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john carruthers03/01/2018 08:03:24
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617 forum posts
180 photos

Yesterday I did the first little job of the year, a thrust washer in brass, 77mm ID, 103mm OD, 1.1mm thick to go on the bottom end of a mate's polar axis shaft....
polar shaft assembled.jpg

Howi03/01/2018 08:55:17
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442 forum posts
19 photos

Was that made by Ivor Biggun by any chance?

Neil Wyatt03/01/2018 09:12:04
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19226 forum posts
749 photos
86 articles

laugh

Robin03/01/2018 11:01:45
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678 forum posts
Posted by Mark Rand on 02/01/2018 21:13:13:

Hmm. Hadn't even thought of that. It's so much work to get rid of things that are cluttering up the shed!

You are assuming the rest of the world to be incompetent, and it usually is, but someone with a use for such a monster as this should be fairly well equipped for a bit of soldering.

Muzzer03/01/2018 12:24:42
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2904 forum posts
448 photos
Posted by Robin on 01/01/2018 22:55:19:

As our American chums would say, "Heads up!". Today i bought a Casio fx-451M calculator NIB from America on that auction site. If you ever had one you will know why this is amazing. Solar powered but there is an internal battery to retain mode selections, you have to know where to make the incision if it goes flat. He has 4 more face 22

Here's what's in our office desk ATM. 2 programmable scientific calculators from the mid / late 80s and a modern model.

Casio clutch

The old ones were pretty expensive at the time but Casio always seemed to be pretty easy to use. I did a lot of work with these, first at uni (engineering), then in my first job (power electronics and magnetics design) where the fx-4000p did a lot of messy calculations such as fringing flux, gapping sizes etc. Then in the late 80s, we started to see PCs (Supercalc was the first spreadsheet program, predating 1-2-3) and since then, they are a minority sport

The modern one is widely used in schools these days and costs under a tenner. It's better in every way, as you might expect.

As you might also expect, during our time there the Canadian schools mandated the use of "Texas Instruments" scientific calculators. They looked like a slightly noddy version of the equivalent Casio but naturally they cost over $100(!!). That seemed typical of the protectionist / rip-off arrangement between the "local" brand owners and the authorities, despite the fact that they were made "abroad" and probably only rebadged in the first place. The Canadians just love to get ripped off.

Murray

There's a list of Casio calculators here, including production dates etc.

Edited By Muzzer on 03/01/2018 12:26:07

clogs03/01/2018 14:00:40
630 forum posts
12 photos

Muzzer,

never could understand why true Canadians have let the French language contaminate the rest of the country anyway.........

no different here, the French only buy French even if u can buy better for cheaper......

crazy world.......

my best friend took his kids back to Holland because the local schools refused to teach the kids English....

his kids can now speak German, English, Flemish and French.........

dont get me into talking about saying 80.......in belgium they have a dedicted word for 80.....why not here....hahaha......

clogs

Martin W03/01/2018 14:22:50
940 forum posts
30 photos

Muzzer

In the early days of calculators I seem to recall a company that provided calculators and I think early desk top machines called CBM or Canadian Business Machines which were even available here in the UK. Nothing like supporting your own economy sarcastic is there.

Cheers MartinW

ps

Like the list of Casio calculators though.

norman royds 203/01/2018 16:02:51
48 forum posts

are they made chine

V8Eng03/01/2018 16:14:23
1826 forum posts
1 photos
Posted by Martin W on 03/01/2018 14:22:50:

 

In the early days of calculators I seem to recall a company that provided calculators and I think early desk top machines called CBM or Canadian Business Machines which were even available here in the UK. Nothing like supporting your own economy sarcastic is there.

Cheers MartinW

ps

Like the list of Casio calculators though.

 

I thought CBM was Commodore Business Machines (founded by a Canadian), I also seem to remember our works ones (Pets) running the aformentioned Supercalc.

If my memory serves correctly Commodore also made the very popular C64 machine etc plus the Amiga.

Edited By V8Eng on 03/01/2018 16:20:23

Clive Hartland03/01/2018 16:16:23
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2929 forum posts
41 photos

You have not mentioned, 'Sinclair' calculators. They came on the market in the UK also with a little FM radio which you made up from a kit, if it did not work you sent it in and it came back working. It had a little bulb type earphone.

I still have 2 Sinclair calculators, one a Scientific calculator. Very useful in the early days. Of course Clive Sinclair is famous for the C5 trike car ?

Clive

Robin03/01/2018 16:23:58
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678 forum posts

I couldn't afford the posh Sinclair calculator but I got the cheap one in kit form. Later I was given the posh one by my college tutor which was fun.

