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Calculators: Handheld: Casio Personal-8
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Size (approx): | 73mm x 125mm x 23mm (w,h,d) Weight 116g excluding batteries |
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Power: |
3V DC, 2 x AA size batteries. Also accepts adapter (use AD-2S 3V 0.2W) through a socket on the top side to the far right. | ||
| Case: | Compact smooth two-piece black plastic calculator with full-cover aluminium inset on the front and half of the sides. Both end sections have a ridged design. It does not have an on/off label by the switch as a green dot is exposed on switch-on. Shaped a bit like a hip flask, the rounded corners make it nice to hold. Logo and name are printed on a sticker which sits in its own recess above the display. A neutral and flat display filter gives a clean bright image. Typical Casio buttons, squishy but work positively. | ||
| Display: | 8 digit blue VFD with no ninth digit | ||
| Features: | 4 function calculator with percentages | ||
| Age: | 1975 | ||
| Manufacturer: | Casio Computer Company Ltd, Made in Japan. Serial number inside battery compartment 4132961 and another on the insider of the cover 5233904. | ||
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Comments:
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One of the nicest early Casio calculators around. The logic is poor with no recovery, seven digit negative numbers and negative zero bugs. Very similar to the later 1975 Pocket-8S. |
| Components: | 1 x cpu: Hitachi HD3679 5A53
(January 1975 date code), 28
pin DIL, 0.6" width black plastic 1 x 8 digit VFD; single tube round face NEC LD8120 7 x capacitors 4 x resistors 3 x resistor arrays 1 x transformer module; Fuji MPS 0606 5A-22 Pat No. 427559 (date code January 1975) |
| Boards: | The keyboard assembly (A8S-E4A) is fixed to the front with two screws. It is attached to the floating main cpu board (A8R-1B) via 12 strong wires. The main board has a cut out square hole to accommodate the vacuum seal of the VFD unit, but it isn't needed in this model. |
| Construction: | Remove the screw from within the battery compartment. From the back gently pop the two lugs on the left side and then on the right. Do this by gently pushing in the front section. The rear section will lift away. |
| Logic comments: | The (C) button is used to clear last entry of a number and (AC) to clear the whole calculator |
| Overflow on number input is suppressed, keying in a ninth digit is ignored | |
| An overflow error is flagged by an "E" only in the far right (first) digit and is not recoverable | |
| Divide by zero results in an "E" only in the far right (first) digit which is also not recoverable. | |
| There is automatic constant on all functions | |
| Negative numbers are flagged by a "-" sign in the immediate left digit. As there is no ninth digit you are limited to seven digit negative numbers | |
| This calculator has the "negative zero bug"; key in (0)(-)(1)(=) to give "-1" then (+1)(=) will give "-0" | |
| It also suffers the divide to zero bug: key in (-)(1)(=) to give "-1" then (/)(1)(0)(=)(=)(=) etc until you get "-0" |
