Solar calculators BUSTED!

Solar Freakin' Calculators... open one up and you might be SHOCKED at what you find inside!
"EDM on a Calculator" song: • EDM on a CALCULATOR!!!

[@ShortHax]

The days of putting your thumb over the solar cell and watching the display fade and calculator die are over

[@seionne85]

I had one that the reset button had broken on, so I used to hold my thumb on the cell for awhile to reset it. Made for some slow math homework 😂

[@sable4539]

@@seionne85 that sounds painful

[@seionne85]

@@sable4539 lol! it was painful when I pulled my thumb off too early and had to try again 😢

[@niiiiiix]

Gotta love how stuff like this lasts for years, but our phones expected to do so much with so little battery

[@PaddysPiano]

@@seionne85 could have just done (number on calculator) - (same number) = 0

[@NALTOdeluxe]

“Why not just buy a new one?” *”Well, I like this one.”* I can’t agree more with this attitude. Making everything disposable has broken any concept of sentimental value of things to so many people.

[@casey6556]

I was asked the same thing when I had to borrow a screwdriver to open up my old TI-83, which had stopped powering on even with a fresh battery. Sure I can do most of my calculations on my computer/phone and I probably could find a used replacement for not that much but I like *my* calculator and frankly sometimes the inputs with real buttons are nicer than digital stuff. Turned out the only problem was that the metal arms connecting the battery to the board are just sort of pushed against some contacts and at some point a drop must have bent them just enough that they weren’t quite touching anymore. Used pliers and had it working perfectly again

[@carlosfumega3992]

acá en Latinoamérica eso no existe :v

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Yup

[@m.f.3347]

it's also an environmental disaster

[@aetheralmeowstic2392]

I like that calculator. That is a nice calculator.

[@coriscotupi]

01:02 - Most likely, the same case is also used for an actual solar-powered calculator. It's cheaper to just cover up the solar panel in the non solar-powered models than to make individual cases for each. You can also see that there are recesses for two button batteries, even though the specific model uses a single battery that is mounted directly to the circuit board. One case molding, different calculator models.

[@nameismetatoo4591]

Exactly. Those calculators are as cheap as they are because the entire process -from market research to design to production to distribution- was done so as efficiently as possible. Money was saved every step of the way, and manufacturing is usually the most expensive part.

[@sqlexp]

I think you read too much into this. The manufacturer just stole the design from others and made minimal changes to it. By the way, the silver calculators are precisely the ones with fake solar cells, so just don't buy silver ones.

[@F16_viper_pilot]

Exactly!

[@SergeantExtreme]

One reason (that I can think of) for fake solar cells is that the original injection mold has a space for solar cells, but the factory no longer makes solar cells and uses batteries exclusively. Given that a new injection mold can cost upwards of $250,000 USD, it's better to just put in a fake solar cell than to build a new injection mold.

[@anuvette]

watching this on my solar calculator

[@gxck0645]

Anu *LMAO*

[@JeremyWhy]

🤣🤣

[@samstiles5166]

But those don’t play video

[@Minty_Mentos_]

@@samstiles5166 wooosh

[@Minty_Mentos_]

@@krisematics6501 that is a serious stretch

[@Qswlol]

And here I am at 3 Am watching some guy cracking open god damn calculators to check if their solar cells are real

[@W4ff1eH3re]

Adrijus VFX same xD

[@yzzyxnetwork]

Adrijus VFX with a dope Yung Lean profile pic too 👌

[@Qswlol]

Ayy

[@asparaugustus77]

Oh boy 3 AM

[@FI5TY4OUR]

s a d b o y hours.

[@johnathanrichardson]

this is absolutely hilarious because i had that exact same model of calculator, knocked it off the desk, and realized the solar panel was fake too. amazing how something so specific happens to two completely different people by sheer chance. and yes i also liked how the buttons feel

[@Just-View]

When i was at Middle School, my mom gave me a Casio calculator that she used at high school. The device included a flip cover and had two way power. The only thing is that it had a dead battery, so I had to sit near the windows everytime I had a math exam. Similarly, I had a time limit to accomplish my math homework before nightfall or else my calculator wouldn’t turn on until the sun arises again. Fortunately, years later I found a way to replace the dead battery and it was a nice feeling to be finally using my calculator at night for the first time.

[@owenkegg5608]

Hey, I think I have that same one! I know it's Casio. Is it the kind where you need to hold the flip cover open or it returns closed under spring tension?

[@MohammedAhmed-dn1uz]

@@owenkegg5608i think i know what your talking about is it that red small one?

