Category: Calculators

Avionics, Travel, Belize and Other Topics

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

I had mentioned this memory in a piece before, a little over four years ago, but I wish to mention it again and with more details: It was almost twenty-five years ago, at the time of writing this piece, that a certain childhood memory occurred.

The memory entailed me hanging out on the western side of my paternal grandparents (now my cousin and her husband’s) house.

I had a fascination with that side of the house because it is where the electric meter, the gas meter, the telephone network interface, and the cable hookup were located.

All of that fascinated me ever since early childhood and still does, to be honest.

I hated school and wished I could have stayed home, however, I was looking forward to Christmas Break which was coming up shortly.

Also, one of my mom’s students had discarded a calculator, so she picked it up and gave it to me.

That December 1997 morning, I was standing on the western side of the house as mentioned before with that calculator in my school pants pocket.

The weather was slightly cold or at least cold enough to where I could see my breath when I exhale.

While I was standing there, a low-altitude plane was flying over me. I mean that neighborhood is under a considerably busy flight route.

I think children in the 1990s were more imaginative than children of today are, but I imagined myself on that plane helping the pilot navigate with the aid of the calculator in my pocket.

I cannot remember anything about that calculator except that it was a mid-grade scientific model made for or by an office supply company known as Royal. I also would imagine that it came off the assembly line either in the 1980s or very early 1990s, probably no later than 1991. I last saw my sister playing with it sometime in 1999 or 2000.

Also, since my breath was visible in the cold air, I wondered if the pilot and whatever passengers on that plane could see my breath and maybe thought that a ten going on the eleven-year-old child was smoking a cigarette.

In later years, when passing by a certain small airport, I could see the fuel storage tanks from the local road and always thought that everyone near them durn better not be smoking. And then in even later years, I thought how anyone near them durn better be using explosion-proof or intrinsically safe equipment.

I purposely used the word durn, because, for whatever reason, it was forbidden at my school.

Dang and darn were allowed, but durn was forbidden.

I think the teachers and staff at my school liked to make those nit-picky rules because their private parts tingled and oozed at the thought of oppressively controlling [mostly] defenseless children.

Even more fervently, I believe that the teachers and staff at my school must have durn near achieved an orgasm every time they confiscated a handheld video game.

All right, I know that I am slightly off track, but still, I feel the need to say this, because what I mentioned is just the tip of the enormous iceberg of how cruel teachers and staff at my school were.

And just maybe, I harbor this foul attitude towards my school because I have special needs, I’m sure most of my teachers realized I have special needs, and yet they refused to make any sort of accommodations for me nor did they step in when I was harassed by other students, except in really major incidents.  However, the teachers and staff at this wretched school made accommodations for other kids and they feverishly protected other kids from harassment.  They did the literal bare minimum for me.

I just thank God that for a considerable time of me attending that school, I carried a flashlight either on my person or in my backpack and it never once was confiscated. Other students viciously harassed me for my love of flashlights, though.

At one point while writing this, I was hanging out at my adopted sister’s apartment and my adopted niece was stating how she is addicted to hot chocolate. Off the top of my head, I made up a scenario where a long haul truck driver stopped at a travel center, before dawn on a cold December morning filled his rig with Diesel fuel, then went inside and bought a large cup of hot chocolate and several King Size Mister GoodBars then got back on the road. The energy-dense food and drink gave him the nourishment and comfort to effectively drive that rig for the next several hours before needing to stop again.

By the way, the teachers at my school would have sneered at such a profession, although, it is what I would love to have chosen for a career, but am disqualified from it because of the medication that I am required to take.

I know I don’t need one and I don’t plan on purchasing one, but I have had a fascination with calculators designed specifically for aviators. I believe the Texas Instruments TI-58 or TI-59 was a general-purpose calculator but had an available ROM cartridge specifically for solving problems related to handling an aircraft, among other applications. Later there were other purpose-built calculators designed solely for aviation. I would like one of those, maybe or maybe not. There are also slide rules, some even featured on wristwatches crafted for pilots.

This piece was originally supposed to be about aviation calculators and/or flight computers, by the way, but I had to add my other words of whatever you, the reader, perceive them to be.

I do and have had a fascination with calculators since infancy and I think I have made that pretty clear on this blog and other forms of media.

I also have a waxing and waning interest in avionics. I think all of that communications equipment, RADAR, flight computers, and other instruments are so neat. I am greatly fascinated by all other modes of transportation but it seems that aviation has the most interesting equipment.

Soon after that plane flew over, the school bus arrived and I boarded it. I was in fourth grade and it was a rough school year. Honestly what saw me through was my God, although I was not yet saved and my interests outside of school. I felt very relieved that Christmas Break was just days away.

The era in which I am most fascinated by avionics and handheld calculating/computing is the decade of the 1980s. It is the decade in which I was born but also a time when personal mobile phones were not yet widely used and smartphones hadn’t been thought of yet. Because of that, one needed a dedicated electronic device for each task he or she wished to accomplish. And there was something so astounding about that.

On an unrelated note, it was in the 1980s that tactical flashlights became compact, the first being in 1984 with the Mini Maglite. Well, I’ve seen and heard of many pilots carrying Mini Maglites. I carry a vintage Mini Maglite from 1993 in my eyeglass case, but that is for another piece.

I do want to either get Red Mini Maglite Spectrum in either AAA or Solitaire, for nighttime travels.

This desire stems from traveling through the Mississippi Darkness on either the I-55 or I-59 Corridor as a passenger and not wanting to disturb the driver, yet having to locate items in the dark. My Green Mini Maglite spectrum simply doesn’t cut it.

But a Red Mini Maglite Spectrum would be ideal for nighttime aviation, especially for reading instruments in a non-glass cockpit.

Red light is easier on the eyes in total darkness than any other color including and especially white.

SureFire took the idea of compact tactical flashlights and ran with it!

About a year ago I was doing some research about the country of Belize. It seemed like a really interesting place and just about the only place South of the Border, I would want to set foot in, although God is dealing with me about that. The only way I would know how to easily get there without paying too much would be to hire a charter flight or some nice person with a Cessna and possibly take off from KHUM (The Houma-Terrebonne Airport) or possibly even L83 (probably only in a Cessna), then fly over the Gulf of Mexico. What I find amusing is that there is an airport in Belize known as “Gallon Jug Airport”, though there are a few other airports in that country. I’m wondering if anyone who reads this blog wonders what airport I am referring to when I say “L83.” I shall explain: L83 is the callsign issued to the Thibodaux Municipal Airport, which is located in the Thibodaux, Louisiana suburb of Schriever. It is also the small airport I frequently passed by, saw the fuel tanks, and had my thoughts about those standing near them durn better not be smoking and durn well better have intrinsically safe equipment. I thought L83 was a small airport, but it appears that Gallon Jub Airport is even smaller, although it has a nice place to relax, almost on par with a Swiss chalet, and possibly a longer runway, unlike L83. While L83 has a tall tree hazard Gallon Jug has mountains. Maybe I would be better off landing in the capital of Belize City, where I could then go watch marine traffic. Another humorous aspect of Belize is that fried chicken is referred to as fried chicken. I especially appreciate this because some folk from Louisiana’s Bayou Country refer to ground [beef] meat as “grind meat.” From what I gather Belize has quite a few things in common with Louisiana. I wish I could explore Belize on the ground in a Range Rover from the mid-1980s, specifically a 1984 to 1986 model but that is currently just a fantasy. Of course, in that Range Rover, I would have some sort of a scanner radio, that is a given and it would have to be one capable of tuning in both civilian and military aircraft. I would also have an amateur radio transceiver with antennas tuned for 80 Meters, 40 Meters, 11 Meters, 10 Meters, and 6 Meters. I would have to be cautious on 11 Meters because it is no longer an amateur radio band and hasn’t been since 1958. It is the location of HF Citizen’s Band among other things but now in 2022 mostly obsolete except for a few die-hard Citizen’s Band users and hobbyists that have migrated to the now unused portions in addition to the CB portions of 11 Meters. I would probably also have my EDC backpack and in it would be some scanners and portable 2 Meter and 70 Centimeter transceivers.

