OT--Nat'l Semiconductor NS-7100 pics anywhere?

[Matt Agajanian]

Hi all. Is there a clean full-view pic of the never released NS-7100 around?

[db (martinez, ca.)]

All i have is the Olympic sales catalogue that someone generously posted here a couple of years ago. Do you have that?

[Katie Wasserman]

Here it is (see page 32 of the PDF)

[Matt Agajanian]

Thanks for the catalogue. Much appreciated.

[Gene Wright]

There are at least a catalog from the year before the one in the PDF and I think another one the year after the PDF.

Anyone having those catalogs, please let one of us borrow it to scan.

I saw one on ebay months and months ago, but didn't feel like bidding $50+ for it. :-)

[Jim Horn]

If I can find my collection of slides I can digitize and send the ones I took in 1977 or 1978 when I had the chance to open one up and get shots at the front, back and insides. But it may be a year before I finally get the rest of my stuff out of storage. But rest assured, there must be plenty of pictures around as National sent a number of prototypes out for evaluation and feedback.

[db (martinez, ca.)]

Jim; You get a prototype of the calculator with the best specs on earth and the first thing you do is take it apart.

You are the model for everyone here. Did you turn it on first?

BTW: I'd love to see those pics too.

[Jim Horn]

Yes, we did turn it on but I think it was low on charge and its caretaker didn't have the charger with him. So I don't remember being able to actually try it out. The subsequent disassembly and photo session may have been catalyzed by our frustration...

I'm sure the non-disclosure agreement is decades out of date but just in case, I've not mentioned who my guest was.

[Jan]

This is the best I could find:

http://calculators.torensma.net/index.php?page.id=16&calculator.id=376&#image

Looks like an interesting machine. Non-RPN but programmable and with slanted "HP-keys".

[Kimberly Thompson]

ALL

I 'donated' that foto as well as the 'description' brochure to the calculators.torensma.net URL from info packet I received from NS in 1976. I have the originals & will share a scan of them with anyone interested. Looking forward to Joe's added value pics as this machine caught my interest in '76 and was disappointed when it was withdrawn from the market.

BEST!

SlideRule

[Jim Horn]

A clarification if I may - I didn't have an NS-7100, but a prominent (OK, THE prominent) calculator enthusiast did while visiting my humble Sunnyvale apartment on the way to WESCON and a San Francisco HP Calculator enthusiast meeting. I was still a USAF lieutenant and happy HP-67 nut, er, user. Since I had a fair collection of photomacrography gear with my Canon FT-QL SLR, it was easy to take lots of shots.

It really was quite a machine - especially compared to their Novus fourbangers!

Oh, by the way, Joe doesn't have them - his ancient brother does.

[Matt Agajanian]

So, what happened??! Even though the 7100 had only 240 steps in its program memory, between that, the ROM and its ability to make RAM cartridges as well as what could've been an impressive library of application library cartridges, why did NS scrap the calc?

[db (martinez, ca.)]

Kimberly: I'd really like a copy of that scan. I have the other old NS & Novus RPNs and i really like them - Hot or cold keys, usually bad stack architecture, great charging systems, interesting function choices and all. That some were made a mile from where i failed to grow up only adds to the mystique.

[Kimberly Thompson]

db

I'll send a HighDef scan of ALL my NS-7100 docs later this week (my Tech-Math class is in finals week & they are slightly anxious). Thanks for the response - BEST!

SlideRule

[Matt Agajanian]

I'd be interested in those scans & docs as well.

[Kimberly Thompson]

Loquitor

Happy to send ALL the scans from my 1976 lit/promo/data from National Semiconductor for the NS-7100 calculator right after Technical Mathematics finals are over. My students are engaging my attention nearly exclusively. It seems a significant many of us somewhat lament the 'vapor'release of this promising technology .. til next week - BEST!

SlideRule

[Gene Wright]

understand that, Kimberly!

Perhaps placing the scans in the cloud somewhere and posting a link would help. I know there are a lot of people who are interested...including me. :-)

[Kimberly Thompson]

you have mail

[db (martinez, ca.)]

Yes we do. Thanks Kimberly.

If they had made that it would have stole a lot of business away from the TI 58c.

[Matt Agajanian]

What Gene said.

[Kimberly Thompson]

you have mail

[Kimberly Thompson]

you have mail

[Kimberly Thompson]

ALL

Short reference(s) NS-7100 in Naval post-graduate Thesis publication INVESTIGATION OF CARD PROGRAMMABLE AND CHIP PROGRAMMABLE POCKET CALCULATORS AND CALCULATOR SYSTEMS at THESIS, w/ picture on page 178. Interesting read w 7100 in context for the period.

BEST!

SlideRule

[Steve Simpkin]

From this thesis:

"It is believed by the authors that hand-held computers with up to 20K of step processing capability will be available within the next decade." Harry Kruse and Hugh Burkett, March 1977


Less than 2.5 years later the HP-41C was unveiled which was, shortly afterwards, capable of realizing this prediction (along with many other advances). The hardware for the entire premise of this thesis, INVESTIGATION OF CARD PROGRAMMABLE AND CHIP PROGRAMMABLE POCKET CALCULATORS AND CALCULATOR SYSTEMS, had only been invented three years prior.

Amazing times.

Edited: 15 Dec 2013, 2:28 p.m.

[Kimberly Thompson]

ALL

This is 'old' ground for many, but here it is again for those who missed it.

from Archive 13

Quote:

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Re: Aurora Patent Infringements?
Message #6 Posted by Jim Chumbley on 20 Oct 2003, 8:45 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by db(martinez,california)

In the early 1970s, HP bought up ALL the RPN-type patents from the old office-machine companies. This is why my baby, the National Semiconductor 7100 calculator, was algebraic and not RPN when it was under development in 1976/1977. This is also the major reason why nobody else in the entire world has ever dared to infringe HP's RPN patents now that they have bought them all. I just wonder if Aurora is named for the (rumored) Aurora space-plane, which has supposedly replaced the U-2, and the SR-71, and which is believed by many to fly faster than Mach 8. Mach 8 may well be the speed required to outrun Hewlett-Packard's herd of lawyers.

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Quote:

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Re: Aurora Patent Infringements?
Message #13 Posted by GE (France) on 21 Oct 2003, 4:12 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by Jim Chumbley

Hello Mr Chumbley. "...my baby, the National Semiconductor 7100 calculator..." !? Dare I ask you were in some way involved in the design of this one ? I'd be *VERY* (major understatement) interested in any information regarding this machine. Was there any prototype built ? Blueprints ? Thanks.

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from HHC 2009 Bio's

Quote:

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d) 2003 in New Port Beach honoring Joseph Horn. Even his “boss” was at the Saturday dinner. Jim Chumbly (National Semiconductor NS-7100 developer) also attended and we could remember the “old days.” I consulted on that project and it helped to inspire the PPC ROM.

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I have limited info and will share ALL I have but the in-depth is with others - maybe the time is now to tell more, tell all - this user community certainly has the interest. Beyond what I've already emailed & referenced, I only have snippets from second hand sources.

BEST!

SlideRule

[Gene Wright]

Here's a link to download all the NS-7100 documents from Kimberly. Thanks for digging these up!

NS-7100 zip file