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SHARP: EL805
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AKA: LC LIQUID CRYSTAL, AKA (Label): MODEL EL-805,
Date of intro: 15-may-1973, Origin: Japan (List), Dimensions: 121x83x20mm, Weight: 210g,
Power: 1.5V: (AA x1),
Display: Type = Display (LCD reverse) (List), Digits = 8+1,
Number of keys: 17,
Classification: / Pocket,
Related with: SHARP: ELBN691; (Docu_Articles): 197402: Le Guide Pratique Des Calculatrices de Poche; SHARP_docu: (Broch.) *: La premiere calculatrice... (CS10A,EL8,EL805),
Main Components: SHARP: S3200; TOSHIBA: T3104B; TOSHIBA: T3201; TOSHIBA: T3202,
Original Equipment Manufacturer : SHARP: EL805 (List of all Export-OEM-models from SHARP), Resemblance with: ELEKTRONIKA: B3-04 (version-2); FACIT: 1105/0001; PRIVILEG: Mini Computer (version-3),
Known Serial-numbers: 300048Y | 4162226 (List of all S/Ns from SHARP)
Initial Cost Price: 26800 JPY (€ 217,08), Collector value: 8.5/10,
Courtesy of: CALCUSEUM (Serge DEVIDTS),
Info: One technology that helped both to reduce the energy consumption of electronic calculators and provide them with thinner profiles was the LCD.
The LC stands for ‘Liquid Crystal’, a crystal state between liquid and solid form. Liquid crystals were first discovered in 1888 by Friedrich REINITZER, an Austrian plant biologist.
In 1963, researchers at RCA in the US discovered that the transparency level of liquid crystal changes when it is electrically stimulated.
In 1968, George HEILMEIER from RCA made an application based on this property and created the world's first LCD.
In January 1969, NHK introduced the LCD developed by RCA in a television program. A SHARP researcher who saw the program was so impressed that he convinced management to start basic research.
By the summer of that year, SHARP researchers succeeded in a verification experiment similar to the ones conducted by RCA using a device with a simple structure.
LCDs boasted low power consumption, but presented difficulties with technical issues such as display performance and service life.
Other companies were not making much progress toward mass commercialization.
SHARP boldly took on this challenge and succeeded in overcoming problems by developing an ionized organic compound as an additive.
Entering the 1970s, the utilization of LSI (Large Scale Integration) for major components progressed, and that made it easier for businesses to get into the market for electronic calculators.
This caused severe competition in sales of electronic calculators, which would later become known as the ‘electronic calculator war’.
SHARP started exploring ideas for electronic calculators that were different from the products of competitors. Around that time, fluorescent display tubes and LEDs were starting to be used, replacing Nixie tubes.
When combined with C-MOS LSIs, LCDs could be made thinner and battery life could be extended. As such, the company succeeded in making a prototype in early 1972 and
decided to position LCDs as the next strategic product. Due to the fact that liquid crystal can be sandwiched between two pieces of glass, COS structures were also considered.
One of the two pieces of glass for the LCD was extended to make a substrate upon which electronic components could be mounted and connected by thick-film wiring.
However, it took two years from the start of full-scale research to be able to see results with liquid crystal.
There were many issues to resolve concerning issues such as the mass production of transparent conductive film, the development of liquid crystal materials, and the technology for injecting liquid crystal.
The company also needed to build a production line right away. Requests for support were made to the OSAKA NATIONAL RESERACH INSTITUTE as well as to SHARP's LSI research division.
Starting with the development of technologies to produce transparent conductive film and seal the pieces of glass, the obstacles were addressed one by one.

SHARP finally succeeded in using liquid crystal for practical applications. In June 1973, Sharp introduced the world's first COS pocket electronic calculator with an LCD, the EL805 Liquid Crystal Compet.
The technology allowed the calculator to be just 20 mm thick and offer 100 hours of continuous use from a single AA battery.
It created a sensation following its release, and newspapers and television reports gave glowing reviews using words such as ‘groundbreaking’ and ‘technological innovation’.
With SHARP having proven the commercial value of liquid crystal, chemical material manufacturers and device manufacturers became convinced of the business potential of LCDs,
and a cooperative environment was formed and strengthened

Internet: Link-1: WIKIMEDIA, Link-2: WIKIMEDIA, Link-3: VINTAGE CALCULATORS WEB MUSEUM, Link-4: DATAMATH CALCULATOR MUSEUM, Link-5: VIRTUAL MUSEUM OF CALCULATORS

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Created: 01-jan-2014, Manual-update: 02-jul-2021, Batch-update: 23-mar-2022             

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