If you, the reader, didn’t realize, I have been thinking about all of this for some time now!

Maybe God wants me and possibly my wife to do some supportive work for missionaries in Belize and that is why He is putting all this in my head and heart. I’m not sure though. It’s quite possible that my wife maybe is called to be a pastor, but I am happy just as a servant or administrator.

I know my writing performance isn’t at what it usually is, but I will say that it is the end of the month, my breakfast consisted of sliced bread, cane syrup, and sausage, with chocolate milk to drink with that. On top of that, I am feeling slightly under the weather. My wife and I are nibbling on some Chester’s Hot Fries (one of our favorite snacks) as I am finishing up this piece and she is doing some research for her writings.

Life is much better though since I was in school.

One good thing that is still common is that I am looking forward to Christmas as it is my favorite season.

I wish to roast a goose this Christmas as I have done once before but I will have to settle for a turkey.

The reason being is that I already purchased my turkey and even the smallest goose is over $60.

As it turns out, I have just been summoned by my adopted sister to cook some white beans for her and her family, so I will cut this piece short now.

I do enjoy cooking and I don’t mind helping out my adopted family, so I will be on my way shortly.

That means this piece is now concluded.

I hope that you, the reader, have been informed, enlightened maybe even entertained.

May God richly bless you!

Back to “Personal Reflections”

A Review of the Texas Instruments TI-1795SV

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

Just to be clear, I do not own the featured image on this page. I downloaded it from Texas Instruments, converted it from a .png into a .jpg format, and am using it here.  Therefore, I give all credit whereupon credit is due!

It was a summer afternoon in July of 2009.

I was employed at a lumber yard and hardware store in Houma, LA.

I had gotten paid that day, so I drove to the Rite Aid on Saint Charles Street, which was a former drug store chain, to see what I could buy for myself.

Also, I was visiting that store, because my cousin, Douglas Foret, God rest his soul, was employed as a janitor there.

He worked many jobs over the course of his lifetime, and passed away on December 22, 2011, at the age of 80 going on 81.

He worked literally until a day before he died.

I always looked up to him and I enjoyed hearing his stories and making him laugh.

So, I took it very hard at his untimely passing.

And visiting him was my ulterior motive for going to Rite Aid.

He wasn’t there that day, but Rite Aid sold so much more than just prescription and over-the-counter drugs, so I browsed around.

Also, my then-fiancee`-now-ex-wife was recovering from a major shunt revision and I was worried about her. Yes during this point in my life, I did love her, I mean I wound up marrying her. So, I guess I needed some distraction in my life. Might I also add that she wasn’t as mean as she would become, although I was in for a rude awakening. It was that constant mistreatment that killed my love for her. I do admit that the bulk of her meanness is not her fault as she had another shunt malfunction shortly after we tied the knot. This caused brain damage and altered her personality for the worst. Also, believe it or not, couples becoming mean to each other after marriage is one of the curses that God placed on Adam and Eve, the husband becomes inconsiderate to the wife and the wife wants to control the husband. The Apostle Paul, while under the inspiration of The Holy Ghost instructed couples with the following and I will say it even though it is quite unpopular by modern standards. He commanded husbands to love their wives as Christ loves the Church and for wives to submit to their husbands, and that is the mitigation to that curse upon married couples! God has shown me what my future and true spouse will be like and I refuse to settle for anyone else.

There I saw some Hostess Twinkies, a pint bottle of Borden Milk, and a Texas Instruments TI-1795SV Calculator.  The third item is what this piece will be a review thereof.

As mentioned before, for almost as long as I had been fascinated by flashlights, I have also been interested in calculators. I’m pretty sure the interest stems from my mom teaching high school math and therefore needing a calculator to accurately grade her tests and I was usually nearby watching. There was another calculator of which I carried early on at that job, and I also purchased at Rite Aid, a Texas Instruments TI-503SV. It stood the requirements for a lumber yard hand’s job and I was thoroughly impressed by its ruggedness.

The only other time I had seen a TI-1795SV, was in the aftermath of hurricanes because the cash registers in stores were down because of no power, so the cashiers would use this calculator to accurately determine the sales tax of all purchases.

So, I wanted to try it out and therefore purchased it along with the milk and Twinkies.

I promptly ate the Twinkies and drank the milk.

Then I went home and tried out the calculator.

I was pretty impressed by the rugged construction, large keys, and angled clear display.

I even carried it a few times, usually, in whatever EDC backpack I was using.

Over twelve years later, I still have it, though it needs a new battery. However, it still works if there is an adequate source of ambient light available. I keep it in a box of calculators which I have collected over the years.

Below are some of the Key features (with my commentary in parentheses)
Well-spaced keyboard with large, contoured keys for easy operation (well thought of, especially for those of us with bigger fingers.)
Change sign (+/-) key simplifies entry of negative numbers (I don’t see why a cashier would need this function.)
Square root key is useful for schoolwork (I don’t see why a cashier would need this function either.)
Solar and battery powered to work anywhere (This is a great idea, although replacement batteries are hard to find.)
Angled display for easy viewing (This is perfect for a cashier/business setting.)

Might I add there are functions on this model to store the tax rate and easily apply it to the total, which is probably the main selling point. I’m not sure why Texas Instruments did not mention that on their website.

There are also memory and percentage functions available on this model.

Finally, there is also a dedicated battery door to change the battery without having to take the calculator apart-I think this should be an industry requirement for all calculators, actually. My unit requires a single 1.5 Volt LR54 button cell battery. I wish that type of battery was more widely available. However, I pulled it out of my box and put it near the window and it powered on perfectly.

As I mentioned before, I think those who get the most use out of this particular model of Texas Instruments calculator are cashiers when the power to their stores is out for an extended period. These were extensively in use after Hurricane Katrina and subsequent hurricanes, especially at gas stations and convenience stores.

That means that Texas Instruments Calculators do have practical use outside the classroom, as I have pointed out a time or two before!

I give this product a 5 out of 5 stars but I do wish the colors were slightly different.

The part that is Silver should either be black or grey, but that is just my opinion.

All in all, this, therefore, concludes my review of the Texas Instruments TI-1975SV.

I hope that you, the reader, have been informed, enlightened, and maybe even entertained.

May God richly bless you!

Back to “Product Reviews”

A Review of the NiteCore i4000R Tactical Flashlight

Eric John Monier2 Comments

Just so you, the reader, know, I do not own the featured image on this page. Rather it is the property of NiteCore, a Chinese manufacturer of tactical grade flashlights.

I have stated it several times before and I will gladly state it again:

Flashlights made by NiteCore are the best flashlights to come out of Mainland China and quite possibly, the best products to come out of Mainland China period.

I have been a fan of NiteCore flashlights since mid-2017 when I purchased the MT06 tactical penlight.

In January of 2018, I subsequently purchased a NiteCore MT20A and in the latter parts of that year, wrote a review of it.

Then in April of 2020, I purchased a NiteCore i4000R from the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong on eBay and it took over a month to arrive in my mailbox. That said tactical flashlight is what this piece will be a review thereof.

