|
Omron/Miida 1214 Desktop Calculator
This machine was made and marketed by Omron, but was also sold under the
Miida brand. Both the Omron and Miida machines are identical save color scheme
differences and badging. The 1214 is an interesting 12-digit desktop electronic calculator packaged in a futuristic wedge-shaped package.
For a 12-digit machine, the cabinetry is quite small, allowing a high
numerical capacity machine to take up a minimum of desk space.
The Omron 1214 utilizes a two-chip Large Scale Integration chipset made
by Hitachi; HD3258 and HD3259, both members of Hitachi's HD32xx-series
of LSI calculator chips.
The machine was likely introduced in mid-to-late part of 1972.
The 1214 uses segmented Vacuum Flourescent display tubes with what appears to be traditional seven-segment
digit representation. The machine is a four-function calculator with single accumulating memory
register (with [M+] and [M-] keys). It also provides an summation mode and a constant function.
The machine operates with either floating decimal or fixed with zero or two digits behind the decimal point. When in fixed point
mode, the machine rounds results down/up (4/down, 5/up). For example, in
two digit fixed point mode, performing 5 ÷ 3 results in 1.67.
It is unknown at this time what logic makes up the machine. It is suspected that it is either a one or two chip
LSI chipset. If anyone has one of these machines, and is willing to explore it inside, please contact
the museum curator by clicking the EMail link above in the menu bar.
The cabinet for the Omron 1214 was used by a distributor in the US, Miida, for both it's earlier eight-digit calculator based on the Omron 800
called the Miida MC-840, as well as the Miida 1214.
It appears that Omron liked this cabinet design, as it ended up using it
for its 1214, while the earlier Omron 800 used a unique design different
from the Miida MC-840 cabinet.