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Calculators: Handheld: Sharp EL-8118 (Elsimate)
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Size: |
79.5mm x 137mm x 22.5mm (w,h,d) Weight 138g excluding batteries. |
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Power: |
3V DC, 2 x AA size batteries and recommends rechargeable batteries EA-18B, 2.4V. It accepts an adapter/charger (EA-17E, 3V 0.3W) through a top side socket on the far right. | ||
| Case: | Modern slim line two piece plastic case in smooth dark brown and beige. The front is dominated by a wrap around brushed aluminium panel. This is printed red, white and black for the brand, model number and switch labels. A flat and slightly proud green plastic display filter gives a good bright image. The keys are soft and bouncy but work well enough and have deep engraved symbols. | ||
| Display: | 8 digit green VFD with a ninth digit for negative, memory and error indicators | ||
| Features: | Four function with powers, squares, reciprocal, pi, mark-up, delta percent, percentages, rounding, exchange register, square roots, sign change and one four memory. Switched floating, fixed and financial decimal modes (with auto rounding). | ||
| Age: | 1976 | ||
| Manufacturer: | Sharp Corporation, made in Korea, serial number 68125249 on a sticker in the battery compartment. | ||
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Comments:
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Stylish slim with a high quality solid feel and unusual switches on the edge. Quirky right hand extra digit is typical of Sharp but this has elements of a Casio clone with the individual key escutcheons. The logic is reasonable and only let down by: suffering from a lack of consistent recovery, limited automatic constant and the divide to negative zero bug. |
| Components: | 1 x cpu: Hitachi HD37351
6G13 (date code 13th July 1976) 28 pin DIL , 0.6" width
black plastic 1 x nine digit VFD unit: Futaba 9-ST-12 6G (July 1976) flat faced single tube 2 x transistors 6 x diodes 3 x resistors 6 x capacitors 1 x transformer: TDK 1373 Japan |
| Boards: | The main cpu board (F1382) sits loosely on top of the keyboard assembly (HDK F1383CC) and is joined by a 14-way split ribbon cable. The latter is attached to the front with a couple of plastic lugs. Oddly the lower side switch makes contact with the numbering area of the keyboard assembly. |
| Construction: | Remove the screw in the battery compartment. It is then quite difficult to open as there are two internal lugs on the top and bottom edge and one on each side. You have to try and push in the rear section. It is quite tricky so be warned - damage can easily result. I found it easiest to start with the top side and work around. The rear eventually lifts off. |
| Logic comments: | The (C-CE) key is used to cancel entry on the first press and clears the whole calculator on the subsequent press |
| Overflow on the input of a number is suppressed, typing in a ninth digit ignores the last number | |
| There is automatic constant on multiply and divide only | |
| Negative numbers are flagged by a "-" sign in the far right (ninth) digit thereby allowing full eight digit negative numbers. | |
| A divide by zero shows zero and "C" in the far right (ninth) digit and is not recoverable | |
| Overflow shows the result with "C" ("E" if negative) in the far right (ninth) digit and is recoverable using (C/CE) | |
| Memory store is indicated by a decimal point in the far right (ninth) digit | |
| Overflow in memory maintains the original number | |
| The change sign function can be used in mid number entry but not before | |
| A side switch changes from floating decimal (F) input mode to fixed 4,2 and 0 input mode. It also allows for "accounting" [A] input mode where (1)(2)(3) is shown as "1.23" | |
| Negative square roots are not allowed and show the result with an "E" in the far right (ninth) digit and is recoverable using (C-CE) to a negative number | |
| To mark up a number the MU key key can be used: mark up 10 by 10% by keying in (1)(0)(X)(1)(0)(MU) to give "11" to mark down (discount) key in (1)(0)(X)(1)(0)(+/-)(MU). It can also be used to show the percentage difference. The question of what 5 is a percentage difference to 10 can be calculated by (1)(0)(-)(5)(Delta%) giving "100" percent difference | |
| The (^v) key is the register exchange so keying in (9)(/)(1)(^v)(=) gives the result of 1/9 | |
| I'm not sure how the (% 5/4) key works - can anyone help? | |
| This calculator suffers the divide to zero once bug, key in (1)(0)(+/-)(/)(1)(0)(=)(=)(=) etc to eventually get "-0" which then goes to "0" |
