DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM
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DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM |
Texas Instruments TI-2200 Checkwriter (US)
| Date of introduction: | October 1982 | Display technology: | LCD |
| New price: | Display size: | 8 | |
| Size: | 2.7" x 5.9" x
0.25" 68 x 150 x 7 mm3 |
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| Weight: | 2.5 ounces, 72 grams | Serial No: | 84249159 |
| Batteries: | 2*LR54 | Date of manufacture: | mth 02 year 1984 |
| AC-Adapter: | Origin of manufacture: | Taiwan | |
| Precision: | 8 | Integrated circuits: | NEC uPD1833G |
| Memories: | 3 | ||
| Program steps: | Courtesy of: | Joerg Woerner |
National Semiconductor introduced already in 1978 with the
NS103 Data Checker an electronic record keeper
with three continuous memories to track bank and charge account balances with
dedicated keys:
| • Memory 1 [CHK] [DEP] [BAL] [A] • Memory 2 [PMT] [CHG] [BAL] [B] • Memory 3 [PMT] [CHG] [BAL] [C] • Total sum of Memories [GT] |
While the NS103 Data Checker was based on proprietary technology, introduced NEC of Japan with the uPD1833G in 1980 a single-chip calculator circuit that created the blueprint for checkbook-sized Account Manager calculators and thereupon the market got swamped with products based on this design. The uPD1833G simplified the use of the memories by removing the redundant [A], [B], and [C] keys and replaced the inconvenient three-way power-switch of the NS103 Data Checker with two dedicated [ON] and [OFF] keys and a [DS] key to toggle between two entry modes:
| • Indicator (--) Floating decimal with manual insertion of the decimal using the [.] key • Indicator (AM) Add mode with the decimal automatically put in the dollars and cents position (0.00) |
Even the successor of the NS103, known as NS103A, switched its internals to the uPD1833G but we feature some more Account Manager calculators in the Datamath Calculator Museum based on this technology:
| • Canon
Checkbook - Missing the Toggle Key for the decimal mode • Royal LCB 841 - The Art of Perfection in Japan • Royal LCB 835 - Just one Memory (uPD1831G) • This Texas Instruments TI-2200 Checkwriter - Late, but not too late • Unisonic LC 262CK Check Master - Credit Card sized |
NEC of Japan lost some market share with their design for Account Manager calculators in the Eighties, when competitors like Hitachi and Sharp introduced similar chips and finally lost the business completely to Toshiba's "Solar Cells" compatible design. Find more Account Manager calculators in the Datamath Calculator Museum:
| • Canon
Checkbook II - Toshiba inside • Casio CB-80 - Hitachi inside • Unisonic LC 224CK Check Master- Sharp Inside • Texas Instruments TI-2200 II Checkwriter - Toshiba + Solar cells = Winning formula |
Dismantling the featured
TI-2200 manufactured in February 1984 by an unknown OEM in Taiwan reveals a
clean design centered around a NEC uPD1833G single-chip calculator circuit
soldered on a double-sided printed circuit board (PCB) and powered by two small LR54 batteries.
Inspecting the PCB of this TI-2200 manufactured in February 1984 brought our attention to a small mark reading 309T-10,
most likely a reference to Type 309, Texas Instruments, and Revision
1.0 of the design (schematics and layout). We discovered on the
PCB of the Radio Shack EC-306 Electronic Checkbook calculator introduced
together with the TI-2200 a similar number and compiled a list of the
PCB-Marks we discovered on similar Account Manager calculators.
Learn more about single-chip calculator circuits used in
Account
Manager Calculators.
Texas Instruments entered the
market of Checkbook Calculators with the
TI-1880 Checkwriter in 1981, almost 3
years after National Instruments' NS103, but it was nothing else than a basic
calculator put in a fancy wallet. This TI-2200 Checkwriter introduced in October
1982 added Account Manager functionality with three permanent (till you remove
the batteries) Memories and started a very successful product line. We discovered
as of now seven different family members:
| • 1982 - 1984: This TI-2200 Silver, unknown OEM, Americas market • 1982 - 1984: TI-2200 Silver, unknown OEM, European market • 1984 - 1986: TI-2200 Gold, Compal Electronics Taiwan, Americas market • 1984 - 1986: TI-2200 II Gold, Compal Electronics Taiwan, European market • 1986 - 1991: TI-2200 II Solar cells, Compal Electronics Taiwan, Global market • 1991 - 1996: TI-2200 II Solar cells, Compal Electronics Thailand, Global market • 1996 - 2002: TI-2200+, Inventec Corporation Malaysia, Global market |
Don't miss the Corvus CheckMaster introduced by Mostek already in 1975. This rare product retains the balance of your memory even when shut off but uses power-hungry electronics.
If you have additions to the above article please email: joerg@datamath.org.
© Joerg Woerner, December 26, 2002 and February 11, 2020. No reprints without written permission.