Accession No

6015

Brief Description

HP-35 scientific electronic pocket calculator, by Hewlett Packard, Singapore, c. 1973, with battery charger AC adaptor.

Origin

Singapore

Maker

Hewlett Packard

Class

calculating

Earliest Date

1972

Latest Date

1975

Inscription Date

Material

plastic; metal (steel, brass)

Dimensions

length 148mm ; width 80mm; depth 30mm

Special Collection

Provenance

Donated on or before 29/10/2004.

Inscription

“[Hewlett Packard logo] HEWLETT. PACKARD 35” [front label]

“HEWLETT . PACKARD
3.75V 500MW
MADE IN SINGAPORE . PATENT PENDING” [label on reverse]

Description Notes

HP-35 scientific electronic pocket calculator, by Hewlett Packard, Singapore, c. 1973, with battery charger AC adaptor.

Calculator has red LED display and a detachable battery charger/AC adaptor in two parts. Calculator has trigonometric and exponential functions. Numerical keys are white, others are black, grey and blue. Quick reference label on reverse. Weight 8.7 ounces. Hidden screws under label have been exposed by holes drilled through the casing. Both calculator and charger have electrical safety testing labels dated 13/2/2002.

According to the Hewlett Packard calculator museum, this is HP’s first pocket calculator and the world’s first pocket scientific calculator. It was called the HP35 as it had 35 keys.

Four versions of the HP35 were produced, with this calculator being the third version. (The first two versions did not have ‘35’ on the face plate. The fourth version had all of the key legends moulded onto the keys rather than printed onto the surrounding keypad.)

The HP35 was first made in 1972 and sold for $395. The price for a new HP35 had fallen to $195 by the time the model was discontinued in 1975.

The HP35 was required to remain undamaged after being dropped from a height of 3 feet onto concrete on each of its corners. The calculator’s sloped sides were designed to make it look less thick and bulky, as the bottom edges were less visible.

Condition good.

References

Events