[@prisonbreakpsych]

Why didn't you just replace the battery or get a new calculator. Work smarter not harder.

[@slashplane]

​@@prisonbreakpsychI persume, as a middle schooler, he did not have the expertise to replace the battery or the money to buy a new one.

[@prisonbreakpsych]

@@slashplane Teaching kids how to use scientific calculators while they don't even know how to change the battery. Perfectly describes our education system.

[@Xunkun]

There are medical defibrillators: the modern ones have capacitors that don't make that high pitch, so some manufacturers have had to add sound chips, just because it's expected to make that noise to 'prove' that it's working.

[@breakerboy365]

so does ur mom

[@quink2060]

no u

[@laurenceperkins7468]

It's not actually the capacitor bank that makes the whining, it's the HV charge circuit. Modern ones still whine, it's just above the range of human hearing.

[@Isenmouthe]

Just like many modern cars has a speaker making the sound for the turn indicator, where in older cars it's the actual indicator relay that makes the click-clack.

[@MGSLurmey]

Those are called skeuomorphs (mentioned in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rp-ai5SKaKaapbc), they're the inclusion of features from old things in their successors. Such as the camera-shutter sound when taking a picture with a smartphone, the icon for calling being an old landline phone or the icon for email being an envelope. All skeuomorphs, purely to make the new things more familiar to people used to the older versions of these things.

[@jaimusjoyce6082]

1950: in the future we’ll have flying cars 2019: fake solar calculator

[@CyanThePerson]

*2017

[@nateluthardt]

Here in the future, it gets worse.

[@josephsagotti8786]

@@nateluthardt much worse

[@pero2321]

@@josephsagotti8786 so mush..... Better actually we got the Corona vaccine and life is slowly going back to normal

[@tatos529]

@@josephsagotti8786 much much worse

[@scroungasworkshop4663]

You have to admit it’s pretty amazing that all the design work, engineering, making expensive moulds, buying in the calculating chips and batteries, raw materials, manufacturing, assembly, packaging then international shipping, distribution more freight, then unboxing and loading onto shelves… and you can buy it for a dollar or two. Then we wonder why so much goes to landfill. It’s just crazy.

[@y-yyy]

this never fails to blow my mind

[@UnpopularName]

the labor is subsidized by the government, the elected officials get elected by selling the idea of more jobs in their region to the voters, the voters commonly work jobs that are demanding enough but also simple enough to make them lower class at least for some period of time, the myriad volumes of cheap products constantly thrown away when the common folk suffer for long enough to earn something that is slightly less trash than the cheap products and the resulting cynicism, illness, and death from their earlier years removes a considerable amount of them from their identity as a voter and the cycle continues. its grim, i know. all the content out there on the internet doesnt actually help. the algorithms that direct you towards fun educational content also balance that out by cramming nonsense into your feeds. there is a phenomenon in competitive online videogames called skill based matchmaking or SBMM that is algoritmically pairing people with teammates that cause them to win as close to 50% of the time as possible for various reasons and the algorithms on sites like KZbin work the same way. you and i and everyone else are all expendable, variables in an equation which serves the singular purpose of the sum of all things reaching zero (0). again, i apologize if it is grim, on an individual level it transforms from good thing to bad thing in a fluid sort of way but in a general sense it is actually kind of ruining the entire planet.

[@autobotjazz1972]

I never considered the possibility the "solar cells " were fake though i have wondered how they made them cheap enough to have them on such low cost calculators, so i am surprised they are faked but not exactly shocked.

[@staalman1226]

Some (cheap if I remember correctly) calculators definitely do have real ones, though.

[@zoeyb.9742]

I don't understand how I catch myself watching 18 minute long videos from start to finish about how some calculators have fake solar cells. I have work in the morning. The fuck am I doing with my life

[@jarwies]

Oh hey, it's my sister's birthday too. Happy birthday!

[@DanzaiMoon]

Zoey B. living on the edge

[@MarleyJr90]

Zoey B. lol same

[@maxeluy]

Same, hahahahaha

[@nitr4mmedia]

Zoey B. Same. And I don't even use calculators, I use my phone.

[@topazboy333]

This is simultaneously the most interesting and boring video I have ever watched

[@aarohyotylainen5101]

Blue Breeze Blvd its interesting how he is trying to make power with solar panels by pointing at it with a lamp

[@juanalbertofloresbuenrostr6627]

Aaro Hyötyläinen light from Led lamps work as solar light.

[@son_guhun]

You do know that "solar light" is basically the same os normal light, irhgt? Just with more frequencies in it's spectrum. If you have a solar cell that works with visibile light, you don't need to point it at the sun for it to work, a light bulb will do.

