Sharp EL-9900

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EL-9900 with basic keyboard

EL-9900 with advanced keyboard

Sharp EL-9900

Type: Algebraic Electronic Calculator
Size: 3.25 x 7.25 inches / 8.5 x 18 cm
Serial number: 6D013598
Date of Manufacture: June 2006 (?)

Here's a bit of a curiosity. The lower section of the keyboard of this unit drops out and can be reversed. One side is more "advanced" than the other with the idea being you can hand this calculator in "basic" mode to your middle schooler for help with her fractions, then, when she gets a little older, flip it over and let her at the full functionality (with logs, trig functions, etc.).

Oddly enough, the unit comes out of the point-of-sale package with the keyboard installed in the "advanced" mode. You have to read the manual to learn how to "cripple" it. Why bother?

There are a few assumptions standing in the way between this calculator and success in the market place:

It's not a Texas Instruments calculator. (OK, that was obvious...) It pretends fairly well, but if your child's school is telling you what calc to buy it's probably not this one.
We're assuming that Someone Else (parent? teacher?) is the person responsible for selecting the correct keyboard.
We're assuming the kid won't just flip it to the advanced side right off the bat, while being insulted at being handed a "crippled" calculator.

A 3/32" jack at the bottom allows a serial connection to another 9900 or to a PC. With hard shell case and manual. Generally comparable to a midrange TI-8X unit.