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Calculators: Handheld: Elka 101 (type I) (orange)
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Size (approx): | 70mm x
136mm x 30mm (max) (w,h,d) Weight 126g excluding batteries |
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Power: |
6.0V DC, 4 x AA size batteries. Does not accept an adapter. There is a yellow ribbon to aid battery extraction. If the power drops below 4V then all the decimal points are displayed. | ||
| Case: | Lovely solid orange backed calculator with smooth rear and slightly matt black front piece. Brushed aluminium panel with black printed text surrounds switches. Back top of calculator is raised by about 30 degrees and the orange display filter raised even more with a "fine-line" design. The lower front edge has the brand and model number printed in white. A typical 70s design that was also available in yellow (and more colours). The keys are bouncy and a little hollow sounding. | ||
| Display: | 8 digit red LED with bubble lens and ninth digit for minus sign, error and memory flag | ||
| Features: | Four function with percentages and two function memory. Switch for accumulator memory on/off. | ||
| Age: | This one is 1974 but the design goes back as far as 1973. | ||
| Manufacturer: | Produced by ISOT, exporter: ISOTIMPEX. Made in Bulgaria. Serial number 033925 on sticker in battery compartment. | ||
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Comments:
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Unusual Bulgarian design with great bold colours. You can see a same model in green. The logic is OK even though it is the archaic semi-RPN with good recovery but let down by the pseudo fixed decimal bug. However, the lovely solid, coloured case and clear flat red LED display make up for this - one to have! The text on the aluminium strip is prone to being rubbed off - my image has been heavily processed. The original case is soft black plastic with a three-quarter side and top zip. |
| Components: | Main
Board: 1 x cpu: Rockwell A1030PE 15330 7423 (week 23 of 1974) 42 pin staggered DIL, 0.6" width 2 x logic chip Texas SN75492AN 7349 16 pin DIL, 0.3" width 11 x transistors 10 x diodes 9 x resistors 5 x capacitors 1 x transformer TP022 Keyboard Assembly: 1 x 5 digit (red plastic) bubble lens led unit 1 x 4 digit (red plastic) bubble lens led unit 6 x diodes 8 x resistors |
| Boards: | Small cpu board is connected to the full sized keyboard and display board by 29-way ribbon cable. The keyboard assembly and main board is secured using the case fixing screws. |
| Construction: | Remove the four screws on the back. Two of these screws are hidden inside the battery compartment and two under the bottom rear label. The case easily separates. |
| Logic comments: | The (C) cancels the last number entered on the first press, and clears the calculator on the second |
| Input overflow is suppressed, keying in a nine digit number ignores the ninth digit | |
| The calculator is reverse polish notation logic: to do 5-3 key in (5)(+)(3)(-) to give "2". The equals is only used on multiply and divide making this really a semi-RPN calculator. | |
| Overflow shows the result and "C" ("E" if negative) in the far left (ninth) digit and is recoverable using (C) | |
| Divide by zero shows zero and "C" in the far left (ninth) digit and is recoverable using (C) | |
| There is automatic constant on multiply and divide only | |
| The memory on switch puts the calculator in auto-accumulation mode: every result of equals is added to the memory | |
| Memory store is indicated by the decimal point of the far left (ninth) digit. The manual calls this "memory busy". | |
| You can store an overflow in memory which is recoverable but the answer is the overflow result recovered. | |
| The calculator suffers the pseudo fixed decimal bug: key in (1)(+)(0)(.)(0)(0)(0)(+) to give "1.000" which will remain as a fixed three decimal point number until an answer required more digits. |
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The scan to the left shows the quite small cpu
board with lots of components. Not all would fit on, so some space for
extra components is made on the keyboard/display board.
Notice the staggered pin configuration of the main IC from Rockwell. |
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The manual measures 95mm by133mm and has 16
black and white pages in English only. There is therefore plenty of
space for instructions and examples.
Quote: "Your ELKA 101 8-digit pocket calculator is light and compact. You can take it anywhere with you. But with its universal applications, high speed and high reliability, it is comparable with machines that are much larger and more expensive." Quote: |