[@andremalerba5281]

Blue Breeze Blvd I'm with you! It's interesting but, that's it.

[@T1G3R009]

Blue Breeze Blvd hahaha omg I totally agree

[@zeaxanthinepoxidase]

i remember when i was doing an algebra test in high school. my calculator stopped working so i asked my professor if i could get up and use it next to the window so that i could continue calculating stuff. he accepted, and the calculator did indeed keep working as long as the sun kept hitting the small panel on it. my professor however did not trust his students at all so he basically stood behind me, staring at me and making sure i was not trying to cheat on the test (there were some other students sitting nearby and i could have theoretically given their tests a peek- but i did not for obvious reasons) still odd that so many cheap calculators have dummy solar panels. mines actually worked, which is not uncommon, and helped me quite a bit. i loved that calculator... then i lost it. still have some odd memories associated to it, like the one i narrated just now.

[@adz-ql6kv]

ever seen a car with plastic covers over the cigarette lighters. because some models of car come with the cigarette lighters and others don't. it's the same situation here they use the same plastic mould. and the cheaper version doesn't come with the solar panel so they have to fill it with something and you get a piece of black plastic.

[@h.voight1172]

I do remember 6th grade math class, circa 2005, we had solar calculators. I could cover the panel and the calculator would dim out. They were pretty cheap as I recall

[@iscander_s]

I once had a calculator that was so cheap, that instead of "fake solar cell" it had a freaking sticker, with solar cell image.

[@loftysafe_0955]

lol

[@cericat]

That actually happens a lot, the plastic inset might be cheaper than the sticker though to produce.

[@mega.evolution]

actually makes sense, since they probably have plastic molds and no sticker production system, just using available plastic pellets would be cheaper than ordering stickers from someone else and having someone man that part.

[@cybertantra]

Only in russia

[@terryfuldsgaming7995]

Искандер Сайфуллин old solar calculators sucked. They only worked outside... But this is a con...

[@WillOnSomething]

I still use my gas powered calculator. Just changed the oil on it last night. I've noticed every time I'm studying, my CO detectors go off, and I mysteriously fall asleep while running the calculator. I seem to wake up when the auto-off feature activates. Odd

[@Cobalt985]

This actually made me laugh lol

[@SummerFunMan]

Haha, Will!

[@xccxvindaloo]

William P : OMG!! One of the best replies I've heard for a long time, haven't laughed so hard for ages😂😂👍👍

[@lazertag720]

Andrew Martin I don't get it

[@theemojimovie1025]

Channel shutoff Loser. I HAVE COAL POWERED CALCUWAITER

[@prettyboyjesse]

DID YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW PURCHASE A SOLAR CALCULATOR BETWEEN 1989 AND 2001? IF SO YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO A CASH SETTLEMENT.

[@Akotski-ys9rr]

I remember I had this calculator that was basically a clear thin piece of plastic and it had almost touch screen buttons and was powered completely on the solar panel. That thing was pretty cool

[@ZetCipher]

Thunderf00t sounds a lot different than he used to.

[@Meep3692]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who got the Thunderf00t reference.

[@deetvleet]

Clicking on this video, I honestly thought that it was a satire of Thunderfoot and he was going to do a fake "dubunk" of a calculator

[@aednil]

I thought so too, but mainly because of the thumbnail.

[@al35mm]

Solar freaking calculators - busted

[@madscientistme]

damn looks like i wasnt the only one. interesting how our subconsciousness picked it up as thunderfoot.

[@TransistorBased]

I found 4 identical broken 'solar' calculators that had real panels, but the panels weren't wired at all. Made a small compound cell out of them, and it just barely powers a 'lucky cat' that used to be battery powered 😃

[@6tickyyt549]

That's so wierd how they had the panels but never used it

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Huh

[@moisesrosario9716]

I actually have seen this trend on cheap solar electrónics, i guess it's because solar controller chips and recargable batteries Increase the cost of the product so they only put the solar panel to look good. I buyed a cheap small solar lamp and worked well for a year, the next year the lamp light become weaker even when i put the lamp for hours on the Sun, so i disesamble the lamp and found out that even when the solar panel was real it wasn't connected to the circuit.

[@klystron2010]

I had never heard of the term "lucky cat", but somehow knew exactly what it was.

[@thatguyalex2835]

@@klystron2010 One of those solar powered cats that wave hello

[@CheapBastard1988]

I remember having an old calculator which belonged to my grandfather and it would go dim if I covered the solar cell. If only I knew how special that was.

