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Good morning, welcome back to the ValorosoIT channel, the channel dedicated to vintage computers and electronics. Today we talk about calculators and we do it with Fabio Frascati, freelance data analyst and programmer in R language, which is a specific programming language for statistical analysis. Hi Fabio!
Hi Amedeo and thanks for the interview!
Thank you. It's nice to have you here and also talk about something different that you don't normally see on the channel. #URRT
So, you have a nice collection of vintage calculators, right?
Yes, I collect scientific calculators and they are the classic ones found in stationery shops, electronics chains and supermarkets, but also the more advanced ones, which are both graphic and have the ability to be programmable.
And you told me you have several.
I have about 200, which is… A lot of stuff.
Uh, so much stuff.
Yes, equally distributed between simple scientific and more advanced scientific.
Okay. I have many, many fewer in my collection. I have the Facit CM2-16. I had made a video: it's a calculator from the 60s. I had made both the video and an article on my blog www.valoroso.it. And then other small calculators, this one from CBM (from Commodore) from the 70s, and some others from Commodore. In short, things that I find every now and then, that I like to buy, even if you know that my passion is mainly on vintage computers.
And how long have you been collecting yours? Why the passion for calculators?
So, let's say, I am a mathematician by training, then in fact I have been dealing with data analysis for several years. However, this passion for mathematics also ties in well with this hobby and collecting calculators. Decidedly.
Yes, I've been collecting for over 20 years already, so it's not a short time, and I started when I was still a university student. At the time, however, calculators were more of a work tool, then as I used them and they still helped me in my career as a student, I appreciated them more and more and then, in the end, I decided to collect them.
So let's say I wasn't born a collector, but I became one within a few years.
Sì, hai cominciato con le tue e poi, mano mano, hai aggiunto, insomma, un po' come ho fatto anch'io, perché avevo conservato i miei computer di quando ero piccolino, avevo avuto la fortuna di ritrovarmeli (in cantina) dopo tanti anni e poi da lì dire: "Ma sì, ma perché non prendiamo anche quell'altro modello e quell'altro e quell'altro?". Poi alla fine, insomma, sono diventati centinaia, così come anche chi mi segue sa.
Here you are. So you have some calculators to show us, I guess.
Yes, then, I'm just saying that several are also gifts from friends or acquaintances and, let's say, for which I was also partly helped by those who know me and know that I have this passion.
Sì, giustamente, magari uno ha una calcolatrice, non sa più cosa farsene, ti dice: "Guarda, ti può interessare?" e tu ovviamente dici: “perché no?”. E lo stesso faccio io sulle mie cose, ovviamente.
So, I have been collecting calculators for more than 20 years and in reality the models I collect are at most 40 years old, so I go back to 1985, roughly, which is the date in which Casio launched its FX 7000G worldwide, which is the first graphing calculator in history. Here you are.
Okay. So the oldest piece I have is actually 40 years old. This is a calculator model (Sunlux) that practically performs the four fundamental operations and little more: a percentage, a root and some operations thanks to the memory, right?
But this is not a, a, a scientific calculator. To talk about scientific calculators, a calculator must have at least trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic functions and also something statistical, because otherwise we are not talking about scientific.
This is regular forensics, okay? (Precision 2374) This here is a very, very common model that has 240 functions, which is very popular. Here, this is an example of a traditional scientific calculator and there are various menus with trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic functions.
Now scientific calculators range from 50, even the latest models exceed 600 functions, so they have made good progress. Okay?
What's the name of this one that you can't read well from the video?
Eh, this one is called Precision 2374. Unfortunately, calculators invent some unique names, let's say. They are names a little, a little... it's often hard to remember them. Clearly the color often changes, the shape changes slightly, but the electronic board inside is exactly the same... They move it around between the various manufacturers.
This is a 240 function model which I believe is among the most popular.
Well, then when you get to exceeding 5-600 functions, then there are top-of-the-range models: Casio, Sharp, HP and Texas Instruments have some.
I think 50 functions is the least equipped scientific calculator model in general, because really 50 functions... I have one with 56 functions, it's really the minimum.
