Calculator Review: Sharp Elsi Mate EL-8036

In the last possible moment, I decided to do one last calculator review for the decade. I wish I had something of value to say about the past ten years but the last three have just been kind of gross. Feel free to tell me how great the economy is in the comments.

Sharp Elsi Mate EL-8036.

Project 90s PC Part One: The Computer

Calculatober was a huge success but I need a break from calculators for a while. Instead, I'm going to be focusing on vintage computers and electronics again because there's so much to be done with them.

At the bottom of this post I'll discuss the other projects I've been working on that haven't been updated in a while.

I am very excited to introduce my newest old computer. I've been wanting to work on a late 1990s PC for a long time, and I finally found one that will make for a fun project. There were a few arbitrary requirements that the PC had to fulfill for me to buy it:

• It had to be beige.
• It had to be able to at least boot to the BIOS.
• It needed to be built no later than 1999.
• It needed to have room for expansions.
• Most vitally and importantly, it absolutely had to have a turbo button.

So here's what I ended up buying.

It's so beautiful. This is clearly a computer that needs some love. Definitely some retr0brighting and front bay covers at the very least. But this is just the front. Let's take a look at the other parts.

Calculatober Day 31: The Aroma of Chocolate Deluxe Calculator

This is it. The final day of Calculatober. I can't believe it's here. And it's Halloween. So I needed to review a Halloween-themed calculator. I'm just now realizing black cats are a great Halloween symbol but I did not include my cat in this review at all.

The Aroma of Chocolate Deluxe Calculator.

Calculatober Day 30: Unknown Ruler Calculator

I've been trying to get guest reviewers to review calculators but so far no one has sent me anything. So I figured I'd let my cat do the review. He can't type so I recommend just watching the above video.

Unknown Ruler Calculator.

Calculatober Day 29: Unknown Desktop Calculator

Today is the one year anniversary of The Calculator Review! To celebrate, here's an extra special calculator review!

Calculatober Day 28: AT&T AT-230

Three more reviews to go.

AT&T AT-230.

Calculatober Day 27: Datexx DH-60

I'm so close to the end. I just want to go back to my life, but these reviews are eating away at my soul.

Datexx DH-60.

Calculatober Day 26: Burger King Lisa Simpson Calculator

Just five more days to go. I can power through this and get it over with. I think. Here's a crappy calculator.

Burger King Lisa Simpson calculator. From 2015.

Calculatober Day 25: Another Unknown Keychain Calculator

I really wanted to finish the last week of Calculatober with amazing, quality reviews but I'm getting burned out. There's only so much to say about many of them and I don't want to exhaust my entire supply of interesting calculators within a single month. So to ensure that some of the more amazing devices get quality reviews that they deserve, I'm going to look at mostly crap until this is over.

Another cheap keychain calculator.

Calculatober Day 24: Mattel Barbie Soft Calculator

Yesterday two calculator reviews were posted because I accidentally scheduled them for the same day. It would be more work to go back and re-edit the video and review than to just let them both be posted on the same day. This means Calculatober will have 32 reviews by the time it is over!

Mattel Barbie Soft Calculator.

Calculatober Day 23: Sharp EL-1108

I've been trying to make the videos more visually interesting, so any feedback would be appreciated. It's day 23 of Calculatober and I'm determined to make the final ten the most interesting reviews of the month. And to me, the most interesting calculators are the type that are no longer relevant today but played an important role in technology.

Sharp EL-1108.

Calculatober Day 23: Texas Instruments Speak and Math

I'm sorry, I know this is the fourth Texas Instrument device reviewed for Calculatober, but come on, they make so many different awesome calculators. I haven't even begun to review their line of graphing calculators yet, and there are still many more that aren't that type.

Texas Instruments Speak and Math.

Calculatober Day 22: Victor Adding Machine from 1949

The Calculator Review began roughly one year ago, and at the time I only had a dozen or so calculators. It wasn't until I came across the adding machine I'm reviewing today that I considered taking the hobby more seriously. I had walked several miles from one yard sale to the next, and after being nearly done, I drove a short distance and saw one last sale going on. There wasn't much on display, but I was immediately drawn toward the Victor Adding Machine.

Victor Adding Machine.