[@DoubleMonoLR]

That's not special unless perhaps very old or somehow unique, it's just a solar calculator with no battery, there's been lots of them for decades.

[@sageh.5228]

I had that telstar calculator as a kid. I dropped it, dislodged the "solar panel" and tried to fix it to great disappointment. It inspired a life long fascination with how things work, and all the secrets that hide in even the most mundane objects.

[@myview5840]

I have suspicions about my solar powered abacus

[@Bobbylim323]

my view my doesn't work in the sun so I think it's legit. I can't see it in the dark at all

[@napierpaxman]

:D :D :D :D :D

[@mindnova7850]

I’m dead.

[@dannygroom3327]

my view my solar powered torch (flashlight) don't work goddamn it, any body got any ideas?

[@artemetra3262]

my view lol

[@DannyKhoo89]

I can now sleep in peace knowing calculators have fake solar cells, thank you

[@notfish]

some*

[@Arado159]

My parents have one from the 90s that actually works. It has no batteries in it and only works when held in sunlight or under a lamp.

[@theothernodude3139]

Same here. Before, my nights were tough trying to figure out the issues with calculators....

[@salgarrett5287]

If you're being sarcastic, you're the one that clicked on this video.

[@beigedoggie5545]

Danny Khoo Calkalater*

[@kennethevoy]

Great video, but I don't get it. The fake panels add manufacturing expense... Is there really a driving market demand for dual power calculators? Or is this just manufactures re-using plastic molds from more expensive (real solar panel) models/brands to save on design costs?

[@specialopsdave]

Because it tricks people into thinking it will work forever, when in reality it will only work for 2 or 3 years before you have to disassemble it

[@Gustav_Kuriga]

Because changing the mold for the calculator would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. So they use the same form with a fake panel in it. IT doesn't change the actual function of the calculator at all.

[@nameismetatoo4591]

My best guess is that the manufacturer also produces another model of calculator with a functioning solar cell that uses the exact same molds for the case. It's cheaper to just cover up the slot with a thin plastic film than to shut down the supply line to change out the molds for ones without the slot.

[@adz-ql6kv]

that's exactly what it is. and a lot of the time the version with the solar panel is no longer sold. sudden they don't even bother anymore. remember this technologies decades and decades old. so if you're buying it from Walmart for $1 how much is Walmart buying it for? 10 cents

[@terner1234]

Solar FREAKING Calculators

[@ThiccInk]

star of duty fucking*

[@terner1234]

Ben Schaal i meant like the solar FREAKING roadways.

[@ZeroHBRPro]

star of duty what are those?

[@terner1234]

Google it

[@ZeroHBRPro]

star of duty you should say "They're solar freaking calculators!".

[@BADD1ONE]

in the 80s my friends walkman stopped working. we took it apart. they had bass boast buttons. it was a noise clicker. it didn't do anything, just clicked real loud

[@XSpamDragonX]

BADD1ONE Usually the bass boost button just mutes the bass tones when it's not pushed in, so that if you dont turn it on the music sounds worse. Tricks people into thinking the bass boost is a good thing.

[@darkshadowsx5949]

thats exactly what the youtube downvote button does. absolutly nothing, but they didnt want to remove it.

[@taffyadam6031]

@@darkshadowsx5949happy now?

[@MaxLai_0104]

@@darkshadowsx5949...until now!

[@daemonspudguy]

​@@darkshadowsx5949this has sadly aged poorly six years on.

[@davidmartinez-williams686]

Your videos are so underappreciated, as demonstrated in some of these comments. You deserve more loyal subscribers.

[@oisiaa]

That "cheap" calculator that you disparaged is an incredible piece of engineering technology. If the ancients had access to that 2,000 years ago we might be flying on spaceships through the galaxy by now. Show some respect. ;)

[@RyanTosh]

Yeah, but all the cool stuff's in the chip made by some other company :p (or, depending on what part of it is interesting to you, the supply chain and infrastructrure that makes it possible to build a pocket calculator in china, ship it across the world, and sell it for pocket change)

[@TubaJay448]

Did I really just watch a video about calculators... and like it?

[@Landrew0]

One-handed videos are a torment.

[@AnikiDomo]

Me too bra

[@davidburroughs7068]

I suddenly have a question about those slot-in-your-front-door mail boxes, and couldn't those doors be pulled out of their frames with a piece of pipe, a chain and a truck. And maybe I've just found the right person to check this out. Btw, I liked this video, too.

[@Rfc1394]

Your front door, mailbox or no, if made of wood, can be broken open by a couple of guys with $12 steel sledge hammers from Home Depot in about 20 seconds. Or using a drill with a keyhole bit and reciprocating saw in 2 minutes. Or can be opened without breaking with a $50 lock pick in maybe 6 minutes.

