What's My Line?
- Thread starter ckcarr
- Start date
AlanLichty
Moderator
I hate to admit it but I have used machines like this. There were a lot of flavors of adding/figuring machines like this in use in the 50's/early 60's when I was a kid.
AlanLichty
Moderator
Its an early version of a calculator that was rather common for businesses that had to do a lot of calculations in the 50's through early 70's. My father was in the printing business and had a monster version of this on his desk that I used to play with as a kid. It works in a fashion very similar to a Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) calculator where you enter a number using the keys, crank it once to set that as the Y value and then enter the next number and press the function key before cranking the level to get the result on the printed paper roll. This version is a simple one that only does subtotals and totals (no division/multiplication) and with a limited number of digits available.What a strange looking machine. It’s odd with it having all those numbers.... definitely before my time...
I thought at first maybe it was a stenographer machine, but not with all the numbers.
You got me Craig.
Jim
I still use RPN calculators (HP41C) to this day as a result of learning math on these things.
Right, an adding machine, Fridden made one that could do multiplication and division as I recall. Not before my time at all. I had a boss who worked at Fridden before coming to my company.
I also still use RPN, I remember the first one I ever saw, it was cabled to a desk so nobody could steal it and we had to take turns using it. I was happy to give up my slide rule. Well actually I still have it, but it's been a long time since I used it.
I also still use RPN, I remember the first one I ever saw, it was cabled to a desk so nobody could steal it and we had to take turns using it. I was happy to give up my slide rule. Well actually I still have it, but it's been a long time since I used it.
AlanLichty
Moderator
Fridden - thanks that jogged my memory - that was the one my father had. They were much wider (bigger than a typewriter) so they could handle bigger numbers and do mult/div functions as well. I loved playing with that thing as a kid.
BarryHamilton
Founding Member
One step up from paper and pencil.
Mike Mancil
Well-Known Member
Jethro needed one of these for his "cipherin'".