Prinztronic Asset

The PRINZTRONIC ASSET is a vintage pocket calculator measuring approximately 80 mm × 125 mm × 27 mm. It has an eight-digit fluorescent display, with the ninth digit used for symbols. The electronic design uses the uPD274C single chip calculator solution by the NEC Corporation.

VFD

An interesting feature of this calculator is the Vacuum Fluorescent Display (VFD), which has the shape of a radio valve. Since these types of displays require higher voltages to operate, the designers have included a dc-dc power supply circuit to boost the voltage from the batteries.

Power Switch

A simple slide switch provides the facility to control power to the circuits. The switch is part of the keyboard printed circuit board assembly, and it was common for it to fail due to oxidation of the copper contacts. Simply cleaning it with a contact cleaner will repair it.

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