[@Flip86x]

Paul Robinson Or just forget the door, grab a brick and smash a window.

[@Ed_Stuckey]

I remember my first digital calculator. In the 1970s Radio Shack offered a four function LED calculator for $99 plus tax. I thought it was worth every penny. $100 in 1975 was equivalent to $485 today. Dollar Tree sell scientific calculators now for $1.00

[@ezekiel0606]

damn

[@bigrunts9768]

Did you have mechanical calculators back then?

[@k98k007]

This happens with everyting!! When its new its expensive

[@369Sigma]

A good Texas Instruments graphing/advanced calculator can still go for a few hundred. Still overpriced in my opinion, but it’s mostly due to the proprietary hardware TI uses. They’re designed in such a way that all of the computations are performed by the chip architecture rather than logic patterns on a processor. Makes them super-duper-quick and efficient at mathematical calculations.

[@wertiaaudit5746]

Cuz when you bought the calculator there were active patents then they expired and became super cheap

[@alexander191297]

Memories!! I remember we had a really good, German-brand, real dual-power calculator in my childhood. I accidentally broke the solar cell as I was opening it up out of curiosity, and then it fell out… so I took a piece of paper and tried to draw a bad sketch of a solar cell and placed it right where the original was, because I was scared that my dad would notice. I think he must have, but he always made it appear as if he didn’t notice it. When I asked him about it when I got older, he said that he just didn’t want to upset me as a child and let me be creative and curious… I really have an amazing dad! 🥺

[@Mr.Obongo]

Haha I think every calculator I had as a kid was a solar, it’s how I learned about solar panels.

[@lordturtle8735]

"I found this one at work." JSD's gonna be pissed lol

[@fireman4426]

so he says

[@lordturtle8735]

Studio Papa I posted comment before I got to the part where he explained that, but I suppose JSD could still be upset seeing his beloved former calculator being "ruined".

[@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703]

I was told I could listen to the radio at a reasonable volume.

[@lordturtle8735]

Bootney Lee Farnsworth But they fired you and stole your calculator?

[@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703]

Dakota Canterbury I told Bill that if they move my desk one more time I'm quitting. I'll burn this place down.

[@BlueFangbluser]

this dude is savage. I bet he didn't even ask to take that calculator from work

[@hiddenhistoriesofamerica]

Blue Fang JSD is gonna be pissed that his calculator was taken and broken

[@ch1ll1add.25]

Watch as he's steals a calculator from a bank.

[@taylorwestmore4664]

Imagine a guy holding up a bank with nothing but a calculator in his hand, and he asks the person behind the counter for "all the calculators in the drawer and no one gets subtracted."

[@JailerGamer]

Taylor Westmore XDDDD

[@wahngott4711]

I dont know how it works where you guys live but here when you get a office you can do what you want with all the stuff the person before didnt bother to remove

[@magusxxx]

Side note: Years ago my Logitech K800 keyboard had trouble recharging. I'd have to do it every 2-3 days. The company said they were sorry but don't replace the "battery pack". I chanced upon a Google link and took their advice. I took one screw off the back which was holding a little door in place. Behind it I didn't find a battery pack. I found regular AA rechargeable batteries! I replaced them and to this very typing the keyboard has had no other issues.

[@riffdex]

Dude I remember having one of those K800 keyboards years ago. It was like my first wireless keyboard and I loved the solar charge feature. I have no idea what happened to that thing though, probably lost it when I moved out and got my own place lol

[@ericsbuds]

lmaooo wow not even an actual solar cell. i had no idea this was even a thing. you totally reminded me of covering up a solar calculator and watching the display fade out. man that takes me back hah

[@TheDrexxus]

I had a real solar calculator for a long time. I always loved playing with the solar panel by covering it up and making it slowly fade out and power off then give it light again so it popped back on.

[@matroosoft4589]

It hates you

[@petermuller608]

It's like slowly smothering a baby :)

[@jcmolero71]

I had to get mine in fluorescent or natural light, in incandescent was hard to keep it fully on

[@AjsKoner]

​@@petermuller608Bro what 😅

[@pearshapedbrain]

Here I am, at 3 am, watching a video about calculators.

