Calculators have adapted to every demand we've placed on them. We've turned them into simple gifts, like the diskette calculators we've covered before, or into mini computers compatible with printers and other external accessories. For enthusiasts, the challenge of finding, restoring and documenting these calculators is enormous, but there is a dedicated site called MyCalcDB with a spectacular database of compact calculators and an equally impressive gallery.
Beyond the extraordinary processing power we now have on desks and in pockets, calculators still hold a special place among us. After all, from a certain point of view they were our first computers. We played with them, took them to school (often secretly), and they got us out of trouble... countless times.
They were also a source of inspiration for developments like the Game & Watch (which ended up being cloned to exhaustion), and they pushed old technologies to the limit, something we remember well thanks to the particular case of ANITA calculators. As time went by, calculators became more compact, and their designers had greater freedom when thinking about their aesthetics. Most merely reproduced sober, formal models, but there are models in which they definitely tried to do something 'different'.
A good part of those calculators can be appreciated at MyCalcDB, which today functions as a hybrid between museum and repository with more than a thousand entries divided into dozens of brands. A rich mix of pocket calculators, digital assistants, mini computers in the style of the HP-75C that we already studied closely on the site, personal translators, digital diaries, watches, printers, and more.
It also includes basic instructions for opening, cleaning and/or repairing calculators, something very useful in case the original batteries have caused damage with their acid. The last update of MyCalcDB dates back to April 2014, but that doesn't take away its value. It's a place that any calculator enthusiast will know how to enjoy, and that anyone can use as a starting point. Below we share some of the calculators that appear in its gallery.
Gallery: Pocket Calculators from the Past