In the time it took for this flashlight to traverse its warehouse in Hong Kong to my mailbox on the outskirts of Houma, Louisiana, I was getting quite annoyed and anxious. I was also paranoid about it being contaminated with the Novel 2019 SARS Coronavirus. Still, I was quite excited when it finally arrived. Immediately, I charged up the battery and when it was full, I began carrying it in my backpack.

The NiteCore i4000R boasts a maximum light output of 4,400 Lumens-that is over four times brighter than a standard household 60 Watt bulb!

It is top-heavy and also features a crenelated strike bezel, which can be deployed in defending oneself.

If that weren’t enough, the tactical strobe feature has a constantly changing strobe pattern, making it even more effective as a self-defense weapon.

This flashlight is primarily marketed to law enforcement, but can also give peace of mind to any civilian who knows how to use a flashlight for self-defense. Furthermore, it can be carried in places where “true” weapons (such as guns and knives) are downright forbidden because legally it is not a weapon!

On an ordinary day, I will usually carry my Streamlight Junior LED flashlight.

However, if I expect any sort of trouble, I will carry my NiteCore i4000R.

I have never had to use it as a weapon, but I know it will give me at least some degree of peace.

I have used my Streamlight Junior halfway as a weapon, when confronting someone knocking on my door or my neighbor’s door at a strange hour. I must admit that both times, the person knocking was harmless and someone we knew, but they were disoriented and stepped back at least a few feet. My Paw Paw, God rest his soul, taught me the tactic of shining a bright flashlight into the eyes of someone at the door, to disorient him or her. Of course, his flashlights of choice were those budget friendly 6 Volt lanterns and, if you, the reader, haven’t figured it out by now, my flashlights of choice are lightweight, compact tactical models. His flashlights put out 60-75 Lumens but in their defense, they had the Candlepower to back those Lumens up. My flashlights, on the other hand, put out hundreds and, in this case, a few thousand Lumens, but overall, don’t have the Candlepower to back those Lumens up. However, his flashlights likely would fail in a truly tactical situation, whereas mine would still be going strong.

Except for self-defense applications, this flashlight would likely be overkill for most civilians. However, to a flashaholic such as myself, this is one of the best flashlights I own. It was even used by me as a self-defense instrument in a dream I recently had.

By the way, this is on par with the best flashlights made here in The States and even those made in Germany!

I will go over some of the features and specifications, as listed by the company website:

As I stated before, the maximum output is 4,400 Lumens, provided by four independently controlled Cree XP-L2 V6 LED circuits.

…Bare with me, my back is starting to hurt tremendously. I’m about to take a Baclofen and chase it with some orange juice. Be right back…

…All right, I am back. It’s my ex-wife’s fault that I have this back injury because she insisted we make groceries on a rainy day, and of course, trying to be a good husband, I gave in to her request, but then I slipped and fell down some wet stairs and though I didn’t know it at the time, I ruined my lower back muscles from the impact of the fall. Now I cannot even write at length, much less almost any other form of work that which I was qualified to do, because of this injury. Of course, she likely feels no guilt about this because she hated the overwhelming majority of my written content…

So with that 4,400 Lumens is a throw of 230 Meters or ~755 Feet and beam intensity of 13,300 Candlepower. According to the company website, this amount of light given off by this illumination instrument is “ideal for law enforcement, assault operations, self defense, search and patrols.”

Also, according to the company website, further elaborating on the four independently controlled LED circuits, which are, “Powered by a constant current circuit to provide durable usage with guaranteed safety.”

The featured rechargeable battery is a NiteCore patented 21700i Lithium-Ion battery.

The strobe featured can be instantly accessed by a dedicated button, even while the flashlight is off! I think this, aside from the tremendous amount of brightness if the best selling point of this flashlight.

And of course, there is the Advanced, Randomly Changing Strobe, which I think is the second best selling point! Human eyes are unable to adapt to the strobe.

There is an anti-impact reverse polarity protection system, which makes this ideal to be used mounted on a firearm!

The flashlight has a built-in charging port that uses a standard USB-C connection and is covered by a metal ring.

Also featured is an advanced temperature regulation system that adapts to the ambient temperature.

Furthermore, there is a last used mode memory, power indicator light which is accurate down to one-tenth of a volt IP-68 water resistance and a 1-meter drop impact resistance.

Finally, the lens is crystal-coated and scratch resistant and the Aerospace Aluminum body is has a military-grade HA-III hard-anodized finish!

The physical specifications are:
Tube Diameter: 25.4 millimeters or 1 inch.
Head Diameter: 32.6 millimeters or 1.28 inches-this makes the flashlight top-heavy and therefore excellent for striking in self-defense tactics.
Tail Diameter: 28 millimeters or 1.1 inches.
Overall Length: 159 millimeters or 6.26 inches-short enough to carry concealed in most hip pockets.
Total Weight: 135 grams or 4.76 ounces or just over a quarter of a pound-will not weigh the end-user down, even for a long period on foot.

The brightness levels are as follows:
Turbo Mode: 4,400 Lumens, 13,300 Candlepower, 230 Meters or ~755 Feet Beam Distance and 30 Minute Runtime.
High Mode: 1,100 Lumens, 3,300 Candlepower, 115 Meters or ~377.3 Feet Beam Distance and 2 Hour, Fifteen Minute Runtime.
…My back is starting to hurt again, but if I take another Baclofen it will be the third one in a twenty-four-hour period…
…I will try and press on but I am in a great deal of pain!…
Mid Mode: 330 Lumens, 930 Candlepower, 61 Meters or ~200.13 Feet Beam Distance and 7 Hour, 45 Minute Runtime.
Low Mode: 50 Lumens, 160 Candlepower, 25 Meters or ~82 Feet Beam Distance and 40 Hour Runtime.
Ultra-Low Mode: 2 Lumens, 4 Candlepower, 4 Meters or~13.12 Feet Beam Distance and 380 Hour Runtime.

By the way, I used the previously reviewed Texas Instruments TI-36 X Pro to convert some of these Metric Units into English Units!

I typically use it whenever I need to express any such measurement in both English and Metric units for my product reviews!

Included Accessories:
NTH20 Tactical Holster-designed specifically for law enforcement and also compatible with MOLLE systems.
CR123 Battery Magazine-in case the rechargeable battery is depleted and there is no charging source nearby.

While I do carry this flashlight in my EDC backpack, I have only carried it on my person for any given amount of time quite sparingly. The last time I carried it was because I had spotted a shady young man walking around my church at night. We were finishing up our evening Bible Study and Prayer Meeting and it does get dark this time of year, but I was escorting two ladies (a mother and daughter) home on foot and did not trust this fellow as far as I could throw him. Thank God, while I was holding the flashlight and ready to deploy it as a defensive weapon, I did not have to. My God is more effective than any weapon ever created! I could think of a handful of other times I was ready to deploy this flashlight but didn’t have to.

All in all, I definitely like this flashlight and I wish American companies could make something of this caliber but at an affordable price.

I give this product a 4.95 out of 5 stars only because I wish the tactical tail switch was better recessed to prevent accidental activation.

Other than that keep up the good work, NiteCore! As much as I hate to admit it, your company is beginning to put American and even German-made flashlights to shame!

I guess this, therefore, concludes my review of the NiteCore i4000R Tactical Flashlight. I hope you, the reader, have been informed, illuminated and maybe even entertained. May God richly bless you!

Back to “Product Reviews”

A Review of the Texas Instruments TI-36 X Pro Calculator

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

Just for the record, I do not own the featured image on this page. I must need give credit whereupon credit is due and the featured image is property of Texas Instruments, inc.

