Open Source Curta Calculator

Basics

• The Curta Calculator was a Soda Can size mechanical calculator
• It could do:
  • Addition
  • Subtraction
  • Multiplication
  • Division
  • and to a certain degree with clever use, square roots, cubes, factors, and percentages
• This and a Slide Rule were some of the best tools of the time for number crunching
• All of this was done with no power
• Probably the most developed mechanical computer short of perhaps the Babbage Analytical Engine
• Also had the advantage of being more stable in enviroments such as a vehicle than slide rules

Useful Links

• The Wikipedia Page on The Curta Calculator
• A Youtube Video by the Youtube Channel "Numberphile" on the device and it's history
• A More in Depth Demo of the Device
• A CAD Animation of the Internal Mechanisms
• A Youtube Video by the Youtube Channel "Tested" on the 3D Printed Version
• The Thingaverse Page of the Replication project, with CAD and a Build Manual
• A ~50 min video of the assembly of a version of the 3D Printed CURTA