Alternate To?

[Leviset]

Did any other Calculator Company (TI,CASIO,SHARP,COMMODORE,ELEKTRONIKA etc.) ever try to produce a competitor desktop programmable Calculator to compete with the HP-97? The only one close that I’ve found so far is The TI-59 combined with the PC-100A - are there others? I don’t want to include the Tandy, Radio Shack,Casio,Sharp that were sold as ‘Pocket Computers).

[ColinJDenman]

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/d...ators.html

has a section on the first programmables. May be of interest.

[Didier Lachieze]

The Sharp PC-1300/1300S from 1978/79 should qualify:

• bigger than a usual handheld calculator
• works on rechargeable batteries
• keystroke programmable
• magnetic card reader/writer
• integrated printer
• in addition it has a 16 alphanumeric characters VFD display
  

See: The Sharp PC-1300S Pocket Computer

I have one that I got from Japan, I'm not sure it has been sold out of Japan.

[Thomas Okken]

How about the Texas Instruments SR-60?

[Valentin Albillo]

(07-17-2019 08:48 PM)Thomas Okken Wrote:  How about the Texas Instruments SR-60?

Certainly.

The TI SR-60 qualifies perfectly though it's actually significantly more powerful than the HP-97 (and much more costly at the time, which is saying something as the HP-97 was no bargain itself).

V.
.

[Leviset]

Thanks for the pointers everyone. I do have the Sharp PC-1500A desktop calculator complete with the CE-150 base unit - everything is functional.
The TI-SR60s are like hen’s teeth and mega expensive if you can find a working unit at all!

[Leviset]

Does anyone know if such a thing as a TI SR-60 emulator exists, either online or as a download? I’ve done a pretty exhaustive check online and I can’t find one.
I did come across a real SR-60 which had sold for €1600!