For almost as long as I had been fascinated by flashlights, I too have been fascinated by calculators. Similar to my fascination with flashlights, my fascination with calculators has waxed and waned throughout my childhood and adolescence, but they are both very strong in my adult years.

My two favorite brands of calculators are Casio and Texas Instruments and I like the latter a little more than the former.

I had begun permanently carrying a calculator in the latter parts of 2012, namely a TI-12 Math Explorer (the 1997 version.) In the following months afterward, I also had begun to carry with it a TI-30XA (the current version.)

In March of 2014, my writing had started to evolve, as did my experience in repairing or souping up computers had increased. I had also begun to start doing research more extensively on calculators. Soon, I had realized there was a Texas Instruments TI-36 X Pro that was put on the market some three years before that. It wasn’t long before I wanted one. In June of 2014, I had spent my spending money on a flashlight that I still carry to this day. However, a family member had gifted me $20 from a sum of money he had won at a casino. I didn’t split that money with my then-wife, now ex-wife, because after all, she has a major hang-up about gambling. So, I was free to use that money however I had pleased. We were babysitting two of her nephews that following day and I took them to ride with me to the Houma suburb of Bayou Cane, so I could secretly purchase that said calculator. They kept the secret safe with me and goofed off with me for the entire ride. I stopped at an Office Depot because I knew that was the only store that stocked it locally year-round. Sadly it was out of stock. However, after talking to the sales associate and later the manager, I had learned that I could have it shipped to my residence at no extra charge. Happily, I went with that option, paying the first $20 in cash and the remaining amount after sales tax with my debit card. A brand new TI-36 X Pro arrived on my doorstep a few days later, via UPS. And that said calculator is what this piece will be a review thereof.

As soon as it arrived on my doorstep, I opened it up, then used it to convert one unit used to measure barometric pressure into another unit used to measure barometric pressure. The weather was changing that day, as in quite frequent in Louisiana. I was amazed at the accuracy and precision with which it carried out the conversion. I began carrying it in a dedicated pouch of my EDC backpack along with the Mini Maglite I had purchased earlier that month.

Yes, I will admit that there are plenty of features on this calculator that I will probably never need, nor do I understand what they represent. While I am pretty proficient at arithmetic, I am terrible at almost all other higher level Mathematics. Still, there are certain features on this machine that I frequently use, especially when doing unit conversions or even just simply writing out my monthly budget. There are even base-n calculations such as converting between decimal, hexadecimal and octal, which come in handy with programming higher level scanner radios or if I ever needed to assist a computer programmer or coder.

And not only that, I believe this is the best looking scientific calculator that is currently on the [common] market. Change my mind!

In the days and weeks after purchasing this calculator, I went on to write some pretty wonderful stories and the one that stands out most is my “Grocer and Writer” stories. Maybe the tremendous pleasure I associated with finally owning this calculator created the ideal mental state and electrochemistry to be creative? Of course in the hours before beginning those stories, I took a trip to the New Orleans area.

I have since purchased spare units, but I keep my original TI-36 X Pro in a safe undisclosed location because it does have sentimental value.  It has sentimental value because certain items of mine cause me to have a connection with someone whom I had known in my childhood (January-July of 1991) but since lost all contact with. This calculator and flashlight somehow have that connection. I now think that this girl I had briefly known in my childhood may have been an angel because I spent years searching for her but with no success. She would now be in her mid-to-late thirties, assuming she was born between 1984 and 1987. During most of the year of 2014, which was the beginning of the end of my faulty former marriage, I had begun to desire to find this now young lady again, so I strongly associate the year 2014 in general with her. Before I met my ex-wife and even after to an extent, this girl from my childhood was the inspiration for my writing and was the unknown driving force to cause me to pursue writing. In the latter parts of 2018 until December 4/5 2019, I was in a very loving relationship with a young lady, who in many ways reminded me of the girl from my childhood and was even born in the year in which she and I were, for lack of a better word, together. If you, the reader, poke around in the fiction section of this blog, you will see some of the stories where I have derived my inspiration from this girl I once knew.

My first one came off the assembly line somewhere in China in February of 2014. My current unit, which I still EDC, came of the assembly line somewhere in The Philippines in April of 2017. I’m wondering if the updated units in the Philippines have corrected the software bug that plagued the earlier models?…

All in all, I will now list some of the features and specifications that the TI-36 X Pro has to offer:

By the way, I’ve obtained this information from the company website, but I also added my commentary…

Four-line display-very clear too!

One- and two-variable statistics-I would likely never use this feature, but who knows.

MultiView™ display shows multiple calculations at the same time on screen-Excellent for writing a budget or balancing a checking account!

Select degrees/radians, floating/fix, number format modes-Very useful with navigating with a GPS or several different GPS units!

Choose from three solvers: numeric equation, polynomial and system of linear equations-This would have been nice in high school, but probably would have landed me in trouble! This particular model came on the market five years after I graduated high school anyway.

Display a defined function in a tabular form-The best way to show a function without an actual graph!

Determine the numeric derivative and integral for real functions.
Perform vectors and matrices using a vector and matrix entry window.

The last two features involve high-level mathematics that goes way above my head, but maybe one day, I’ll try to learn it.

The TI-36 X Pro is recommended for the following STEM-related courses:
Algebra I and II-Probably forbidden or at least frowned upon because of its built-in equation solver.
Geometry-Overkill and again probably frowned upon.
Trigonometry-A Graphing model would be of more use.
Statistics-Never took this course, but I can imagine its usefulness.
Calculus-There are features that would come in handy for this course, though I never took it.
Biology-Probably overkill.
Chemistry-Probably is forbidden or at the very least frowned upon because of the permanently stored constants.
Physics-As with chemistry, it’s probably forbidden or frowned upon, for the same reasons, though I never took physics.
Computer science-Could be very useful, especially with those learning programming.
College math-Actually we were required a TI-84.
College science-Never took these courses, but I see where the store constants may be of great use.
College engineering-Never took any of these courses either, but I know this calculator is popular with all engineering.

According to the company website, here is a more detailed list of the functions, some of which I had already commented on:
Review and edit previous entries via a scrollable home screen
Paste inputs or outputs into new calculations
MathPrint™ feature entry and output mode for viewing calculations in math notation, including answers in terms of pi, square roots and fraction
Three solvers: numeric equation, polynomial and system of linear equations
Numeric derivative and integral for real functions
Vectors and Matrices
Symbolic notation of π
Toggle key to change the form of answers between exact and decimal approximation
Stacked Fractions and Fraction functions
Fraction/decimal/percent conversions
Change between improper fractions and mixed numbers
Automatic simplification of fractions
Random number and random integer generator
Central MODE menu for selecting calculator mode settings
Menu settings
Functions accessed directly through keys or through pull-down menus
Negation key
One constant operator feature
Combinations and permutations
Trigonometry
Hyperbolics
Logs and antilogs
Convert angles from degrees to radians to grads
%, x², ¹/x, yˆx, π, x!
Fixed decimal capability
(x,y) Table feature with Auto and Ask-x options
Basic Data/List Editor with three lists
List Formulas
One- and two-variable statistics with permanent stat variable input storage
EOS (Equation Operating System)
Nine physical constants
Eighteen metric/English conversions
Up to eight pending operations
Up to 23 levels of parentheses
Error recovery capability
Quick/easy reset of calculator via two-key press or menu for exam purposes
Eight memory variables (x, y, z, t, a, b, c, d)
Scientific and engineering notation

And here are some of the physical characteristics:
Four-line × 16-character, easier-to-read LCD display
Battery powered with solar cell assistance to lengthen battery life
Auto Power Off
Hard plastic, color-coded keys
Non-skid rubber feet
Impact-resistant cover with quick-reference card
Snap-on protective hard case

Even though, as I had mentioned before, there are some features on this calculator that go way above my head, it is still one of my favorites if not my favorite calculators ever made.

