | Canon Inc., made in Japan. Serial number from the sticker on the inside of the battery cover is 390238. |
| Comments: | Nice feeling quality calculator with a design that covered quite a few models. The logic is very good with good recovery system but let down by negative square roots. The original case if soft black plastic, open top with front and rear cut outs. It is embossed Canon on the front and Japan on the back, but looks a little too small. |
| Components: | 1 x cpu; NEC µPD946C R66246, 28
pin DIL, 0.6" width 1 x 9 digit VFD unit, single glass tube flat faced: Futuba 9-ST-20 6C (suspect this is March 1976) 2 x transistors 5 x diodes 7 x capacitors 4 x resistors 3 x resistor arrays 1 x transformer |
| Boards: | The main cpu board (EH1-0037-03 Canon Inc) sits loose on top of the keyboard assembly. The keyboard is joined by 20 strong copper wires and fixed to the front with one screw. |
| Construction: | Quite difficult to open - try using a finger nail to pop one of the sides, gently squeezing in the back. Then pop the other side and carefully hinge off the rear from the top. If in doubt - don't force it. |
| Logic comments: | The (CI) key is used to cancel an entry whilst the (C) clears the whole calculator |
| Input overflow is suppressed inputting an ninth digit is ignored | |
| Negative numbers are shown with a "-” in the far left (ninth) digit thereby allowing full eight digit negative numbers. | |
| There is automatic constant on all four functions | |
| Divide by zero shows zero and “u” in the far left (ninth) digit and is recoverable using (CI) | |
| Overflow shows the result and “u” (or “o” if negative) in the far left (ninth) digit and is recoverable by using (CI) | |
| Negative square roots are allowed and result in a negative number | |
| The percentage key in isolation will divide by 100 |
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