Calculator displays

From: Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk <(Philip.Belben_at_powertech.co.uk)>
Date: Fri May 8 08:51:04 1998

Some years ago, when I was secondary school (grade|high school), someone
donated two calculators which sat on a side table in the school computer
room. One was a nice but not that rare wind-the-handle Facit. The
other was more modern and electronic.

The electronic one was interesting mainly for its display. It was
fluorescent (greenish digits sealed in a long glass tube), but not
7-segment. Instead, there were (I think) nine segments, all of strange
curly shapes, which made up digits much easier to read than the angular,
blocky, 7-segment types. But I can no longer remember how these were
arranged, nor even any details like the manufacturer of the calculator.

Does anyone know of machines with such displays?

At what date were they made?

Did anyone ever do an LCD version of these, and if not, why not?

And finally, what exactly were the segments and how did they fit
together? I've tried to reconstruct the arrangement, but try as I
might, I can't do it in fewer than twelve segments.

Philip.
Received on Fri May 08 1998 - 08:51:04 BST