Advanced scientific calculators, in fact, are basic scientific calculators with the addition of some functions that make them somewhat more complete. In particular we talk about graphic functions and being programmable.
Graphing functions simply means that, in a display that is larger than that of traditional scientific calculators (a dot-matrix LCD display), certain pixels are activated and these pixels sequentially form the trend of a mathematical function that the user has entered on the calculator. Obviously then other mathematical tools are also needed to understand not only the trend of the function, but where it increases, decreases, if there are minimums and maximums, etc.
Programming functions, on the other hand, are functions that allow the calculator to carry out instructions in sequence and therefore the user can delegate repetitive operations to the machine which, in another way, would take up the user's time, would be boring, would be repetitive, subject to errors, etc. So this phase of the work can be automated in some way, right? Because the calculator knows how to interpret instructions written in an appropriate programming language.
Yes: one already enters the formulas inside the calculator, so then you will have input values and it returns the output value, right?
Yes, certainly. Yes, yes. The principle then is that programming ultimately allows you to offload part of the work, to transform part of the manual work, automating it.
Now I will give a practical demonstration of what graphing capabilities mean and I will do it through this advanced scientific calculator model. Okay. I hope it shows.
Enough. You can see that a sine function is being plotted.
This is a graphing calculator model, in fact, which is the first graphing calculator in history and which is 40 years old. It celebrated 40 years last year, 1985-2025, and this is the famous Casio FX 7000G.
Obviously it is a calculator that you can see has a slightly dated layout and design, because 40 years have passed anyway. The front grille is made of aluminium, the back is also made of aluminium.
But I really like it, I tell you. I probably like the layout of the times better.
Yes, yes, she is very beautiful.
Eh, but already at the end of the 80s, so a few years later, then plastic took over and from there no one produced calculators of this type. Even the power button on this side is a detail that makes it clear that this model is quite dated.
Yep, this is the world's first graphing calculator - graphical - that was produced by Casio. I also have a boxed one of this because a few years ago, when buying from America was a little cheaper, I managed to get this one, I think, for 30-40 euros, 7-8 years ago. Here, in short, a very reasonable expense.
So this one never came out of its box, or am I wrong?
This is mint. Yes, exactly. This is mint, so the package has never been opened.
Very beautiful, congratulations!
This is also a Casio model, which dates back… . Ah, this particular one.
And this is very particular, yes. It is a model that dates back to the early 90s and this model was created to be used together with the overhead projector, at a time when the projector was not something for everyone, so to speak. It was a way to enlarge the calculator screen and show it to the whole class.
I've never seen a calculator like this, it's beautiful. So is the monitor transparent?
The monitor is transparent and you see here, this area is completely hollowed out because basically the display…
Ah yes, you can see your finger from behind. Here you go.
That's right, it rests directly on the back side of the calculator. This is because the calculator should obviously be used horizontally, resting on the light source of the overhead projector. It receives light from below and the mirror of the overhead projector then projects the screen onto the wall. Here, this is how it works.
Using it with a screen that is clearly purple, i.e. without a light source, is particularly complicated.
What is the model of this Casio?
This is a model called Casio OH-7700GE. OH stands for Overhead Projection Unit, that is, it is a unit that ultimately serves to be projected thanks to the light source, the screen of which is then projected onto the wall.
Very nice. I also imagine the heat of the lamp underneath which…
Oh yes, this is advice that is repeated several times in the manual, that you need to take breaks every now and then because the light tends to heat up the calculator a lot. Therefore it must often be moved away from the lamp source.
Eh, here now this is beautiful, it almost looks like a game console! So, you can't see the writing very well, but you can see Texas Instruments, right?
TI-92 Plus, beautiful!
And this one has considerable dimensions, so to speak, because it is one of my favorites, precisely because it has these dimensions which are unusual.
So, I'll ask you the question that I know someone in the comments will ask me. Does the Doom game run on this calculator?
No, now we're going back in time a little too much...
