Tearing down hardware from different parts of the world can be revealing, showing unique parts, techniques, and tricks employed by engineers living in a very different world from our own. To that end, [msylvain59] has been kind enough to give us a look inside the Elektronika MK-26—a calculator built in the former Soviet Union.
There’s lots of interesting stuff to see from the get-go. The oddball button pad is covered in Cyrillic symbols, quite alien to those of us more accustomed to the Latin character set. It’s also constructed somewhat unlike more familiar models from Western-aligned companies like Casio or Commodore. It also rattles when shaken, which doesn’t inspire confidence. Inside, it’s got old-school brown PCBs without the usual green solder mask, a chunky IC in a weird package, and display is via a power-hungry VFD.
It doesn’t look so totally alien inside; much of the construction is pretty typical of the mid-1970s, wherever you went around the world. The most striking differences are more in the graphics and visual design than anything else.
Ultimately, there are reasons why manufacturers around the world tend to converge on similar techniques. Generally, it’s because it’s more economical or easier to do things a certain way. And yet, we still see regional variances because conditions, technologies, and parts availability varies around the world. This teardown highlights that quite clearly.
If you’re just getting a taste for Soviet hardware teardowns, you’ll love this video diving inside a real Soyuz clock.
Back then it was great and expensive. My first calculator was Electronica MK-85. It was great and made very well. It did cost my mom her monthly salary.
https://elektronika.su/en/calculators/elektronika-mk-85/
That was pretty cool. I really wanted the Casio version, but ended up with purchasing the Radio Shack book on programming them, and translating those programs to Sinclair BASIC.
Casio calculators/they really can’t be beat!/they’ve got big green numbers/and little rubber feet!
Casio FX-700P was 8-bit with very poor performance and limited to on-board BASIC.
MK-85 was 16-bit with full PDP-11 architecture. Basically it was PDP-11 in the pocket that could run serious PDP-11 stuff, not only BASIC programs.
If you are a fan of vintage DEC computers, then MK-85 is what you definitely want in your collection – it’ is unique thing and smallest PDP-11 variant ever.
Interesting, that Soviet equivalent of Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum was BK0010 which was also 16-bit and with PDP-11 architecture.
There are also Soviet 16-bit PDP-11 compatibe single-chip CPUs in DIP-40 (and DIP-48 IIRC) package, that are perfect for homebrew PDP-11 DIY devices.
I am irritated by the phrase “weird IC package”. It’s an unneccessary judgement, especially for a generic Quad In-Line (QIL) Package.
For real. We don’t usually engage in package-shaming here. Flip-chip, ball-grid, heck even SIP. Aren’t they all silicon inside?!
Unusual, unique, alien? I’m not judging here, just saying it’s outside my norms. Still nice to see how the other half do things.
What do you mean with “how the other half do things”? What ‘other half’?
I mean if you had used past tense I would get it.
Ah, I miss those VFDs. Main thing batteries or wall-wart all the way.
best HackADay subject ever! A perfect mix of nostalgia and alternative history!
Or because you’re copying technology from the west – which kinda does hit the points of “more economical or easier” – at least until the point of reaching the limits of your own manufacturing technology.
See for example how the DDR copied basically everything that IBM made.