The Sinclair President is a calculator released by
Sinclair Radionics
Sinclair Radionics Ltd was a company founded by Sir Clive Sinclair in Cambridge, England which developed hi-fi products, radios, calculators and scientific instruments.
History
After raising funds to start the business by writing articles ...
in early 1978. There were two models, the President and the President Scientific. They were among the last calculators produced by Sinclair, and their large size was in contrast to the smaller, earlier models, like the
Sinclair Executive
The Sinclair Executive was the world's first "slimline" pocket calculator, and the first to be produced by Clive Sinclair's company Sinclair Radionics. Introduced in 1972, there were at least two different versions of the Sinclair Executive, ...
, which made the company famous. The President models were related to the Sporting Life SETTLER, a calculator designed specifically for
betting shops
In the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, a betting shop is a shop away from a racecourse ("off-course") where one can legally place bets in person with a licensed bookmaker. Most shops are part of chains including William Hill, ...
.
History
It was launched in early 1978, at the price of .
It was the only Sinclair calculator not made in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, but instead made in
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
by
Radofin.
[ Competition in the calculator market was by this point fierce, and the Sinclair did not fare well against cheaper Japanese calculators with more efficient liquid-crystal displays.]
Design
Both models were the same size, and intended for desktop use, being slightly too large to be readily portable at .AA batteries
AA, Aa, Double A, or Double-A may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* '' America's Army'', a 2002 computer game published by the U.S. Army
* '' Ancient Anguish'', a computer game in existence since 1992
* Aa!, a J-Pop musical group
* D ...
.[ The screens were eight digit ]vacuum fluorescent display
A vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) is a display device once commonly used on consumer electronics equipment such as video cassette recorders, car radios, and microwave ovens.
A VFD operates on the principle of cathodoluminescence, roughly ...
s, which resulted in a higher power consumption than a calculator with a liquid-crystal display.[
The President, as well as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, had percentage, memory, square root and square functions.][ It was powered by a ]National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor was an American semiconductor manufacturer which specialized in analog devices and subsystems, formerly with headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company produced power management integrated circuits, display dr ...
MM57134ENW/M integrated circuit.[ The President Scientific added logarithmic and trigonometric functions.][ It was powered by a ]General Instrument
General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, ...
CF-599.[
]
Sporting Life Settler
The Sporting Life SETTLER was a calculator designed for betting shops, with development sponsored by '' Sporting Life''.[ The Settler had National Semiconductor DS8881N and MM5799NBX/N circuits, and was slightly larger than the President, at .][ It was also produced in Hong Kong by Radofin.][
]
References
{{Sinclair calculators
Sinclair calculators