Japan Semiconductor Innovation 50 (A-4 1960s)
All-transistor Calculator (Sharp)
Sharp (then Hayakawa Denki Kogyo) succeeded to develop an
all transistor desk top calculator, CS-10A, first in the world and started
to market it in 1964. The price was as high as 535k yen, enough to buy an
automobile, and the weight was as heavy as 25kg. Despite of the high price
and heavy weight, this machine played an important role in developing a
new semiconductor market. Then many Japanese manufactures entered into this
market, creating tough competition, and this situation drove strong technology
innovation.
530 pcs of transistors and 2,300 pcs of diodes were incorporated in this
machine, and they were later evolved into IC and LSI integration, finally
into "one-chip-calculators".
| CS-10A |
 |
| Quote from Sharp HP |