[@isaactartaglia3442]

Jonasu :3 why did you copy Adrijus VFX why look for likes, theres no point

[@pearshapedbrain]

isaac tartaglia What I didn't look at the comments

[@isaactartaglia3442]

Jonasu :3 ok well there's a comment at the top that reads exactly the same

[@MegaNachodude]

Literally same

[@thechronicfury6000]

Jonasu :3 lol it's 3:28 am rn lol

[@mskiptr]

The one I regularly took apart during high school classes would still work without the chemical battery afaik. After covering the solar cell (and the chemical cell taken out ofc) the display would quickly fade and pressing any of the buttons would drain all the voltage ~immediately. But in direct sunlight it was perfectly fine and happily working

[@ajddavid452]

I remember opening up a calculator with a solar panel in it a couple years ago, the solar panel wasn't connected to anything XD

[@h1m1ko]

This is a good dude. He did everything he could to not break his former work buddy's calculator.

[@andymadden8183]

But it broke anyway. :(

[@Damian-cilr2]

@@andymadden8183 sadge (Why am i replying to a 2 year old reply)

[@anonymously_]

@@Damian-cilr2 cuz why not

[@somedude0921]

@@anonymously_ dam striaght

[@sgtjonson]

He failed!

[@Wumbology13]

Take a shot every time he says "Solar Cell"

[@Headlock123456789]

Austin Villarreal Damnit, I was going to say that! XD

[@Headlock123456789]

Zathanderwaffle Your pic matches your comment. X) Edit: Actually both of your comments.

[@camilaecho8300]

Dead in 3 seconds

[@needsmoreboosters4264]

Even though photovoltaic cell is more accurate XD

[@dannyh7908]

Candycorn 2014 Being more intelligent than you, he knew everyone would know what meant when he used the common and convenient term "solar cell" Effective speaking involves who the audience is. :)

[@JohnDuthie]

Found it. The first result within KZbin's main search engine. I typed "fake solar panel calculator". Congrats on that!

[@Kromaatikse]

In my (decidedly NOT cheap) Casio calculator, which is dual-powered, there is a little "sun" indicator on the LCD panel which shows when it's getting adequate power from the solar cell. According to the manual, the calculator needs a working battery to be used, but the solar cell makes the battery last longer. As of right now, I've never had to replace the battery (unlike in my watch), so I assume it works as advertised. (It also helps that Casio is a reputable brand in this space.)

[@vrery]

My life is a lie

[@RealGurkward]

Prince Wafflez my wife is a lie

[@davidhenderson3400]

The diode at 13:20 is a backflow blocking diode. It is to prevent the solar cell from trying to change a non-rechargeable battery. There must have been a mistake in the PCB because they are most often part of the PCB. This was a fix so they could use the PCBs for this unit. Either that or the PCB was also used in a battery only unit but by adding the diode they could use it in this unit.

[@alexhajnal107]

Yea, I think it's a bodge so they could use a non-rechargeable cell with a board designed to take a rechargeable one.

[@SwervingLemon]

It's installed the other way. It's there to keep the battery from discharging into the solar cell. The solar cell isn't going to produce enough energy to do any harm to that button cell, but the solar cell does present a load to the battery when it's not producing, and they just wired them in parallel, probably because the chipblob board they used didn't have an isolated input for the solar cell. :/

[@miigon9117]

​@@SwervingLemoni think this is a more plasuable explanation. Since solar cells acts almost like an LED and will drain the battery continuously if without a diode

[@Eggscargot]

Based on the thumbnail I thought this was going to be a parody of thunderf00t, but this was better.

[@fawnathefox9600]

I can now say I have watched a 20 minute video on calculators along with a 30 minute video on retro reflection

[@chillbillyt9579]

*Mom* : What you watching? Me: a guy taking apart calculators Mom: *leaves* So that's what kids are up to these days

[@billete37]

ChillBillYT better than drugs

[@ninjabrox]

Porn hub

[@ktm6592]

LOL XD

[@jm5469]

Erick Rosa better than fortnite

[@thegameshowgeek]

Oh MOM... 😏

[@mix3k818]

I remember having a Solar-only powered battery. It had like 1 millimeter of thickness and when I covered the panel with my finger during a calculation, it could do crazy things. (i.e. 3+3= 777777777...) EDIT: I meant calculator, not battery. 3 years passed and I only now noticed the error.

[@egijavirse4451]

Same

[@EP1CxEMAN08]

I wish those were still around

[@Emmatriaaa]

When I put my finger over one 88888888888 was what I saw

[@thecrazyinsanity]

XDDDDDDDDD SO DRUNK (the calc not you)

[@herissmon9878]

Chewie Chewbacca that is because of the pixels

[@gpoop23]

The Bazic losing all its keys was reminiscent of some drunk guy spitting out all his teeth after starting a fight he couldn't finish.

