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{{Short description|American manufacturer of typewriters, and mechanical and electronic calculators}}
{{Infobox company
{{Infobox company
| name = Friden, Inc.
| name = Friden, Inc.
| logo = [[File:The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Friden model 132 calculator.jpg|300px]]
| image = The Childrens Museum of Indianapolis - Friden model 132 calculator.jpg
| caption = Friden Model 132 Calculator, 1965
| logo_size = 200px
| image_caption = Friden Model 132 Calculator, 1965
| type = Private
| type = Private
| genre = Technology
| genre = Technology
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| key_people =
| industry =
| products =
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| net_income =
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| owner =
| num_employees =
| parent =
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| homepage = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| homepage = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
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}}
}}


'''Friden Calculating Machine Company''' (Friden, Inc.) was an American manufacturer of typewriters and mechanical, later electronic calculators. It was founded by [[Carl Friden]] in [[San Leandro, California]], in 1934. Friden electromechanical [[calculator]]s were robust and popular.
'''Friden Calculating Machine Company''' ('''Friden, Inc.''') was an American manufacturer of typewriters and mechanical, later electronic calculators. It was founded by [[Carl Friden]] in [[San Leandro, California]], in 1934.


==History==
{{expand section|mechanical calculators|date=June 2022}}
[[File:Friden calculator.jpg|thumb|Friden Calculator]]
[[File:Friden calculator.jpg|thumb|Friden Calculator]]
[[File:Flexowriter.JPG|thumb|[[Friden Flexowriter]]]]
[[File:Flexowriter.JPG|thumb|[[Friden Flexowriter]]]]
In 1957, Friden purchased the Commercial Controls Corporation of [[Rochester, New York]]. This gave them the [[Friden Flexowriter|Flexowriter]] teleprinter, an electric typewriter capable of being used as part of [[unit record equipment]] developed in World War II for the Department of the Navy to automatically type "regret to inform you" letters to the survivors of fallen servicemen, the predecessor to modern computers. The Flexowriter could be attached to Friden calculators and driven by [[paper tape]] to produce bills and other form letters which had names of customers and amounts of bills filled in automatically. Friden eventually expanded into production of a few models of early transistorized computers.
In 1957, Friden purchased the Commercial Controls Corporation of [[Rochester, New York]]. This gave them the [[Friden Flexowriter|Flexowriter]] teleprinter, an electric typewriter capable of being used as part of [[unit record equipment]] developed in World War II for the Department of the Navy to automatically type "regret to inform you" letters to the survivors of fallen servicemen, the predecessor to modern computers. The Flexowriter could be attached to Friden calculators and driven by [[paper tape]] to produce bills and other form letters which had names of customers and amounts of bills filled in automatically. Friden eventually expanded into production of a few models of early transistorized computers.


