The Facit CM2-16 is a mechanical calculator manufactured by Facit AB, a Swedish company from Åtvidaberg that specializes in mechanical calculators and office machines. This specific item, which I have in my collection, has the serial number 888731 and a label indicating the Facit GMBH branch in West Germany, probably dating back to the mid-60s.
Technical characteristics of the Facit CM2-16
Produced between 1959 and 1967, the Facit CM2-16 represents a significant evolution over previous models, adopting a 10-key numeric keypad for the first time instead of the traditional two-row layout, known as the "Dalton". This innovation made the device more intuitive and quick to use.
Technical specifications include:
- Keys: 10 for entering numbers.
- Mechanical displays:
- Product Register: 16 digits.
- Multiplier Register: 9 digits.
- Setting Register (rotor): 11 digits.
- Position indicator, on the counter register, useful for multiplication and division.
- Mechanical controls on the keyboard:
- Tab Keys: To move the position of the insert register to the left, 16 or 11 positions.
- Shift Keys: To move the position of the insert register to the left or right by 1 position.
- Mechanical controls on the left side:
- Clearing Lever of the Product Register: to reset the accumulator register to zero.
- Clearing Lever of the Multiplier Register: to reset the counter register to zero.
- Back Transfer Lever: allows the reverse transfer of the number from the accumulator to the entry register.
- Mechanical controls on the right side
- Clearing Lever of the Setting Register: to reset the Setting Register.
- Crank: crank used to manually operate the calculation mechanism and perform addition (turning it clockwise) or subtraction (turning it counterclockwise).
- The machine is equipped with advanced interlocks to prevent operating errors, thus ensuring reliable and safe use.
- Dimensions: 240 mm wide (330 mm considering the total footprint), 275 mm deep, 155 mm high.
- Weight: 7.8 kg.
History of Facit AB
Facit AB is a Swedish company that has dominated the mechanical calculating machine market since 1922 for several decades, thanks to the quality and reliability of its products. In the early 1960s, the company had a total of 8000 employees and subsidiaries in over 100 countries.
However, with the advent of electronic calculators in the 1970s, the company faced an irreversible crisis. The production of mechanical calculators ceased in 1973, marking the end of an era for this historic manufacturer.
Facit was sold to Electrolux in 1973 and later to Ericsson in 1983, starting the production of microcomputers. Despite some innovations and the use of the BASIC language, the sector was not profitable and was closed in 1988. The company, divided between various owners, definitively ceased activity in 1998.
Papers
Date of entry into the collection: 29/11/2024