No, ma io lo dico per scherzo perché ogni tanto c'è qualcuno che, o in qualche computer che mostro o in altre cose, mi dice sempre: "Ma ci gira Doom sopra?". Vabbè, è un meme, fa ridere.
It's a classic.
Yes, I laugh too when they ask me that.
Nice anyway, I like this calculator here.
Yes, but calculator games... there are those who wrote them, eh. There are sites that collect them, there are many, so there is no Doom, but there could be something else. I tried Tetris a few times and it wasn't bad, let's put it that way.
On the calculator?
On the calculator. But, not being a fan of games in general, electronic games, I stopped there, I didn't explore further.
I also saw Super Mario.
So it's not such a far-fetched question, eh, it can fit.
No, it's not... it's not. Probably on the slightly more recent ones, in color. This one is now from '99, so it's over a quarter of a century, but...
So, this is a calculator that in fact must be held with both hands, practically joypad style. So much so that some buttons are even double or triple. For example, if you see Enter…
Ok, I see. You can see it, I think you can see it quite well.
Yes, yes. The writing is not easy to read, but it is still visible.
Here, an Enter here and an Enter here. So three keys that do the same function. Three keys that do the same thing.
Yes. And the keyboard is QWERTY. Below is a QWERTY keyboard. And this was also a reason why it was also banned in several university exams, especially in America. They banned her for this reason. Because you could write notes in it at this point.
Eh, I think someone has tried something like this.
Yes, instead of notes it was a little program hidden in the calculator.
Eh. Maybe it had happened to me once too, I don't remember whether in high school or university, that the calculator had the possibility of inserting small programs into it, in fact, and I had entered a formula that I really struggled to remember. But I probably didn't even need to read it, I hope. I don't remember well now.
But I inserted TXT files here.
TXT files are passed easily.
Oh, okay. So, rightly, one can insert a few notes.
TXT files do not have formatting, but if you want to write a summary or something similar you can consult them. And in any case, in short, models from 25-30 years ago already had these capabilities, so it is absolutely not a recent thing. Maybe some don't know, but these are not achievements of recent years.
Here, among other things, there are also geometry applications because, taking advantage of a large, exceptionally large display, because these are approximately 240 pixels in width and 128 in height, you can also play with geometric shapes, drawing segments and studying intersections between figures. So, in short, it has several possibilities.
The cover of this calculator has a double function: it is obviously both a cover, a protection, but also a support, so that this calculator can also be used not necessarily horizontally, resting on the table, but slightly inclined. And this perhaps in areas where the light was particularly intense in summer, or in places where there was a lot of light and a display that perhaps wasn't the best 25-30 years ago, could be an aid in promoting readability.
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This is a calculator that is so-called fold. It's a bit reminiscent of the StarTACs that opened in the 90s with this movement. I call them clamshells, I think some cell phones of the time were also called that.
Do I remember what model this Casio is? Do you read it?
This is still a Casio. Here we go back to 2009.
(Casio fx-9860G Slim) del 2009.
And yet I can turn it on in the meantime. I had tried this. This has a much better resolution than the 7000G of 40 years ago.
Yes, this can also be seen clearly on video. You can see the sine function he traced really well.
Yes. And this also has very, very good integrated help, which however they didn't keep on subsequent models. A particular feature is, which I think stands out, there is also the backlight. This also has backlighting.
Now I move on to a model that is also from Casio. Casio, now it's not that I want...
I think it's your favorite brand at this point.
Eh, but it's not that I particularly want to sponsor one brand over another. It's just that Casio ultimately made 50% of the calculators that I collect, so I then found these particular models mainly produced by Casio. Then I also have Sharp, HP and other Texas Instruments, in addition to the one seen before.
But this is a calculator that dates back to the beginning of the new millennium, I think it's 2003, and it's called Casio ClassPad 300.
It's a calculator that has this huge screen. It is always used vertically. Compared to other calculators, because most are used vertically. This is also used vertically, but the long side is not this horizontally, but this is the long side.
Ah, and here we are even talking about 160 pixels horizontally and 240 pixels vertically, because it is a rectangle that has the long side vertically and the short side horizontally.
