Vintage calculators

Elephant Memory Systems entry №001

It was time to do a quick check-up of my vintage calculators, because the last time I did it was before moving and I didn’t remember whether I left batteries inside these or not.

From left to right:

Casio LC-315, introduced in 1980.

Sharp WN-100 ‘Wondertopia’, introduced in 1981.

Sharp EL-540, introduced circa 1983.

The ‘Wondertopia’ was a regular calculator, but it featured 3 little games: Physical & Mental Reflexes Test, Dice Roll, and Coin Flip.

You could use Dice Roll to roll two virtual dice, which at the time it was very useful since my family lost the two dice we needed to play Monopoly (heh heh). Coin Flip displayed a little ‘coin toss’ animation and then returned heads (○) or tails (●). The reflexes game displayed a series of fast-moving characters/numbers and you had to try and stop them in order to obtain the highest possible number of matches (e.g. 4–4‑4–4 or A‑A-A‑A). Other combinations were rewarded, such as two pairs (e.g. 2–2‑6–6 or 3–7‑7–3), or three of a kind. And there was even an easter egg: by getting the combination E‑L-5–1 (ELSI), the calculator returned: “HAPPY”.

It was basic entertainment, sure, but these were the 1980s!

The three calculators seem fine. The Casio unfortunately had two batteries inside and one leaked, but after a quick scrub with a q‑tip soaked in WD40 everything looks very clean. The Sharp WN-100 didn’t have batteries. I put two LR44 cells I had lying around and it came to life. The EL-540, being solar-powered, turned on as soon as it got enough light.

Not bad for three devices that are 42–45 years old!

By the way, I love the keys on the Casio. Unlike the other two Sharp calculators, they’re not made of rubber, but hard plastic. Much easier to clean and they’ve also stood the test of time rather well.

See the EMS tag for more short-form posts of this kind. Read this entry for the origin story of this series of posts.