I remember this as if it were yesterday, the Magic Brain Calculator. It was a novelty calculator and made of metal with a metal 'pen', which you slotted into the ratchets to move them up and down different columns. I can still feel that pen in my hand and clicking sound it made. Can't remember if it worked but must have done! I got mine from Ellisdons Mail Order. Did you have one readers?
This has reminded me that we made a calculator at Primary school using a Cornflakes box and a load of plastic rods pushed through it. For the life of me I can't recall how it worked! can you?
We had those over here in the states also. Not sure if the one I inherited from my Grandfather was a Chadwick or not.. I played with it a lot as a child. No idea where it is today, perhaps in a drawer at my parents.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing mechanical calculators for sale but they looked like bus conductors ticket machines. I suspect that they used logarithmic principles.
ReplyDeleteHoly Cow - what a blast from the past! Yes, I had one of these and subsequently totally forgot about it. Apparently it wasn't memorable enough for me. Just another useless gadget in and out of my life, but it is cool to see it mentioned.
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