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Brunsviga Midget (Brunsviga Model M) Calculating Machine

American History Museum

Brunsviga Midget Calculating Machine, also called Brunsviga Model M
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  • Brunsviga Midget Calculating Machine, also called Brunsviga Model M
  • Brunsviga Midget Calculating Machine, also called Brunsviga Model M

    Object Details

    maker

    Grimme, Natalis & Co.

    Description

    This compact pinwheel lever-set manually operated non-printing calculating machine has a a steel mechanism and housing partly painted black. It has nine slots with levers for setting numbers. The levers rotate forward to set digits. A steel crank with a wooden handle that extends from the right side of the machine rotates backward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward (counterclockwise) for subtraction and division. A wing nut on the left side zeros the setting levers.
    At the front of the machine is a movable carriage with 13 windows that show dials of the result register on the right and eight windows for the revolution register on the left. The revolution register has no carry. Digits in this register are white for addition and red for subtraction. The sliding decimal markers are on a rod over the result and revolution registers.
    Depressing a lever at the front of the machine releases the carriage for shifting. Rotating the wing nuts at the ends of the carriage zeros the registers on it. A bell is on the left end of the carriage.
    Marks on the front of the machine read: BRUNSVIGA-MIDGET; No 25209; and PATENT (/) G.N.& C.C.a.A. A mark on the back of the machine at the bottom reads: Patented in the United States 12 June 1906.
    The wooden case has a flat base and curved lid, with a handle, a lock, and a key on the right side.
    Compare MA.309542.

    Location

    Currently not on view

    Credit Line

    Gift of Oscar W. Richards

    date made

    1914

    ID Number

    MA.335656

    catalog number

    335656

    accession number

    1977.0143

    maker number

    25209

    Object Name

    calculating machine

    Physical Description

    steel (overall material)
    wood (overall material)

    Measurements

    overall: 12.5 cm x 31.5 cm x 15.2 cm; 4 29/32 in x 12 13/32 in x 5 31/32 in

    place made

    Germany: Lower Saxony, Brunswick

    See more items in

    Medicine and Science: Mathematics
    Calculating Machines
    Science & Mathematics

    Data Source

    National Museum of American History

    Subject

    Mathematics

    Metadata Usage

    CC0

    Link to Original Record

    https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a5-119a-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

    Record ID

    nmah_690701

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    Maker Index

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