Muzzer03/01/2018 17:04:38
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2904 forum posts
448 photos

Yes, CBM made the range of PET computers before the PC was invented. The later models offered staggering 32k and 96k memory but by then the end wasn't far off. These ended up as the basis for the C64 which played its part in the dreaded home computer episode. I used PET 3000 / 4000 machines during my year off before uni when I worked at ICI Petrochemicals (anyone remember ICI??) where we used them for real time, closed loop control of industrial processes. They were much more cost effective than PDP11s etc.

The Canadian government is situated in the East of Canada (the parliament is in Ottawa) where there is the greatest concentration of French, particularly near Quebec. Consequently it seems they have a disproportionate influence on the federal government. Before the Scots bothered to arrive, the French believed themselves to have "won" Canada for themselves but it wasn't long before they learned otherwise. To this day and despite a couple of failed attempts at autonomy, the Quebecois still feel aggrieved at the lack of their own country there. I'd say I heard less French in Vancouver than you'd hear in London which is surely how it should be, although by law, all product packaging throughout Canada must be bilingual and schools must offer "French Immersion", whereby all lessons are provided in French to those who want it.

Murray

Oldiron03/01/2018 18:39:38
1193 forum posts
59 photos

My wife & I show mechanical calulators, slide rules both rotary & linear also some very early digital calculators. on the steam fair circuit in the awning display area's. We also have a lot of related manuals and books. We have a huge collection and believe it to be one of the biggest outside of a museum in the UK. We reckon on there being probably a 1000 pieces in the collection so we only show a small part of it.

We took over the collection from my father in law who is a Professor of mathematics. He started collecting them in the very early 60's when he saw that manual mechanical machines were being overtaken by electro mechanical and would soon be superseded by electronics.

We find it a fascinating hobby. My wife is an engineer and strips, cleans and rebuilds them. I make any parts needed in the workshop for her. We have a room in the house where some are on display.

At one show we met a chap from Wellingborough who apparently designed the "Sinclair" calculators.

We have an invitation later this month to the Rolls Royce Heritage Centre in Derby to have a look through their archive collection to see if we can fill in any gaps in our collection.

If anyone see's us any shows just say hello and stop for a chat.

regards

jimmy b03/01/2018 18:58:47
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857 forum posts
45 photos
Posted by john carruthers on 03/01/2018 08:03:24:

Yesterday I did the first little job of the year, a thrust washer in brass, 77mm ID, 103mm OD, 1.1mm thick to go on the bottom end of a mate's polar axis shaft....

Respect!

Jim

DrDave03/01/2018 20:26:14
264 forum posts
52 photos

In my last year at school, dad brought one of the new-fangled Hewlett Packard calculators home from the office. The RPN system seemed strange at first, but then I “got it”. Consequently I have used HP calculators through my professional life & have two on my desk at the mo. For anything more than the most basic equation, I find the reverse notation far quicker & easier than trying to use brackets on a “normal” calculator. Unfortunately, they are becoming hard to find now (but I have an HP calculator app on my ‘phone, just in case!).

Dave

Neil Wyatt03/01/2018 20:53:45
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19226 forum posts
749 photos
86 articles

My Dad was sent free samples of the Black Watch (semi-kit) and Cambridge Memory Calculator.

As he already had an Elsi Mini calculator, I got both. Teachers insisted on taking me round the school to demonstrate the watch to their mates. It ate batteries at an astonishing rate.

Neil

Ian P03/01/2018 21:23:12
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2747 forum posts
123 photos

HP41C & Android.jpgThis HP41C has been everywhere with me for over 30 years, nowadays it stays on the desk as the emulator on the phone is functionally and (nearly physically) identical.

Nowadays I rarely use the accessories (Card reader, Barcode reader etc) but in its day HP made printers, plotters, and even a video interface that all communicated with their HPiL (Interface loop).

Ian P

Muzzer03/01/2018 22:22:55
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2904 forum posts
448 photos

Nice emulation - almost photo perfect!

Note that HP still sell RPN calculators. Again, the price is somewhat more manageable these days (£50).

Murray

Muzzer03/01/2018 22:25:31
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2904 forum posts
448 photos
Posted by Neil Wyatt on 03/01/2018 20:53:45:

My Dad was sent free samples of the Black Watch (semi-kit) and Cambridge Memory Calculator.

As he already had an Elsi Mini calculator, I got both. Teachers insisted on taking me round the school to demonstrate the watch to their mates. It ate batteries at an astonishing rate.

Neil

I always remember those LED watches as the first "2 handed" watches. Very eye catching, particularly in the dark but required you to press the button with your other hand to see the time - this was progress!

Murray

John Haine03/01/2018 22:42:56
5563 forum posts
322 photos

Hurrah for Free42! Have it on my iPad, phone and PC, an excellent emulation of the hp42 calculator. Go to **LINK** to download, of the app stores.

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