Hand-held Calculators

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Sharp EL-8026

Sharp EL-8026 Rear

Sharp EL-8026

The first calculator to employ solar cells, though these are mounted on the rear and are used to recharge the batteries.

Display is 8 digits, LCD (it does not have the intense yellow filter to remove damaging ultra-violet rays, but does have a very feint yellow tinge).

4-function, %, square root.

Power supply is a rechargeable pack made of 3 button cells.

Integrated circuit is a Sharp LI3001, here date coded 1976.

Size 66 x 110 x 10 mm (2.6 x 4.3 x 0.4").

1976.

Made in Japan by Sharp Corporation.

The Sharp EL-8026 was one of a series of similar calculators using the same rechargeable button cell pack. The others employ AC-powered chargers, but this model has no provision for a charger, instead using the solar cells to recharge the batteries by leaving the calculator in strong light such as sunlight.

Since the solar cells are on the rear this model was not designed to be used while solar powered. The solar cells are only for recharging the batteries. Pure solar powered calculators (with no batteries) appeared a little later with calculators such as the Teal Photon.

In wallet
Wallet rear

The calculator comes with a wallet, similar to other models in the series, but this wallet has a window in the rear to allow light to reach the solar cells for recharging the batteries.

Inside

Opening the calculator casing reveals the rechargeable battery pack made of three button cells (at the bottom on the left), which the solar cells (on the right) charge. The calculator integrated circuit is mounted in a cut-out in the circuit board (towards top left).

 

This was not quite the first "solar powered" calculator since the calculator is powered by batteries and the solar cells are on the rear, being used to recharge the batteries when the calculator is not in use.

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Hand-held Calculators

Sharp QT-8B
Sanyo ICC-0081 Mini Calculator
Canon Pocketronic
Sharp EL-8 & Facit 1111
Busicom LE-120A & LE-120S
Sanyo ICC-82
Minolta Minolcom
Brother PRO-CAL 408
Bowmar 901B
Ragen Microelectronic
Sharp EL-811 & derivatives
Royal Digital III & IV
Busicom LE-100A handy
Busicom LE-80A handy
Hewlett Packard HP-35
Canon LE-10
Rapidman 800
Texas Instruments 2500
Lloyd's Accumatic 100
Sinclair Executive
Casio Mini
Sanyo ICC-809
Sharp EL-801
Texas Instruments SR-10
Sperry Remington 661D & 661
Olympia CD 81
apf Mark V
Ramsgate M-11
Iain Jones International Mini A
Hewlett-Packard HP80
Heathkit IC-2009
MITS 150
Summit Ko9V, K16 & SE88M
Unicom 102
Victor 85
Elka 101
RFT minirex 75
Sharp EL-120
Sharp EL-805
Bowmar MX-55
Keystone 88 & similar
Hewlett-Packard HP-65
Casio fx-10
Calcu-pen
Casio AL-8 & family models
Commodore 776M & 796M
Novus 650
Rockwell 8R
General Instrument EZ3000
Check, billfold, wallet calculators
Edmund Scientific 1945
Texas Instruments Spirit of '76
Pulsar Calculator Watch
Compuchron Calculator Watch
Adler Lady & Sir
Elektronika C3-15
Speech+
Commodore S61
Sharp EL-8026
Texas Instruments TI-30
Canon Multi 8
Casio ST1
Texas Insturments TI 58
Wrist Calculators
Kosmos I & Kosmos Astro
Hanimex Calculator-Recorder
Navigation Calculators
TI58 Special Function Calculators
Sandvik 842S Coromant
Panasonic Electronic Ruler
Teal Photon
Sharp EL-825
Casio Mini Card LC-78
Feet & inches calculators
Elektronika MK-33
Sharp PC1211/Tandy TRS80 PC1
Curta
Slide Rule
Otis King L

Vintage Calculators

© Text & photographs copyright Nigel Tout  2000-2008 except where noted otherwise.