I carry it in a dedicated compartment of my EDC backpack where I store the rest of my tool that which I use to repair or soup up computers. Like most other Texas Instruments devices, it is built very ruggedly and will last, likely way past its obsolescence where it will then be a cool collector’s item.

While I have owned one of these is some way shape or form since June of 2014 and it is December of 2020 at the time I am writing this, I still thoroughly enjoy this device and give it a 4.85 out of 5 stars, only because of the software bug concerning fractions involving Pi.

This, therefore, concludes my review of the Texas Instruments TI-36 X Pro. I hope you, the reader, have been informed, entertained, and maybe even enlightened!

May God richly bless you!

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I EDC a Calculator in addition to a Flashlight

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

Since infancy, I have been highly fascinated by both flashlights and calculators.

Anyone who knows me well enough is already pretty much aware of this.

Because I feel the need to be perpetually prepared, I always carry a flashlight on my person.

Because I think they are cool and useful, I also always carry a calculator in my EDC backpack or on my person.

I didn’t carry both a flashlight and calculator permanently together until late 2012 when I was 25 going on 26.

The combination was a Xenon Mini Maglite painted blue paired with a TI Math Explorer. These are now stored in my tool satchel.

Fast forward to June of 2014, I started carrying a Xenon Mini Maglite painted black with a TI-36 X Pro.

Then in 2019, I would sometimes carry a TI-34 MultiView with either a Mini Maglite painted blue or a Streamlight Jr. LED or both.

In the featured image is my NiteCore i400R paired with a Casio fx-300ES PLUS, which I began carrying in the late Spring of 2020.

The first time I carried a calculator was in early 1995 at the age of 8. It was a discarded Casio fx-991 of some kind that my Mom had gotten from one of her students. But I didn’t pair it with any flashlight.

Then in October of 1996, I purchased a Tiger Electronics Data Pad which was a toy electronic organizer. Sometimes I would pair it with a small flashlight of which, I cannot find any data on. I didn’t carry both of them together that often and they eventually gave out.

In December of 1997, I briefly carried a Royal scientific calculator but I don’t remember the model number. It was another hand me down from my Mom’s students. One morning, while waiting to catch the bus, I observed a low flying plane. I imagined to myself how cool it would be for me to be aboard that plane and using that calculator to assist with computing fuel consumption and other variables needed to fly. I didn’t have a decent pocket-sized flashlight to pair it with.

In the summer of 1998 at the age of 11.5, I purchased what would become my favorite flashlight until I discovered the tactical models, it was a Garrity Mini Rugged Lite, yellow in color. Also around this time, my Mom had purchased a value pack of LeWorld brand calculators and I took the smallest one. It was very compact, maybe the length and width of a bank card, but vertical instead of horizontal. I don’t remember the model number, but if I ever see it on eBay, I’ll purchase it. Anyway, during this summer, my Dad was teaching Special Ed Summer School and was stationed at The School for Exceptional Children in East Houma, Louisiana. Both Special Ed and Regular Ed students were attending there. I would tutor some of these kids and would usually wear a pair of Navy Blue shorts, but had that recently aforementioned flashlight and calculator in each pocket. It was for checking their math problems but also keeping scores on their worksheets they were assigned. I felt pretty important being only 11.5 yet tutoring kids. One of these days in the Summer of 1998, I was shopping while carrying this flashlight and calculator at one of the Rouse’s Supermarkets in East Houma. While I have a photographic memory, I cannot remember if it was the one on East Park or the one on Grand Calliou Road. All in all, I always liked shopping at Rouse’s.

Then after this, I didn’t carry a calculator for about two years, unless I needed it for school. I would still carry a flashlight now and then but would be frequently harassed for doing so.

In January or February of 2000, at the age of 13, I purchased a Value pack of Rayovac Industrial flashlights, a 2 AA, and a 2 D model bundled together for like $8.99. I carried the 2 AA model until it was misplaced. I still have the 2 D model.

In July of 2000, I was shopping for school supplies with my Mom and she purchased me a TI-30 X IIS, the 1999 edition. I carried it at home and school, sometimes with either the aforementioned Garrity or Rayovac flashlights.

In August or September of 2001, I misplaced that Garrity flashlight and quit carrying flashlights for a while. I was more interested in carrying communications equipment instead. I only carried calculators with my school supplies, although the groundskeeper Mister Don Ratcliff, God rest his soul, shared an interest in calculators among other things with me and he always wanted to see my calculator. This trend of not carrying flashlights would continue until 2005, although in late 2003 and early 2004 I would sometimes carry some very budget-friendly flashlights, namely an Energizer Super Charge and a Lumilite Industrial 2 AA, respectively.

On May 5, 2005, I began to carry a flashlight permanently. I have since been through a plethora of different models, but now in 2020, I’m either carrying a NiteCore i4000R or a Streamlight Jr. LED.

In the Summer of 2006, I began carrying a 2 AAA Mini Maglite, which is the smaller Mini Maglite, on and off.

In the Summer of 2007, I was carrying that previously aforementioned flashlight more often and paired it with a really neat LeWorld calculator that was solar-powered and had a greenish segmented LCD instead of the plain black and white segmented LCD I was used to. The iPhone came on the market around this time and I remember saying as I would pull that calculator out of my pocket, “Wait, I have an iPhone too…This is my iPhone!” Well, it did slightly resemble an iPhone or at least I thought so. I misplaced it around 2015 but I wish I knew the model number so I could get another one on eBay.

In December of 2007, I purchased a TI-89 on clearance at Radio Shack and I did carry it on me at times until I sold it in the Summer of 2009. There were several flashlights I had paired it with.

In the Summer of 2008, I was required to use a TI-84 for school, because a TI-89 was forbidden. I flunked that class anyway, twice actually, which was the equivalent of college algebra 101. I’m very deficient in Algebra hence the reason I can repair computers but not program them.

From November 2008 to September 2011, I was working, at least most of that period and didn’t think much about calculators, although I did carry a very basic Texas Instruments model on some of those jobs. At one job, in the Spring of 2009, I was selling shoe molding to a customer and pulled out that calculator to compute how many linear feet to cut for that customer. He ended up tipping me $10 when he saw me pull out my calculator, not bad since I was making only $8.50 an hour! He commented on how I was the smartest yard hand there. Not to blow my own horn, but maybe I was. I know I was overqualified for that job, but hey, it was 2009, all jobs much less good jobs were scarce. I think the fact that I was overqualified was what got me laid off months later. All in all, I had carried that calculator with one of my Mini Maglites or an Energizer 3 Watt Tactical flashlight and a Klein pocket knife. In January of 2010, I acquired a job as a grocer and while I could have used a calculator, I never really carried one save the cheap company-issued units. When I was given the dairy clerk job for that grocery company, I did all of my figurings with pen and paper. There is indeed a calculator made by Casio that is designed for retail and warehousing, but it isn’t readily available in The States. That’s a big mistake on Casio’s part if you ask me. I did always have a flashlight on me at that job and anywhere else. My coworkers took note of it and some even gave me flashlights. Not a single person harassed me about my flashlight interest. In September of 2011, I quit due to drastically reduced hours. I haven’t been employed since.

