DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-30 SLR
With the TI-30 SLR Texas Instruments entered 1982 the market of scientific LCD-calculators powered by solar cells. This calculator was developed and produced in Japan. The electronics of the TI-30 SLR is based on a Toshiba calculator chip with only 9 digits of calculating precision instead of the 11 digits of typical US designs. If you are interested in the calculating accuracy of scientific calculators don't miss the Calculator forensics.
Compare this Japanese design with the slanted TI-55-II, a typical US design of the same year.
A big advantage of the Toshiba design was the smooth and flawless keyboard.
If we trace back the routes of Toshiba calculator chips within the TI-line, we evaluate:
Type | Model | Introduction | First Toshiba IC |
Basic | TI-1750 (1st) | year 1977 | T3532, year 1976 |
Basic SLR | TI-1766 | year 1981 | T6789, year 1981 |
Scientific | TI-25 | year 1978 | T3636, year 1977 |
Scientific SLR | TI-30 SLR | year 1982 | T6824, year 1982 |
Financial | none | T6787, year 1982 | |
Financial SLR | BA-SOLAR | year 1986 | T7917, year 1986 |
It took only a short time between the introduction of a
Toshiba calculator chip and the corresponding Texas Instruments calculators. For
the financial calculators TI used between the years 1978 and 1986 always their
own chips, the missing link could be found with the Canon
Financial calculator.
The TI-30 SLR was a very successful calculator and after a redesign it gave the base of products like TI-35 SLR or even the Galaxy series. You'll find the second version of the TI-30 SLR here.
At the same time with the TI-1766 a basic solar-powered calculator was introduced.
Toshiba? Compare this calculator with the Toshiba SLC-8410.
The TI-30 SLR was mentioned in TI's press release dated August 15, 2002 to celebrate the 35th anniversary of its invention of the electronic calculator.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 5, 2001. No reprints without written permission.