Calculatober Day 21: Ultmost Technology UT-6166 Talking Calculator-09

It's the final ten days of Calculatober. The response to this month of calculator goodness has been very positive. It's been a lot of fun and I'm glad to have reviewed a good chunk of my collection.

Ultmost Technology UT-6166 Talking Calculator.

Calculatober Day 20: Unknown Clear Calculator

A while back I posted The Calculator Graveyard. In it I discussed calculators in my collection that don't work for whatever reason and thus cannot be reviewed. Fortunately, the company I purchased the Unknown Clear Calculator from sent me another one after I told them about it arriving broken.

Unknown Clear Calculator.

Calculatober Day 19: Casio MS-80TV

Today's video review is probably my worst one yet. I got a cheap GoPro knockoff camera hoping it would make recording these easier, but it only makes it harder and worse. But I've still uploaded the video because I have a lot more of these to make and this month it's quantity over quality.

Casio MS-80TV.

Calculatober Day 18: Astro by Kosmos - The Personal Astrological Computer

I am not a superstitious person and I've never had any interest in astrology, but when I discovered the Astro by Kosmos, I knew I had to get my hands on one. They appear on Ebay from time to time, but often are non-working or very expensive. I managed to get one for around $20, and it turned out to be everything I was hoping it would be.

Astro by Kosmos - The Personal Astrological Computer.

Calculatober Day 17: Staples FaceTime Keychain Calculator

I'm starting to notice a trend in keychain calculators. They aren't good. Pocket calculators have practically been perfected over the years, but their smaller cousin type just never quite reach a level above crummy.

Staples FaceTime Keychain Calculator. Released ca. 2006.

Calculatober Day 16: Sentry CA700 Scientific Calculator

Yesterday's TI-30XA review was for a solid scientific calculator at a budget price. But what if you wanted to pay a bit more for something worse? Where would you turn?

Sentry CA700 Scientific Calculator in original packaging.

Calculatober Day 15: Texas Instruments 30XA (2004 Revision)

Nearly a year ago, I purchased a TI-30XA with every intention of reviewing it. It wasn't working, but I got it cheap, so I was willing to take the risk. It turned out it just needed new batteries and some cleaning.

TI-30XA.

Calculatober Day 14: The Lightning Adding Machine

It's day 14 of Calculatober, so we're nearing the halfway point of this amazing adventure. There are a handful of categories of calculators that fascinate me, and one of them is the mechanical type. These incredible machines can perform mathematical functions without the use of a processor and in some cases, without any electricity.

The Lightning Adding Machine.

Calculatober Day 13: Cybiko Classic

One of my favorite hobbies is thrift shopping. I try to visit all of the thrift stores in my area a few times a month because it's like visiting a brand new store every time. A lot of times I go home empty-handed, but every now-and-then I'll find a really interesting calculator or other electronic device I'd never heard of.

The Cybiko Classic.

The Cybiko Classic was one such item I found at a Goodwill for $10 still in its original packaging. Its calculator is one of the least interesting features of the device, but because it has one, I feel it's fair to include it in Calculatober. This is going to be my longest calculator review yet.

Calculatober Day 12: Canon Multi 8

I lied in my video review for this calculator. I said I wouldn't be getting inside of it, but I did shortly afterward because I just love seeing the inner workings of old electronics.

Canon Multi 8. Memory is shown in upper display.

Calculatober Day 11: Texas Instruments 3500

After two crummy calculators, I needed a palette cleanser. I had already set aside all of the calculators I would review for Calculatober, but because I needed to review something awesome, I added today's device.

TI-3500.

Calculatober Day 10: Keychain Abacus

I wrote a review for this abacus, but for some reason it didn't save so instead you'll be getting an inferior review. It shouldn't matter though because this is an inferior abacus.

Calculatober Day 9: Unknown Keychain Calculator

While Calculatober is a month of calculator celebration, it originally began as a way for me to get a bunch of my collection reviewed. So not every calculator is going to be great. Today is going to be one of those not great calculator days.

Calculatober Day 8: Tiger Pokémon Pokedex

Today is the 8th of October, which would make the date 8/8 if we were still using the Roman calendar. But for some reason it's now the 10th month, so now it's just not very interesting. I mean, it wasn't that interesting as 8/8 either. But it would be something of note, I guess. Maybe I'll do something special for the 10th. Probably not.

Tiger Pokémon Pokedex.