In 2012, I was frequently helping family, friends, and now ex-in-laws with various do-it-yourself projects. I soon realized a calculator that could do a quick and easy fraction to decimal conversion would be quite helpful. I knew a TI-Math Explorer would fit the bill, so in November of that year, I searched on eBay and found one in near-mint condition for $6.99 and free shipping. I had just enough in my checking account to cover the purchase, so I did. It has indeed helped with many do-it-yourself projects. This was the beginning of me permanently carrying a calculator as well as a flashlight.

I now have a calculator or two in my EDC backpack as well as a few flashlights for whatever situation should arise. They have come in handy quite often and yes I do show off sometimes.

As long as I can help it, I plan to carry a flashlight and a calculator for the rest of my life.

I’m no longer harassed for carrying flashlights but now and then I am still harassed for carrying calculators. However, I frankly don’t give a durn at all.

By the way, there are different ways people pronounce the word calculator and I usually get a big kick out of it. Most say it the normal way, but some say “cack-you-later” and others say “cackle-ater.”

There’s even a rap song about calculators and it is pronounced the first different way.

It always made me laugh hearing that, for so many reasons, even though there is a lot of filthy language in it.

All in all, I guess this concludes my piece about how I carry a calculator in addition to a flashlight.

My back is killing me and not only that, I have to go check on my laundry.

I hope you, the reader, have been informed as well as entertained, and may God richly bless you!

Contact Me

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A Review of the Casio DataBank CA53W-1 Wristwatch

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

For the record, I do not own the featured image on this page, it is property of Casio America, Inc.

I have been fascinated by calculators since infancy.

I am also pretty adamant about wearing a wristwatch, especially one that is accurate.

So, you, the reader, are probably not shocked that I own a wristwatch with a built-in calculator.

I first bought a knock off calculator wristwatch in early 2015, but it didn’t last.

Then in, January of 2019, I bought another one, a Casio Databank CA53W-1, of which I still have over a year later.

This piece will be a review of that said watch.

First of all, let’s go back to January 2019.

I was going out for a night time drive. I drove all the way to the Gulf Coast in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

There is something about cruising those roads in lower Terrebonne Parish that I find good for my soul.

I drove State Highway 56 all the way to its terminus at the Gulf of Mexico in Cocodrie, Louisiana.

Then I turned around and started up Highway 56 again, but turned onto State Highway 57 and drove it all along the lower parts of Bayou Grand Calliou.

Highway 57, especially in the lower parts of Terrebonne Parish is very curvy like a beautiful woman!

I stopped at a convenience store well below Dulac, Louisiana for a bottle of Starbucks Coffee and a Mister Goodbar, which was a frequent snack for me. Well, my peanut allergy has gotten worse, so I no longer eat Mister Goodbar or any other peanut product and I miss them terribly. However, I don’t like breaking out in eczema or any other adverse reactions that will result from me eating peanuts. One other family member of mine has had a peanut allergy since the age of two, but I gradually developed a peanut allergy in my late teens to early twenties but it didn’t get that bad until my early thirties. Peanuts used to be one of my favorite foods and I miss eating them.

…Anyway…

After getting the snack and coffee, I drove Highway 57 all the way to Houma. I wanted to do a little shopping because I had some extra cash on me. First I stopped at a truck plaza but didn’t find anything worthwhile.

Then I went looking around at the Wal Mart on Highway 57 AKA Grand Calliou Road.

I looked around at the sporting goods, then the men’s clothing then finally the jewelry.

I was looking at watches in particular.

There were three watches I previously had in rotation.

My Casio G-Shock DW-5600E which was starting to go on the blink.

My Victorinox Original whose nylon band was tearing.

AND

The Wenger that I only wear on special or formal occasions.

There, I saw a Casio wristwatch with a built-in calculator for ~$20.

I’ve owned several Casios prior to that, and I will say that they are more accurate than the Swiss models I’ve owned and they are built well.

So, without much thought, I purchased it then went home.

As soon as I was home I set it up and synchronized it with the Atomic Clock.

I would end up wearing it for most of the year 2019 and extremely early 2020.

In addition to telling the time quite accurately, it features:
An 8 Digit Calculator with the four arithmetic functions.
A Stop Watch-this came in handy when timing the four-minute intervals to flip my pieces of chicken when frying them.
A Calendar-In case I forget the day of the week or date of the month.
An Alarm Clock-I sleep to heavily to hear it but I suppose I could use it as a reminder to take medication.
An Optional Hourly Chime-Great to know when a new hour is upon me.
A Secondary Time Zone-I set it to UTC because of my amateur radio hobby.

Even though I bought this watch because it has a calculator, I rarely used that feature. This is mainly because the buttons are too small for my fingers. Also, I regularly EDC a calculator anyway. I wore it because it was accurate and to show off my fondness for calculators. It was as if I was making a statement!

Aside from the buttons being a bit small and hard to press, my only other complaint about it is it has no backlight. But maybe that is to make the battery last longer.

It also is not waterproof aside from maybe a little rain, but this isn’t the type of watch one would want to take swimming or diving anyway.

However, for light home or indoor work use, it is perfect!

I wore it until January of 2020 when I bought my second G-Shock, a G100-9CM, which I currently wear.

However, I may still wear this one, especially if I want my inner nerd to come out!

All in all, I give this product a 4.25 out of 5 stars because of the lack of a backlight and difficulty to press the buttons. But the timekeeping is very accurate and makes up for what it lacks.

I guess this, therefore, concludes my review of the Casio DataBaank CA53W-1 wristwatch.

I hope you, the reader, have been informed and maybe even entertained.

Thank you for reading!

Back to “Product Reviews”

Notes on the Texas Instruments TI-36 Calculator

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

I have EDCed a Texas Instruments TI-36 X Pro (2011 version) either on my person, in my backpack or otherwise very near me since June of 2014. It is my favorite scientific calculator ever made!

For some time now, I had also been EDCing a composition book in my backpack and taking notes on subjects that interest me.

This page of notes pertains to the history of the TI-36 calculator and I will cite my main source as Wikipedia. I took these notes on October 14, 2018.

Without further ado, here are the notes:

These are details of the history and specifications of the TI-36.

The Texas Instruments TI-36 began in 1986 as an upgraded variant of the TI-35 Plus with Solar Cells a ten digit mantissa, two digit exponents, twelve-digit internal precision, base calculations (decimal, hexadecimal, octal and binary), complex values, statistics, the ability to convert the coordinates of polar and rectangular angles, an X-Y exchange, percentages, register-current stack exchange, factorial, permutation/combination, fifteen level parenthesis with six pending operation stacks, two operand registers (A,B) and one memory register.

The 1986 TI-35 Plus uses a Toshiba T7767.

The 1986 TI-36 Solar uses a Toshiba T7768 and features trigonometric functions, exponents, logarithms and intelligent order of operations.

They were upgraded in 1989.

The 1989 TI-35 Plus now uses a Toshiba T-7765 and now has a black shell.

The TI-36 Solar features smaller and more efficient solar cells. The Text, “ANYLITE SOLAR” replaces “SCIENTIFIC” on the bottom right of the face.

They were upgraded again in 1991 as the TI-35X or the TI-36X SOLAR and had a similar design of the TI-68, but lacking programming capability and the tilted screen.

There was also the addition of unit conversions such as: centimeters to inches, liters to US Gallons, kilograms to pounds, Celsius to Fahrenheit and grams to ounces, eight physical constants, a three-count register and two variable statistics with linear regression.

Base calculations now include Boolean logic (NOT, AND, OR, XOR, XNOR.)

Other new features included cube roots, fraction mode display and conversion of pure and mixed numbers.

The complex function was removed.

They have fifteen parenthesis stack level.

The 1991 TI-35X uses a Toshiba T6A58S and the 1991 TI-36 X Solar use a Toshiba T6A57.

