Russian RPN calculator series Elektronika MK

[ekrampitzjr]

I have bought several of the MK calcs from TAS. Most came from Ukraine, and as described, they arrived surprisingly quickly.

Scams have been a serious problem with vendors and companies from the former Soviet Union. I knew people reselling Russian collectibles, such as model vehicles, who were badly burned in the 1990s dealing with people over there. Apparently the Russians thought ripping off others was how capitalists all made their money, but after the demise of the Soviet Union no one made any real attempts to educate them about how the Western systems were supposed to work.

The key is to check the seller's approval rating. Usually TAS weeds out sellers with poor reputation anyway, but for me anyone selling from that part of Europe must have a 99+% reputation. Then I have no fear about the transaction.

Managed to get a very nice MK-56 in the original box (though that box was not pristine; see below) and all its goodies this way. That was the desktop version of the MK-54/-61, and it works well off 120 V with an adapter to produce 240 V. Paid more for it in that condition, but it was worth the over $100 spent.

The boxes will never be pristine. They will always be shopworn, probably with some tape to patch tears. But I have never received an MK that didn't work after being assured it did.

Don't quote me on this, but I think the value of the goods usually has to be over US$1,000 before US Customs imposes duties. By contrast, in some Western European countries duty is imposed seemingly no matter how small the value.

Just my two cents' worth.

[mfleming]

(06-01-2019 07:59 PM)ekrampitzjr Wrote:  Don't quote me on this, but I think the value of the goods usually has to be over US$1,000 before US Customs imposes duties. By contrast, in some Western European countries duty is imposed seemingly no matter how small the value.

I can confirm your guess from my own experience. Bought some castings from a U.K. company a few years back for slightly over $1K and received a call from the shipper that I would have to pay a duty before the package could be released from customs. Other purchases over the years for less were never taxed. I do feel sorry for Europeans on that point. The closest I've experienced was living in Texas - no income tax, but a tax on just about every transaction you can imagine!

~Mark

[grsbanks]

(06-01-2019 07:59 PM)ekrampitzjr Wrote:  Don't quote me on this, but I think the value of the goods usually has to be over US$1,000 before US Customs imposes duties. By contrast, in some Western European countries duty is imposed seemingly no matter how small the value.

I can confirm that. I live in the UK and when I bought the MoHPC USB stick I was charged an extra £14 (ca. $17-$18). £8 was "processing" fees charged by Royal Mail and £6 (i.e. about 20% of the value) was the actual import duty. I'm expecting to have to pay about £60 ($75) when my 41CL board arrives.

[cdmackay]

Yup, I just paid £13 for an HP-IL cable from the US, and ended up paying £18 on top to the Royal Mail before it would be delivered. Ouch!

OT: Why did you get your 41CL board from outside the EU?

[grsbanks]

(06-02-2019 02:26 PM)cdmackay Wrote:  OT: Why did you get your 41CL board from outside the EU?

Because they're only available from Systemyde (Monte Dalrymple) over in California, or so I thought. Maybe I was wrong.

[cdmackay]

(06-02-2019 02:29 PM)grsbanks Wrote:  Because they're only available from Systemyde (Monte Dalrymple) over in California, or so I thought. Maybe I was wrong.

sorry, my mistake; not only did I not realise that Monte is in the US for some odd reason, I also didn't realise that the online shop I got mine (in Spain) already-installed in a 41CV doesn't actually sell the boards alone, only an install service, either in a 41 they supply, or your own.

sorry, need more coffee!

and sorry for dragging this thread off-topic

[Felix Gross]

As there seems to be considerable interest in Russian calculators, I want to point out the following chapter

Chapter 10
“The Man with a Micro-calculator”: Digital Modernity and Late Soviet Computing Practices

by Ksenia Tatarchenko

in the new book

T. Haigh (ed.), Exploring the Early Digital, History of Computing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02152-8_10

The article is not focused on technical details but more on the electronics industry in the relevant time period.

Felix

[toml_12953]

(05-22-2019 05:40 PM)burkhard Wrote:  Regular AA batteries fit the MK52 *very* tightly... stresses things more than I would like. The flat-top ones, being a little shorter, are better. I would recommend these.

The MK61 is much better in that regard. I just got one from the Ukraine and standard Energizer alkaline batteries fit in perfectly with no strain on the case whatsoever. If you're worried about your case, put in AAA batteries and if they're not long enough, fill the gap between the end of the battery and the terminal with wadded up aluminum foil (unless you're in a British English speaking country in which case you'd use aluminium!) The foil trick works in a pinch when you have no AA batteries but do have AAA's. Of course you'll get a bit less runtime but the drain on a calculator is small, other than from the florescent display.

[toml_12953]

On my Электроника MK61, when I am degree mode tn(90) returns 6.3137516. inverse tn of that returns 90.

Is this normal behavior for this machine?

[_nmr_]

In this picture calculator is in gradians mode and returns 6.3137516 from tan(90).
Degree mode turns on by swith to letter "Г".

[toml_12953]

(06-07-2019 03:51 AM)toml_12953 Wrote:  On my Электроника MK61, when I am degree mode tn(90) returns 6.3137516. inverse tn of that returns 90.

Is this normal behavior for this machine?

My bad! The angle selection switch looked like it was all the way to the right (degrees) but there must have been some dirt or something in it so I was getting results in grads. I moved the switch back and forth a few times and now it works fine. tn(90) gives eggog (Error).

[Karl-Ludwig Butte]

(06-04-2019 07:26 PM)Felix Gross Wrote:  As there seems to be considerable interest in Russian calculators, I want to point out the following chapter

Chapter 10
“The Man with a Micro-calculator”: Digital Modernity and Late Soviet Computing Practices

by Ksenia Tatarchenko

in the new book

T. Haigh (ed.), Exploring the Early Digital, History of Computing, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02152-8_10

The article is not focused on technical details but more on the electronics industry in the relevant time period.

Felix

Thanks a lot, Felix, for this very interesting link. It complements nicely the information I found in the book "Electronic Brains" by Mike Hally, Joseph Henry Press, Washington D.C. 2005 (ISBN: 0-309-09630-8). This very readable book tells stories from the dawn of the computer age from around the world including USSR and Australia among others. Recommended for everyone interested in computer history. Unfortunately, I'm not aware if it is available online.

Best regards

Karl