{{anchor|EC-130|EC-132}}Friden introduced the first fully [[transistor]]ized desktop electronic calculator, the model EC-130 in June 1963, designed by Bob Ragen.<ref>[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/insidebayarea/obituary.aspx?n=robert-ragen-bob&pid=158717663#fbLoggedOut Bob Ragen obituary]</ref> This machine had a 13-digit capacity and a 5-inch [[Cathode ray tube|CRT]] display. It used a magnetostrictive delay line for memory ([[delay line memory]]) [http://www.ieeeghn.org/wiki/index.php/First-Hand:Liquid_Crystal_Display_Evolution_-_Swiss_Contributions IEEE First-Hand], to save money on expensive transistors. The EC-130 sold for $2,200, about three times the price of comparable electromechanical calculators of the time. It was the first calculator to use [[reverse Polish notation]] (RPN), which eliminated the need for [[Bracket#Parentheses ( )|parentheses]] to specify the [[order of operations]] in complex calculations. The successor model EC-132, introduced in April 1965, added a square root function.
{{anchor|EC-130|EC-132}}Friden introduced the first fully [[transistor]]ized desktop electronic calculator, the model EC-130 in June 1963, designed by Robert "Bob" Appleby Ragen.<ref name="Ragen_2012">{{cite web |title=1928–2012 Obituary Condolences Robert (Bob) Ragen | website=[[Legacy.com]] |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/insidebayarea/obituary.aspx?n=robert-ragen-bob&pid=158717663 |access-date=2016-01-01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218233505/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/robert-ragen-obituary?pid=1000000158717663 |archive-date=2017-12-18 |quote=Bob holds over 80 patents awarded during his work as Director of RD for Friden, and Singer and as Senior Project Engineer at Xerox. He retired from Xerox RD in 1990. He is responsible for the development of the first commercial electronic calculator, the Friden 130, which has been displayed at the Smithsonian.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden130.html|title=Friden EC-130 Electronic Calculator|website=www.oldcalculatormuseum.com|access-date=2006-06-06|archive-date=2024-06-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240625155146/https://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden130.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden132.html|title=Friden EC-132 Electronic Calculator|website=www.oldcalculatormuseum.com|access-date=2007-10-05|archive-date=2007-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016233139/http://oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden132.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This machine had a 13-digit capacity and a 5-inch [[Cathode ray tube|CRT]] display. It used a magnetostrictive [[delay-line memory]], to save money on expensive transistors. The EC-130 sold for $2,200 ({{Inflation|US|2200|1963|fmt=eq|r=-2}}), or about three times the price of comparable electromechanical calculators of the time. It was the first calculator to use [[reverse Polish notation]] (RPN), which eliminated the need for [[Bracket#Parentheses|parentheses]] to specify the [[order of operations]] in complex calculations. The successor model EC-132, introduced in April 1965, added a square root function.


In 1965 the company was purchased by the [[Singer Corporation]], but continued operation under the Friden brand name until 1974.
In 1965 the company was purchased by [[Singer Business Machines]], part of [[Singer Corporation]], but continued operation under the Friden brand name until 1974.


The Singer – Friden Research Center in Oakland, California, later moved to Palo Alto, California (1965 to 1970), did not come up with an IC-based, truly pocket-sized calculator in time to compete with the corresponding new Japanese products, such as the Busicom, based on Intel 4004 in 1971, [[Casio Mini]] and Sharp EL-805 in 1972. In particular, engineer James M. Comstock, working on a pocket calculator project, did not get the necessary priority and support by management to develop such a product.
The Singer – Friden Research Center in Oakland, California, later moved to Palo Alto, California (1965 to 1970), was unable to develop a pocket-sized calculator to compete with the corresponding new Japanese products, such as the [[Busicom]], based on [[Intel 4004]] in 1971, Casio Mini and Sharp EL-805 in 1972.

==In popular culture==

An early Friden electromechanical calculator is shown operating in closeup in the 1949 British film ''[[The Small Back Room]]''.

Friden calculators, with their hypnotic mechanical movements, populate the hundreds of desks in the office of the imaginary "Consolidated Life" insurance company in the 1960 motion picture ''[[The Apartment]]''.


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Bibliography==
*<!-- <ref name="Hendrie_2003_Comstock"> -->{{cite web |title=Oral History of George Comstock |location=Mountain View, California, USA |author-first=George E. |author-last=Comstock |editor-first=Gardner |editor-last=Hendrie |date=2003-08-13 |id=CHM X2727.2004 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |access-date=2017-03-23 |dead-url=no |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323110042/http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-23}}<!-- </ref> -->
*<!-- <ref name="Hendrie_2003_Comstock"> -->{{cite web |title=Oral History of George Comstock |location=Mountain View, California, USA |author-first=George E. |author-last=Comstock |interviewer-first=Gardner |interviewer-last=Hendrie |date=2003-08-13 |id=CHM X2727.2004 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]] |url=http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |access-date=2017-03-23 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323110042/http://archive.computerhistory.org/resources/text/Oral_History/Comstock_George/Comstock_George_1.oral_history.102658008.pdf |archive-date=2017-03-23}}<!-- </ref> -->


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons category|Friden}}
*[http://www.fridenites.com/ Friden tribute web site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20191229092107/http://www.fridenites.com/ Friden tribute web site (archived 2019)]
*[http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/fridenstw.html Friden STW-10] Electromechanical calculator sold from 1949–1966
*[http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/fridenstw.html Friden STW-10] Electromechanical calculator sold from 1949 to 1966
*[http://blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/friden/ Friden Flexowriter] combination typewriter and [[paper tape]] punch, designed by IBM during the 1940s and bought out by Friden in the late 1950s (Retrieved April 10, 2007)
*[http://blinkenlights.com/classiccmp/friden/ Friden Flexowriter] combination typewriter and [[paper tape]] punch, designed by IBM during the 1940s and bought out by Friden in the late 1950s (Retrieved April 10, 2007)
*[http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden130.html Friden EC-130] Electronic calculator (1963)
*[http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/friden130.html Friden EC-130] Electronic calculator (1963)
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[[Category:Electronic calculator companies]]
[[Category:Electronic calculator companies]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Leandro, California]]
[[Category:Companies based in San Leandro, California]]
[[Category:Companies disestablished in 1974]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies disestablished in 1974]]
[[Category:Companies established in 1934]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies established in 1934]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1934 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1974 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:American companies disestablished in 1974]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
[[Category:Defunct computer systems companies]]

Latest revision as of 19:19, 25 October 2024

Friden, Inc.
Company typePrivate
GenreTechnology
FoundedSan Leandro, California, U.S.
FounderCarl Friden
Defunct1965 (1965)
FateAcquired
SuccessorSinger Corporation

Friden Calculating Machine Company (Friden, Inc.) was an American manufacturer of typewriters and mechanical, later electronic calculators. It was founded by Carl Friden in San Leandro, California, in 1934.

History

[edit]
Friden Calculator
Friden Flexowriter

In 1957, Friden purchased the Commercial Controls Corporation of Rochester, New York. This gave them the Flexowriter teleprinter, an electric typewriter capable of being used as part of unit record equipment developed in World War II for the Department of the Navy to automatically type "regret to inform you" letters to the survivors of fallen servicemen, the predecessor to modern computers. The Flexowriter could be attached to Friden calculators and driven by paper tape to produce bills and other form letters which had names of customers and amounts of bills filled in automatically. Friden eventually expanded into production of a few models of early transistorized computers.

Friden introduced the first fully transistorized desktop electronic calculator, the model EC-130 in June 1963, designed by Robert "Bob" Appleby Ragen.[1][2][3] This machine had a 13-digit capacity and a 5-inch CRT display. It used a magnetostrictive delay-line memory, to save money on expensive transistors. The EC-130 sold for $2,200 (equivalent to $21,900 in 2023), or about three times the price of comparable electromechanical calculators of the time. It was the first calculator to use reverse Polish notation (RPN), which eliminated the need for parentheses to specify the order of operations in complex calculations. The successor model EC-132, introduced in April 1965, added a square root function.

In 1965 the company was purchased by Singer Business Machines, part of Singer Corporation, but continued operation under the Friden brand name until 1974.

The Singer – Friden Research Center in Oakland, California, later moved to Palo Alto, California (1965 to 1970), was unable to develop a pocket-sized calculator to compete with the corresponding new Japanese products, such as the Busicom, based on Intel 4004 in 1971, Casio Mini and Sharp EL-805 in 1972.

[edit]

An early Friden electromechanical calculator is shown operating in closeup in the 1949 British film The Small Back Room.

Friden calculators, with their hypnotic mechanical movements, populate the hundreds of desks in the office of the imaginary "Consolidated Life" insurance company in the 1960 motion picture The Apartment.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "1928–2012 Obituary Condolences Robert (Bob) Ragen". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on 2017-12-18. Retrieved 2016-01-01. Bob holds over 80 patents awarded during his work as Director of RD for Friden, and Singer and as Senior Project Engineer at Xerox. He retired from Xerox RD in 1990. He is responsible for the development of the first commercial electronic calculator, the Friden 130, which has been displayed at the Smithsonian.
  2. ^ "Friden EC-130 Electronic Calculator". www.oldcalculatormuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2006-06-06.
  3. ^ "Friden EC-132 Electronic Calculator". www.oldcalculatormuseum.com. Archived from the original on 2007-10-16. Retrieved 2007-10-05.

Bibliography

[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Friden.
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