Bowmar MX55 Handheld Electronic Calculator

Object Details

Bowmar/Ali

Description

This handheld electronic calculator is one of a series of such calculators introduced by Bowmar in the early 1970s. A LED (light-emitting diode) display manufacturer and defense contractor, Bowmar/Ali, Inc. (USA), found they could not sell their displays to Japanese electronic calculator makers. In 1970–71, Bowmar decided to design and manufacture portable calculators. Some were marketed by other companies, others, like this one, by Bowmar/Ali.

The handheld calculator has a black plastic case with ten digit keys, a decimal key, keys for the four arithmetic functions, a total key, a percentage key, and a clear/clear entry key. The on/off switch is on the keyboard, the eight-digit display behind this. The plug for the power supply is on the right side. A mark at the top reads: Bowmar. It uses the Bowmar trademark registered in 1974.

A sticker on the back of the calculator reads in part: Bowmar MX55 PERSONAL CALCULATOR (/) WITH OMNI-CONSTANT® REGISTER. It also reads in part: BOWMAR MODEL MX55 SERIAL NO. 170509 (/) BOWMAR/ALI, 531 MAIN ST., ACTON, MA. Pat. Pend. (/) ASSEMBLED IN MEXICO.

Location

Currently not on view

Credit Line

Gift of John B. Priser

ca 1974

ID Number

1986.0988.058

catalog number

1986.0988.058

accession number

1986.0988

Object Name

electronic calculator

Other Terms

electronic calculator; Handheld

Physical Description

plastic (case; keys; display screen material)

metal (circuitry material)

paper (instructions; box material)

Measurements

overall: 1 1/4 in x 3 in x 5 3/4 in; 3.175 cm x 7.62 cm x 14.605 cm

place made

Mexico

See more items in

Medicine and Science: Computers

Computers & Business Machines

Handheld Electronic Calculators

National Museum of American History

Record ID

nmah_334472

Metadata Usage (text)

CC0

GUID (Link to Original Record)

https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746ae-180a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa