I Am The Computer Now - Friden STW10 Mechanical Calculator
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Check out SignalRGB and sync all your RGB peripherals at bit.ly Pocket calculators are almost extinct now that we carry around mini-computers, but what were accountants and engineers using for complicated math before them? Come take a look at the Friden STW10 a local fan loaned us. Buy a Pocket Calculator On Amazon: geni.us On Newegg: geni.us Buy Samsung Galaxy A50 On Amazon: geni.us On Best Buy: geni.us Purchases made through some store links may provide some compensation to Linus Media Group. Discuss on the forum: linustechtips.com ►GET MERCH: lttstore.com ►SUPPORT US ON FLOATPLANE: floatplane.com ►LTX EXPO: ltxexpo.com AFFILIATES & REFERRALS --------------------------------------------------- ►Affiliates, Sponsors & Referrals: lmg.gg ►Our WAN Show & Podcast Gear: lmg.gg ►Private Internet Access VPN: lmg.gg ►Our Official Charging Partner Anker: lmg.gg ►Secretlabs Gaming Chairs: lmg.gg ►MK Keyboards: lmg.gg ►Amazon Prime: lmg.gg ►Check out Richard on Twitch twitch.tv ►Check out Curious Marc youtube.com FOLLOW US ELSEWHERE --------------------------------------------------- Twitter: twitter.com Facebook: @LinusTech Instagram: @linustech Twitch: twitch.tv FOLLOW OUR OTHER CHANNELS --------------------------------------------------- Mac Address: lmg.gg Techquickie: lmg.gg TechLinked: lmg.gg ShortCircuit: lmg.gg LMG Clips: lmg.gg Channel Super Fun: lmg.gg They're Just Movies: lmg.gg MUSIC CREDIT --------------------------------------------------- Title: Laszlo - Supernova Video Link: youtube.com iTunes Download Link: itunes.apple.com Artist Link: soundcloud.com Outro Screen Music Credit: Approaching Nirvana - Sugar High youtube.com Intro animation by MBarek Abdelwassaa @mbarek_abdel Monitor And Keyboard by vadimmihalkevich / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mechanical RGB Keyboard by BigBrotherECE / CC BY 4.0 geni.us Mouse Gamer free Model By Oscar Creativo / CC BY 4.0 geni.us CHAPTERS --------------------------------------------------- 0:00 Intro 1:05 Calculators 2:05 Friden STW10 4:27 Number Crunching 8:20 Square Root 11:41 Conclusion 13:32 Outro
The video introduces the Friden STW10 mechanical calculator as a historical bridge to the era when humans worked with fully automatic calculators that could perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division without paper. It frames the device as a precursor to modern computers, highlighting its heavy construction, sliding carriage, and large keypads. The host explains how the accumulator row can display up to 20 digits and how the counter register tracks results in operations, with the machine housing a complex network of gears and levers inside a protective aluminum shell. The segment also situates the STW10 in a broader timeline, noting earlier models like the Friden H8 and the shift toward transistor-based calculators in the 1960s. The narrative emphasizes the sheer engineering effort behind such machines and sets up a hands-on demonstration of basic operations to illustrate how the device functioned in practice. Finally, the host teases the square root capability and the eventual transition to electronic calculators, foreshadowing the decline of mechanical devices in favor of pocket calculators.
Topics · history · mechanical_calculator · technology · computing