Your First Handheld?

[TASP]

(11-21-2015 12:49 AM)Accutron Wrote:  

(11-20-2015 06:15 PM)TASP Wrote:  We had one of these bad boys before the TI.

That's an Olivetti Summa Prima 20. I have a similar motorized version, the Summa Quanta 20. It omits the odd joystick input however.

Imagine the HP41 battery pack wired to a motor geared down enough to operate that beast!

IOW, I'm noting the improvement in efficiency from Babbage's Differential Engine which, I believe, was steam powered, (LOL!) to today's pocket miracles that run on button cells, and a single button cell would have insufficient power to do even one addition on a mechanical 1960s adding machine.

Imagine the power requirements of a WP34s simulacrum implemented with gears and sprockets and cogs and cams and clutches!

[shudder]