Finally i've tracked down a Russian Elektronika MK-90 to my collection
I've been hunting for one of these for about 5 years now - very hard to get hold of. I feel my collection is just that little bit more complete now!
Good find! It's a substantial machine; certainly not something you'd put in your pocket :) I used to have one or two, and the link shows some accessories and the box. Also there's the MK-95 and MK-98 to lust after. I believe my machines were stolen, alas :(
Elektronika MK-90
Thanks Andrew, I knew you would appreciate this find!
For the avid collector...
eBay MK-90 and MK-92 add-on
These are pretty scarce. The price is high but not unreasonable. Consider the price of a good HP-65 these days, a machine which is thousands of times more common. I have NEVER seen the MK-92 box before. It's possible this seller has a stash of these, as his feedback includes an identical new item sold in January for $500.
This item is not mine; I just stumbled on the listing.
Cheers
A
Edited: 21 Aug 2012, 9:20 a.m.
I have been watching this item for a while - it was listed earlier this year and didn't sell (as far as I know), and the seller (from Belarus) is actually the guy who sold me the MK-90 (not through ebay though)! He has confirmed that the MK-92 is extremely rare - only a small number ever produced. It is a colour plotter for a pocket computer - not sure if any other manufacturer has done that.
Sharp EL-7050 and eg. Sharp CE-150 (1982) come to mind. So the technology is not unique, but without any doubt, rare :)
Yep, it looks like they integrated the Alps four-color pen plotter "engine" that was used by several companies (Sharp, Panasonic, Atari, Radio Shack). More discussion in this thread.
Back on the OT, though: Nice find! (When I looked at the photo you put up I started to instinctively reach for the contrast wheel to give it a tweak. Perhaps too much time spent with a Tandy M102...)
Edited: 21 Aug 2012, 5:11 p.m.
Certainly very nice computer. Would be nice to own at least one Elektronika almost no matter which model. I have numbers of HPs for trade...
Cheers and a nice weekend!
Johnny, Denmark
I've uploaded another (better) photo of this beast: HERE