They were mostly cosmetic upgrades in 1993, featuring redesigns of rubber like keys and a rounder case.

In 1996, the TI-36X Solar was upgraded with recolored labels, solid plastic keys. A bare processor was now attached to the motherboard.

The TI-35 was also discontinued.

In 1999 two variants of the TI-36 were released to the markets:

The TI-36 eco RS featuring a cabinet that was made from recycled plastics.

The TI-36 XII featured a two-line display, 11 5X7 cell characters, could store multiple expressions each holding eighty-eight characters, thirteen digit internal precision, five registers for memory, two registers for expressions, integer division, new unit conversions (meters to feet, meters to yards, kilometers to miles, litres-to UK Gallons and kilometers per hour to meters per second), eight more physical constants in addition to a Pi constant, two variable statistic regression models include natural logarithms, exponent, power, forty-two sample points or pairs can be stored, the binary base calculation was removed, the complex function was restored, supports conjugate, real/imaginary numbers, absolute value, integral calculation, random number generators, stacks were increased to twenty-three pending operations, eight pending values, a D-pad and a restyled cabinet.

2004 brought on another two upgrades:

The TI-36X SOLAR, which was a total cosmetic redesign on the 1996 model design. This new theme was based on the 2004 BA II Plus or the 2003 TI-1706SV.

There was also a slight redesign on the 1999 TI-36 XII, mostly different colored keys.

These were manufactured by Nam Tai Electronics.

In 2005, a talking version of the TI-36 known as the Orion was made to help the visually impaired.

2011 brought about the latest incarnation, the TI-36 X Pro.

Expression lengths were reduced to eight characters. Registers were increased to eight for memory, one for formula and can store three list formulas. Physical constants were increased by four to twenty, conversion sets increased to forty. Binary base calculations were restored.

A plethora of new functions were added:
Least common multiple, greatest common denominator, prime factors summation, product rounded value, integer part of a number, fractional part of a number, greatest integer smaller or equal to the number, minimum and maximum of the two numbers, Modulo calculus numeric derivative symmetric difference quotient method, two variable statistics, quadratic and cubic regressions, distribution functions, normal probability density function, mean=0 and sigma=1, function of x, probability between x boundaries, inverse cumulative normal distribution functions for a given area under the normal distribution curve with a user-specified mean and standard deviation, probability at x for the discrete binomial distribution with user-specified mean and standard deviation, probability at x for the discrete binomial distribution with user-specified trial number and probability of success per trial, cumulative probability at x for binomial distribution with specified trial number of success per trial, probability at y and y for Poisson distribution with the specified mean, statistics results min/max of x values 25/75 percentile, function table formula based generator, manual table Matrix three editable tables, preset 2X2 and 3X3 identity matrices, matrix arithmetic vector three editable tables, preset last matrix/vector result, vector arithmetic, dot product, cross product, polynomial solver 2nd/3rd degree solver, linear equation solver 2X2 and 3X3 solver, Base-N operations, Boolean operators, expression evaluation, complex numbers, polar coordinate entry, polar cartesian display mode angle for complex number.

In 2017 and continuing, the TI-36 X Pro is now made in The Philipines.

The TI-35 and TI-36 lines are the highest end models of Texas Instruments scientific calculators.

TI-36 Calculator History Table:
YEAR……..Model………Processor……..Country of Manufacture
1986……..TI-35 PLUS….Toshiba T7767….Italy
1986……..TI-36 SOLAR…Toshiba T7768….Taiwan ROC
1991……..”” “”………Toshiba T6A57….Italy
1996……..TI-36 X SOLAR.??……………Mainland China
1999……..TI-36 eco RS..??……………”” “”
1999……..TI-36 X II……??……………”” “”
2004……..”” “”………??……………”” “”
2004……..TI-36 X SOLAR.??……………”” “”
2011……..TI-36 X Pro…??……………Mainland China
2017……..”” “”………??……………The Philipines

Notes on the Electronic Calculator

Eric John MonierLeave a comment

Since infancy, I have had a great fascination with calculators, in fact just about as much as with flashlights. This is because they were always around me growing up. Before my dad became a special education teacher, he was a bank executive so therefore he always had a calculator until his career change. My mom has taught high school math since 1980 and she has always EDCed a scientific calculator or two. I had EDCed a calculator on and off since the age of eight and then permanently since the age of twenty-five. Though both of my parents are teachers, I am not. I am more or less of an amateur tradesman, especially in the trades of electrical and computer repair. Because of this, I greatly realize the need to EDC a calculator, though not for the same reason as my parents. For a while, I have been also EDCing a composition book on which I take notes on subjects that I consider important to me. On October 2nd and 3rd of 2018, I did some research on electronic calculators and took notes into my composition book. I am transcribing these notes for others to read.

Without further ado, here are my notes on electronic calculators:

Wikipedia is the source I cite as that is where the bulk of this information comes from.

The first solid state electronic calculator was created in the early 1960s.

Pocket-sized models came avaailable in the 1970s after the first microprocessor, the Intel 4004 was invented.

By the end of the 1970s, basic calculators were affordable to most and became common in schools.

In 1986 ~41% of the world’s general purpose hardware capacity was represented by calculators. As of 2007, it is only 0.05%.

Processor Components:

The Scanning/Polling Unit scans the keypad waiting to receive an electrical signal when a key is pressed.

The X and Y registers are where numbers are temporarily stored during calculations. All numbers go into the X register first, the number in the X register is displayed.

The function for the calculation is stored in the Flag Register until the calculator needs it.

The Permanent or Read Only Memory or ROM is the instructions for built-in functions that are permanently stored and cannot be deleted.

The User or the Random Access Memory or RAM is where numbers can be stored by the user and contents can be changed or erased by the user.

The Arithmetic Logic Unit or ALU executes all arithmetic and logic instructions and produces results in binary code.

The Binary Decoder Unit converts the binary results into decimal numbers which are shown on the display unit.

The clock rate of the processor chip refers to the frequency of which the Central Processing Unit is running. It indicates the processor’s speed and is measured in clock cycles per second and expressed in the unit of Hertz. Basic calculations can vary between a few hundred Hertz to the KiloHertz range.

The first devices used to aid in arithmetic calculations were bones, pebbles, counting boards and the Abacus which was used in ancient Egypt and Sumeria before 2000 BC.

Computing tools started to arrive in the 17th Century with inventions such as the Geometric Military Compass, made by Galileo.

Logarithms and Napier’s bones were invented by Scottish mathematician John Napier of Merchiston (1550-April 4, 1617.)

The slide rule was invented by English and Welsh clergyman, mathematician and astronomer Edmund Gunter (1581-December 10, 1626.)

In 1642, the mechanical calculator was invented by German professor and minister Wilheim Schickard (April 22, 1592-October 24, 1635) several decades before the device invented by French mathematician, physicist and writer Blaise Paschal (June 19, 1623-August 19, 1662.) Schikard’s device used a well-thought set of mechanized multiplication tables to quicken the process of multiplication and division. Paschal’s calculator could add and subtract two numbers directly.

German polymath Gottfried Leibinz (July 1, 1646-November 14, 1716) spent four decades attempting to design a four operation mechanical calculator he called “The Step Reckoner. he was not successful but in the process, he invented “The Leibinz Wheel.”

At that point my medication kicked in and I went to bed, then resumed taking notes on October 3, 2018.

There were five other unsuccessful attempts to design a calculating clock in the 17th Century.

The first successful calculating clock was invented in the 18th Century by Marquess physicist, mathematician and antiquarian Giovanni Poleni (1683-November 1761.)

