Retro calculator at its best
For TI MSP430 Emulating Calculator Kit
I love this kit. The construction is pretty simple (it can be a little fiddly getting the switches just right, but if it was too easy what would the point be, right?). I opted to use a socket for the displays and IC, but in doing so I bent the IC pins and snapped a few off (oops) so I just soldered the replacement IC in directly (thanks very much for the speedy replacement!) and it worked perfectly. I kept the displays in sockets, and they seemed happy.
The real joy is using this thing. You need to read the web sites linked to from the description to fully appreciate what this is: a piece of genius that shrank a scientific calculator into something that should not have been possible. The coding is genius, and it's fun to work out RPN and watch as the poor little thing tries to calculate SIN :-)
This kit emulates two types of calculator so make sure you know which mode you are in, so you can read the relevant printing on the PCB. Overall, very please. I got the version with the retro LED bubble displays for full-on vintage effect, but the version with the modern LEDs will probably be easier to read and will be just as much fun learning to use.
Remember to get the original Sinclair manual from the links!
(I built this kit with my 11 year old doing the soldering, and it was a great way to spend time together)