[@FirstnameLastname-py3bc]

In early 2000s solar calculators really were solar calculators

[@andljoy]

Solar powered frigin' thorium calculators.

[@SummerFunMan]

What about them?

[@SaddoCatto.]

BOPMD you're

[@ducafe00]

The drums were very reminiscent of Techmoan, I felt as if I were about to see some puppets.

[@SummerFunMan]

Yeah, hahahaha!

[@ducafe00]

Your reply is still echoing with heavy British puppet accent in my mind.

[@TheFloatingSheep]

Tayanç Tunca Molla batteries are annoying so people pick a solar one over a battery one all the time

[@nanobotjr]

Tayanç Tunca Molla . ,,,,, "LG, on,.

[@nanobotjr]

Tayanç Tunca Molla t(d

[@TedHallII]

Interesting video. Years ago, my expensive battery powered scientific calculator died during a test. Pulled out a TI solar model and completed the test. That solar calculator would slowly lose the display when you covered the cell.

[@TheAllAroundMan]

The thumbnail led me to believe this would be a thunderfoot parody

[@matteomurphy7541]

I had a legit solar calculator and it would fade when you cover up the panel

[@jolenegebelt937]

matteo murphy so did I

[@danidelafuente1]

matteo murphy same those were the standard elementary school ones I think

[@andyjones7121]

Quit bragging.

[@firoz554]

That's true

[@gordslater]

Kids these days don't even know they're born. Back in Korea^WNam^Wthe70's^Wthe day we used to hacksaw the tops offa 2n3055's and put them in bright sunlight to get 2uA into 1Meg load. But we were happy. And healthy too. And we couldn't even spell Shokley properly - we still can't - because we had no light to learn by. Those were the days.

[@nopethegeek]

I always wondered why some solar calculators had an "off" button? Why the need to turn off a device that does not consume battery power? Now I know!

[@groszak1]

for OCD people who like things off

[@MrOpenGL]

There is a reason: some (real) solar calculators are dual power (i.e. there is a battery in parallel to the solar panel, and the battery and solar panel have both a diode to prevent either one "recharging" the other). If you leave the calculator ON in a drawer where there is no sunlight, you'll drain the battery :)

[@Crzy520]

groszak1 that's not what OCD means.

[@billete37]

I dont want my calculator ready to calculate all the time, but i could also imagine maybe for a real one, turning off the circuit could make it last longer

[@ChoppingtonOtter]

It's to save it using up the sun 😁

[@digemsmacks5690]

'They' learned that little black rectangle meant better sales. Oh its solar? THIS calculator will last forever ..or til the sun goes out. I'll buy it!!

[@Chalky.]

This has me wanting to dig out my old Casio FX-85V that I haven't used since 1994.

[@AP-xh2pl]

So this is what Ray Romano has been up to since the show ended!

[@wildbilltexas]

I discovered a phony solar cell a few years ago when I replaced the batteries in a Office Depot branded calculator. And that was a $10 calculator. My dad used to put his calculators in the windowsill because he thought the solar cell would recharge the battery.

[@AgentOffice]

wildbilltexas his old ones were probably real

[@wildbilltexas]

They might have been in the 80's or 90's. But not the (cheap) recent ones. My father was a petroleum engineer and he went through calculators.

[@eriksvensson2098]

+wildbilltexas interesting choice of words.

[@MrNateSPF]

Yea, but the real ones reduce battery usage not recharge it lol ;-)

[@matto-san7631]

It's crazy to me companies can sell solar yard lights for a dollar and then act like it's too expensive to put a much smaller solar cell on a calculator that costs more.

[@uhohmemebiggestboy212]

That lightswitch thing you had is just a self blinding machine lmao

[@eric_d]

I've been to that Stop & Shop many times! I used to work in the little office building across the street from it, and grew up 5 minutes away (before they built the shopping center). I notice the price tags from the Unique in front of the BJ's that used to be the Watchung Market. I wish I could find more pictures (or video) of the Watchung Market. The only thing I could find online was a poor quality picture of the sign that used to be in front of it.

[@lfla0179]

My mom had a calculator shaped after a credit card. ALMOST SAME THICKNESS. It was too thin to even have a battery, and could fit in any wallet. Lovely little calculator. Never seen any calculator like it after that.

[@tubeducky]

I have tonnes of those. I seem to recall getting them in expensive Christmas crackers most of the time.

[@rogersowers9837]

I still have a credit card radio I got from radio shack. It looks too thin to have a battery, but it does have one....

[@debbiep99]

I remember those

[@linandy1]

I remember those. Radio shack used to sell some really nice calculators back in the day.

[@007Kevler]

I have same calculator. He is over 30 years old and still works.

