The Most Beautiful Digital Display I've Ever Seen!!!

Can you and Sam just become best friends already?

Intriguingly, the design of the segments changed over time. According to the Calcuseum website your Compet 18 was released in Aug 1969. A later model with the same display tech, the Sharp EL-8 (Jan 1971), has a page on Wikipedia with shots of its tubes. Their segments have undergone 3 changes: there is an extra segment only used by the number 4; the upper vertical bar has lost its serif flick; and the top thousands separator has gone. The earliest calc with these tubes was the Sharp CS16A (Dec 1967) but the CS16C had nixies and the CS16D went back to Itrons - all shared the pet name Compet 16. There is a lost of 59 calcs from 8 mfrs using this display from 1967 to 1973 at www.calcuseum.com/LISTINGS/CALCUSEUM_Listing_NC_DT62.htm. It includes details of a few tubes, including a DG10B by Iseden and a DG12G by Futaba, but doesn't have your DG12B. Curiously, the Russian mfr Elektronika has one model in the list!

Ymir the Frost Giant

I think that front mesh does exactly what you say, Fran - it makes things less clear. But not the digits, the background, i.e. the tube outlines and board. But the digits are bright enough not to be affected when lit. Just like a fine veil in a harem... it allows sultry flickering eyes and pouting lips to be seen but hides wrinkles and blemishes. Sharp should have made it gently oscillate from side to side, to mesmerize us even more.

Ymir the Frost Giant

Beautiful build. Display tubes. 😍

Joacim Wennerberg

Case design ✔️ Carry handle ✔️✔️✔️✔️✔️ display digits ❌

The smaller version of this sat in my fathers office (he ran R&D for a fortune 100 company) and visits to his office usually came with typing naughty words on the calculator, viewing coins in an electron microscope, making things out of plexiglas in the model shop followed by breakfast and chocolate cokes at the Snyders lunch counter. Thanks for reminding me of some of that magic. (my brother and I cant find that calculator but I do have his collection of slide rules)

Yea.

Fran Blanche

That thing is beautiful inside and out. Thank you for sharing. 😀

Jessica McIntosh

All the good stuff is made in Japan. :) That thing must have cost a fortune! Thanks for sharing.

David Blake

I'm guessing the mesh is either RFI shielding or cheaper / easier-to-assemble than glass or plastic. It might even double as a vent for heat dissipation.

Circuitmike

Spaghetti on all the through hole passives.

Jim

The keyboard is constructed with reed contacts that are activated by the magnets you move by pushing keys down, you can actually hear the reed contacts faintly clicking as you slowly lower or raise any key.

So glad it still worked when reassembled, or I would have shared your devastation.

Dr Andy Hill

They are indeed beautiful display tubes but I don't like the way they display zeros

Dr Andy Hill

You hit M+ twice on your first calculation that's why it went wrong.

Dr Andy Hill

Where's the 'square-root' key, Fran!? Seriously, a cool piece of kit. I guess "Compet" means "compact"? I guess if the only alternative at the time was an IBM 360...

Peter Knazko

What a beauty! So nicely made.

Cold War Motors

ALL THE DIODES!!!! It is quite a lovely display. Much better than the red LED displays that would come right after.....

Oh my heavens! You found it! I've been looking for this weird font for decades after seeing it at a bank I worked out. It's *gorgeous*.