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Calculators: Handheld: Commodore 899D
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Size (approx):
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75mm
(max) x 147mm x 25mm (max) (w,h,d) Weight 112g excluding batteries. |
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Power:
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9.0V DC, 1 x PP3 size battery. Also accepts adapter (No. DC-620 or 505, 506 or 507) through a socket on the top side to the far right. |
| Case: | Cream coloured matt plastic two-piece case with matt black keyboard surround. Typical bright Commodore keys that are squishy but positive. A heavily sloping, convex red plastic display filter gives a good clean display though with limited angle of view. The Commodore logo is printed black on a metallic sticker that sits in its own recess in the top section |
| Display: | 8 digit red bubble-lens LED with a ninth digit for error, memory and negative signs. |
| Features: | Four standard functions with percentages, parentheses, reciprocal, squares, square roots, change sign, register exchange, pi and five function memory (including memory register exchange). However, you cannot use parenthesis and memory at the same time [see below]. |
| Age: | 1976 |
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Manufacturer:
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Commodore made in Japan, serial number 07009, rear sticker Part No. 201021-02 |
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Comments:
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Fatter shape than most to accommodate all the extra keys. Bold three-colour button system is now supplemented with grey ones for extra functions. Solid logic from this much more flexible calculator is let down by the lack of recovery and Nines Square root bug. |
| Components: | 1 x
cpu: Commodore 3D-31-2A 7610 (week 10 of 1976) 24 pin DIL 1 x 9 digit single unit bubble lens LED display |
| Boards: | The keyboard board (Ref 200 991 2780 412 made in Japan) is fixed to the front using ten screws. This is attached to the main cpu board (PCB 201011, TW-17 Rev A) via a 14-way ribbon cable. |
| Construction: | First remove the two screws at the back. From the rear, use a small screwdriver to push the lugs to the outside in the lower lug recesses. The back then lifts off by hinging off the two small top lugs. |
| Logic comments: | (C/CE) is used once to cancel the last number entered and a second time to clear the whole calculator. |
| There is automatic constant on all four functions | |
| Input overflow is suppressed, inputting an ninth digit is ignored | |
| Negative numbers are shown with a "-" in the immediate left hand digit travelling into the ninth to allow eight digit negative numbers. | |
| Divide by zero shows "E00000000" (no decimal point) and is recoverable by dividing by one | |
| Overflow shows the result with "E" (negative or positive) in the left most (ninth) digit and is recoverable by continual division by 10. | |
| Negative square roots are not allowed and show "E" followed by all zeros and the original number. | |
| Memory is indicated by the far left (ninth digit) decimal point | |
| (MT) is used to total and clear the memory whilst (X-M) is used to exchange the memory with the current register. | |
| (X-Y) is used to exchange the current display with the register | |
| The square root of 99,999,999 is 9999.999, losing one digit on the end | |
| The percentage key divides the result by 100 and can be used to recover overflows. |
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This calculator-sized box measures 85mm x 160mm
x 40mm (W x H x D) and is printed in three colours with a
"jazz-tech" image. This particular example has printed model
number sticker on the front. Printed in Japan it comes with an
internal card sleeve to add stiffness.
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The black and white manual is in three
languages; English, German and French. It has 32 printed pages including
some "notes" sides. Simple and clear with only one major
error in the examples.
Ref 201027-04, printed in Japan. Quote: "Your calculator thinks with 'People Logic.' Engineers refer to it as 'Algebraic Logic.' This simply means that your machine accepts examples in the very same sequence you would write them down on paper and that is common-sense 'People Logic.' Quote: "Important: The parenthesis keys occupy the very same storage register as do the memory keys. Therefore, memory and parenthesis CANNOT be used simultaneously. If data is in memory, use of the parenthesis will cause the previously stored data to be discard3ed and replaced by the parenthetical information." |