And this is one... I turned it on first to try to show it to you.
I hope. Yes, there is some kind of operating system, you see windows. It's not exactly sharp, sharp, but you can see it a little. Maybe you need to use a little imagination.
But at the top there is a number 31, house 31 is written, isn't it?
Eh, I put that one to help me classify the collection. Oh, okay.
The model is the Casio ClassPad 300 and I will quickly try to make the graph for a moment. Only the problem is that the graphic here... is such a fast processor compared...
Yes, this is already filled out. He did it in two seconds, even less.
Yes. Now I'll try to do it again. Here there is the possibility to practically divide the screen horizontally into two parts, then run an application on one half and another application on the other half, which can also be exchanged.
Well, in this case instead I have the graphics window, then I enlarged it and therefore there are no longer two halves, but there is only the graph.
Yes. So, you see a bit of reflection. Obviously the conversation, I also tell the public, we are having it remotely, so the quality of the video is what it is, but you can see the function as it was traced.
Yes, I think you can make out something.
Yes, yes, I always used the same function. Here, this is…
And then clearly the calculator reacts to pen touch, ... it's not normal touch, but it's pen, so it only reacts to the stylus. A tip like this, and not a larger surface like that of a fingertip, in short.
Very beautiful, very beautiful too.
And then I conclude with this curiosity, which is linked to when I started, let's say, when I decided that I would start collecting calculators of this type. Obviously I said before that they became a tool that helped me in exams, so I understood their usefulness.
Obviously they are tools that you also need to learn. You only need the money to buy them, but then you also need the desire to stay there and read, especially the programmable ones.
When I became passionate and began to be more interested in who built these calculators and sold them, which models they produced, which models did one thing better, which did another, the competing models, etc., I went from reading such a scientific manual that is commonly found on sale in the supermarket, so just 30 pages, basically, to a manual of this type.
This is a giant manual.
This is a 900 page manual of a single calculator, written, translated all in Italian.
This is not multilingual. No, it is not multilingual. No, no, this is a translation from English, but I bought this print separately, it was not sold with the calculator. I bought it separately.
Here is the instruction manual to learn how to program all the functions of a graphic and programmable calculator.
Yes. A specific model though.
Only one, one specific model.
Yes, ok, because obviously these calculators don't talk to each other, they have different programming languages, etc., right?
Yes, yes, this is a big problem. Communication is actually a big problem.
This is specifically an HP model that now dates back to early 2003, I think. Therefore, in any case, some time ago calculators were absolutely non-trivial tools.
This model here in particular I think has around 2500 functions. There are quite a few, in fact. It almost becomes a computer, in the end, a computer with specific analysis software.
In the introduction to this manual we talk about a real handheld computer. So at the beginning of the new century, in the early 2000s, calculators, obviously the top of the range ones, were even called handheld computers, because handheld computers were born in those years. Then they were replaced when cell phones became smartphones.
But at the beginning of the 2000s I remember them. The Casio Cassiopeia, for example, was very well known and was a handheld computer.
Yes, currently maybe people who do this type of graphical calculations and programming can use a tablet or smartphone with special software, I guess.
Exact. Clearly 25-30 years ago it also made sense to spend 200-300 euros on a calculator because one carried around a very light instrument and did various things. Then they clearly preferred a laptop, a tablet, an emulator on a smartphone and therefore these objects saw an increasingly smaller market.
Casio and Texas are still, let's say, fighting, they are there to stay afloat, but in short the Golden Age is already over for a while. Now a new model arrives every 7-8 years. In the 90s we even saw three-four models released a year.
So clearly times have changed, they invest much less in it, also because in my opinion they have already reached a development stage... I don't know what else they can ask for from such a tool.
Thank you very much Fabio, it was very interesting. Congrats on your collection.
Thanks to you. Thank you, thank you.
Thanks to you and to those who followed us.
I hope you enjoyed the chat with Fabio, that you liked his calculators and mine too. If you liked the video, I invite you to like it, subscribe to the ValorosoIT YouTube channel, activate the notification bell and we'll see you in the next video.
See you soon. HI.