Assumed Italian inventor Luigi Torchi (1812-?) invented the first direct multiplication machine and the second key-driven machine in the world, following James White’s invention in 1822.

Real developments began during the Industrial Revolution of the 19th Century. This made large scale production of devices that could perform all four functions of arithmetic.

The Arithmometer was invented in 1820 and put into production in 1851. It became the first commercially sold unit and by 1890, 2,500 units had been sold. There were even clone units from Burkhardt, Germany, in 1878 and Layton, UK, in 1883.

In 1902, American James Dalton invented The Dalton Adding Machine with the first push-button interface.

In 1921, American Electrical Engineer Edith Clarke (February 10, 1883-October 29, 1959), the first female professor of Electrical Engineering at UTA invented the “Clarke Calculator” which was a simple graph-based calculator for solving line equations that involved hyperbolic functions. This device gave electrical engineers the ability to simply calculate inductance and capacitance in power transmission lines.

In 1948, Austrian engineer Curt Herzstark (July 26, 1902-October 27, 1988) invented the pocket portable calculator which was called the “Curta.”

Casio released the Model 14-A in 1957. It was the world’s first all-electric compact calculator.

In October of 1961, British Bell Punch/Sumlock Comptometer ANITA, which is an acronym for “A New Inspiration To Arithmetic/Accounting” was announced. It used cold cathode tubes and Dekatrons in its circuits in addition to 12 cold cathode Nixie tubes. There were two models displayed: the Mk VII was for Continental Europe and the MK VIII was for the UK and the rest of the world.

Tubes began to be phased out in 1963 when the American-made Friden EC-130 was built of an all transistor design. It featured a stack of four thirteen digit numbers and a five-inch cathode ray tube. It also introduced Reverse Polish Notation. This machine sold for $2,200.

In 1964 Sharp introduced the CS-10A. It weighed 25 kilograms or 55 pounds and cost 500,000 yen or $4,457.52.

Italian company Industria Machine Electroniche also introduced the IME-84 with several peripherals so several users could make use of it (but not simultaneously.)

Several manufacturers followed including Canon, Mathatronics, Olivetti, Toshiba, Smith Carona Marchant, and Wang. These calculators used Germanium as opposed to Silicon for their transistors. Displays were either Cathode Ray Tube or cold cathode Nixie tubes and filament lamps. Memory was either delayed line memory or magnetic core memory. However, the Toshiba “Toscal” BC-1411 possibly had an early form of Dynamic Random Access Memory.

In late 1965, the Olivetti Programma 101 was released. It could read and write stored programs on magnetic memory cards and display the results on its built-in printer. Memory was achieved with an acoustic delay line and could be partitioned between program steps, constants and data registers. It could be considered the first commercially made personal computer and won many industrial design awards.

Also in 1965 the Bulgarian made ELKA 6521 was released. The name is derived from a portmanteau of ELektronen KAlkulator. It weighed 8 kilograms or 18 pounds. It was the first calculator to feature a square root function. Later in 1965 the ELKA 25 with a built-in printer was introduced. The ELKA 101 was released in 1974 and was ELKA’s first pocket model. It featured Roman script (I guess as opposed to Slavic)since it was exported to Western Countries.

In 1967, the Monroe Epic was put on the market. It was a large printing desktop model with an attached floor standing logic tower. It could be programmed to carry out many computer-like functions. Unfortunately, the only branch instruction was an implied unconditional branch (GO TO) at the end of the operation stack, which returned the program to its starting instruction. Therefore it was impossible to include any conditional branch ie (IF-THEN-ELSE) logic.

During this time period, the absence of a conditional branch sometimes determined the difference between a programmable calculator and a computer.

Also in 1967, Texas Instruments American electrical engineer Jack Kilby (November 8, 1923-June 20, 2005) led the production of the first prototype of a handheld calculator, the “Cal Tech.” It could perform the four basic operations and printed the results on paper tape.

In 1970 a calculator could be produced with just a few low power chips and be powered by rechargeable batteries. Also in 1970, the first portable calculators appeared in Japan and were sold around the world. Models included the Sanyo ICC-0081 Mini Calculator, the Canon “Pocketronic” and the Sharp QT-8B “micro compet.”

Desiring to reduce power consumption, Sharp introduced the EL-8 which was also marketed as the Facit IIII. it was close to being a pocket model and weight 1.59 pounds or 721 grams, had a vacuum fluorescent display, rechargeable NiCad batteries and sold for $395.

In early 1971, the first “Calculator on a chip” the MK6010 was made by Mostek. Also in 1971, Pico Electronics and General Instrument introduced the chipset for the Monroe Royal Digital III calculator.

The Busicom LE-120A “HANDY” was the first truly pocket-sized calculator. It was the first to feature an LED display, first to use a single integrated circuit and the first to run on primary batteries. It measured 4.9 inches by 2.8 inches by 0.9 inches (124 millimeters by 71 millimeters by 23 millimeters.)

The DB800 was made in 1971 in Buje, Croatia, and was the first European made pocket calculator.

The Bowmar 901B was the first American made pocket-sized calculator which measured 5.2 inches by 3.0 inches by 1.5 inches (132 millimeters by 76 millimeters by 38 millimeters) and was put on the market in Autumn of 1971. It featured the four basic functions, a red LED display and sold for $240.

Then in 1972, the first slimline pocket calculator was released. It was the Sinclair Executive. Measuring 5.4 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.35 inches (137.2 millimeters by 55.9 millimeters by 8.9 millimeters), it sold for 79 Pounds.

The first pocket-sized Soviet-made calculator was the Elektronika B3-04 was developed in 1973 and put on the market in 1974.

In 1973, the Sinclair Cambridge was launched. It sold for 29.95 Pounds or $38.40. Because of their lower price, Sinclair units were popular but they were slower and sometimes produced inaccurate results with transcendental functions.

The first Soviet-made, pocket-sized scientific model B3-18 was completed by the end of 1975.

Texas Instruments introduced the SR-10 (SR stands for “Slide Rule.”) It was an algebraic entry-level pocket calculator using scientific notation and sold for $150. Afterward, the SR-11 was released and had a dedicated key for the Pi constant. The following year, the SR-50 was released and added the trigonometric and logarithmic functions. It was a competitor model to the Hewlett Packard HP-35.

In 1976, the Texas Instruments TI-30 was launched and descendants of it are still in production.

In 1978, Calculated Industries made special purpose calculators such as the “Loan Arranger” which was marketed to Real Estate professionals. In 1985 they launched the “Construction Master” which was marketed to the building trades.

Programmable calculators such as the Mathatronics and Casio AL-100 were very heavy and costly.

The Hewlett Packard HP-65 came out in 1974 and had a capacity of 100 instructions and could store and retrieve programs in a built-in magnetic card reader. The HP-25 introduced continuous memory which stored data and programs in a CMOS. The HP-41C was released in 1979 and could be expanded with Random Access Memory and Read Only Memory. It could also be connected to bar code readers, microcassette and floppy drives as well as printers and communication interfaces such as the RS-232, HP-IL, and HP-IB.

The ISKRA123 was Soviet-made, grid powered and released in the early 1970s. The Elektronika B3-21 was developed at the end of 1976 and put on the market in early 1977. Its successor, the B3-34 was widely used and hundreds of thousands of games and program were written for it. The Elektronika MK-52 was used in the Soviet Space Program.

The Hewlett Packard HP-28C was released in 1987 and was the first calculator capable of symbolic programming.

The Casio fx-7000G was released in 1985 as the world’s first graphing calculator.

In 1981, the Hewlett Packard 12-C was the first financial calculator…