Internet Archive calls this new collection Calculator Drawer. There are 14 calculators to choose from, including the HP 48GX, TI-82, TI-83 Plus, and even the Electronic Number Muncher, which is an ’80s-era toy calculator. Internet Archive doesn’t just emulate the interface of each device; it incorporates your physical layout and buttons, making it feel like you have the actual device right in front of you.
The Internet Archive goes into more detail about how this all works. in a blog post. use the MAME illustration system to power their calculators, a branch of the open source framework that recreates classic arcade games on various systems, which is how the Internet Archive managed to incorporate actual footage of the calculators into the emulations.
As the Internet Archive noted, MAME “has two different ways of rendering an emulated device that needs ‘extra’ drawing to augment the part of itself that reflects the device’s screen or lights.” While the MAME system can create a vector-based drawing of the buttons and screen, the MAME artwork system replaces these drawings with a real image.
With these emulations, you can click buttons to enter numbers and functions, just as you would if you physically pressed a button on the calculator with your finger. While you can also use your keyboard to type numbers, it’s a bit more limiting since you can’t seem to enter any functions. Some of the devices, like the HP 48G+They even have sound, which is a nice touch. And if you need a refresher on how to use these calculators, the Internet Archive even uploaded a collection of original user manuals.
While I don’t have a personal history with any of these devices, it’s still great to have the chance to try them out without physically touching them. I have great memories with my TI-84 Plus in high school and college, which allowed me to avoid learning factoring by just programming it to do the equations for me.
