Product number (P/N): RFT (Company),
Keywords/Tags: RFT (Company)
Origin: DDR (List),
Classification: / Company Info / Manufacturer,
Info: (Calcs) DDR

This is a CALCUSEUM-translated summary from the German info received from AE...
All calculators, which were once made in the DDR, were marketed with the 'RFT'-brand.
Early 1973, a RFT-delegation did travel to Japan in order to keep up with the calculator-technology.
The Kombinat VEB Funkwerk Erfurt was dedicated for design, the VEB Röhrenwerke Mühlhausen for production.
Even with the help of the 'example' BOWMAR: 901B pocket calculator with the TEXAS INSTRUMENTS: TMS0105 Calculator chip inside, it turned out to be a serious effort in order to introduce the RFT: 73 pocket at the Frühjahrsmesse 1973.
This pocket calculator did have the popularity to make it as an export-model (within the Sovjet-countries), but the production could not follow.
The following RFT: 74 was completely designed and produced at the VEB Röhrenwerke Mühlhausen, in fact another pocket calculator sharing the same looks.
The 7-segment display was delivered by VEB Werk für Fernsehelektronik Berlin, the PCB by VEB Funkwerk Erfurt.
The following RFT: 75 was in fact a autonomous product with support of the U820D Chip.
The cost of this calculator was nevertheless the equivalent of an average monthly wage, about 62.000 were produced.
The need to supply a more affordable pocket evolved in the design of the 'Konkret' series (1977).
The RFT: 100 and RFT: 200 did inherit the functionallity of the Minirex (73, 74, 75) series, but with with support of the U821D Chip, a more affordable pocket was made. The new models also pocessed a colourfull thermoplast casing,
the power delivered through an external adaptor.
The successors RFT: 400 (1/x, Square root) and RFT: 600 (Scientific) were produced in co-operation with a Sovjet-partner.
The last model out of the first DDR-generation was the RFT: MR201, having a much slimmer casing.

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