[@Renovatio2]

Forget solar calculators. I'll stick with my coal powered calculator. Make Calculators Great Again.

[@Hellcommander245]

Forget coal powered. Nuclear powered is the way to go!

[@laharl2k]

RenovatioJuris get a 500hp leaded gas calculator. Thats what real men use

[@Hellcommander245]

Laharl Krichevskoy How many calculations per gallon does yours get?

[@THEFIRE360]

Mr. Krabs did you mean how many gallons per calculation? 😂

[@SummerFunMan]

Mine runs on DIESEL fuel and a manual six-speed transmission! Argh, ARGHHH, ahahhh!

[@classydays43]

One of my favourite devices was a tiny calculator I found in a puddle. It still worked until a kid at school took it and threw it across the playground. I still miss that weird little thing.

[@krystina662]

I swear once I had a calculator and I think it was old enough the screen would dim if you covered the solar cell thingy

[@MattExzy]

Heh. Going by the title alone in subs, I thought this was a smack-down rant from Thunderf00t.

[@penguinLol]

same

[@TableWolfMusic]

Those "hit the highways" just don't add up! ;p

[@NazmusLabs]

I did too!

[@TableWolfMusic]

First one... and then the other.

[@JOELwindows7]

MattExzy I thought that too!

[@Poebat]

The TI calculators at school actually have real solar panels...

[@gmcnewlook]

Poebat I should hope so, tis aren't cheap.... (or this cheap)

[@Poebat]

that's true too. Funny thing about those $1 calculators are that the button batteries cost more than they do... I haven't seen button batteries for $1 (at least were I live)

[@KarlToona]

Poebat dollar tree or most dollar stores have 2032's and other button batteries usually 2 for a buck

[@Poebat]

so you're telling that all this time I've been spending way to much on button batteries....

[@Minecraftcreeper990]

Poebat Typically in manufacturing, they get a giant discount by buying in bulk.

[@lamarcknritu]

Mom: What are you still watching on the phone? Me at 3 am : It's complicated....

[@SalticidaeFan]

Same with a cheap welding mask I bought. Huge solar panel on the front, 2 coin cells inside.

[@DimensionDude]

You're right, I AM shocked! I didn't know that this was a thing... Also, I caught the homage to at least 3 different YT channels (was expecting puppets after the bongo riff). If only you had revealed the "chooch factor" of the calculators and made a Duke Nukem reference... :-)

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

Something inside me died a little… I am actually tempted to get my solar desk-calculator from the late 90s and open it up. Let's hope this one was still the real deal. I remember having a little solar calculator and when you blocked the Solar panel the LCD actually got dim. So that one must have been real.

[@ProfessionalismTrash]

KRAFTWERK2K6 twas just a solar sensor bamboozled japed

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

Thanks for your investigation. I just added a note to the Wikipedia "Solar-powered calculator" article about the dummy panels, and cited your video.

[@Inhumane]

DanHarkless saw your edit

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

Hopefully neither it nor the citation of this video will be removed. Many Wikipedia editors slavishly remove all KZbin-based citations, considering it an unreliable source. I say it's absurd to blanket-reject all KZbin citations, since there are cases like this one where a KZbin video is the best (or in some cases only) reference for a fact. Plus, common sense can tell you whether a video was likely to have been faked, and thus should not be considered a reliable source.

[@Connie_TinuityError]

+DanHarkless Found it, 13:08 6 July 2017

[@DanHarkless_Halloween_YTPs_etc]

+Nothing in Particular: Comments with URLs in them tend to get held to be moderated by the channel owner, but I believe notification emails still get sent at the time the comment is originally posted _(when_ they get sent -- I dunno if there's any logic to when they get sent and when they don't; I didn't receive an email when you replied, for instance, and just discovered your comment now), so that being said, here's the URL of the article: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar-powered_calculator

[@enviedshark6635]

DanHarkless - You have restored balance to what was once a poor excuse of a Wikipedia article. On behalf of the International Solar Calculator Society (ISCS), I thank you for your service.

[@TehBIGrat]

That's youtube for suggesting this. Now I'm going down that rabbit hole of calculator music.

[@SNKRS-]

This is why I prefer to connect my calculators to a private solar array in the Nevada desert.

[@MorreskiBear]

Dude, you could have put those Bazic buttons back any way you wanted! It wasn't broken, it was customizable!

[@BertGrink]

Hey i like the way you think!

[@rwetagv36]

Crzygamer dumbass

[@lucypedro1461]

Who's Molly?

[@rylee1991]

lol then you lend it to someone and watch how long it takes them to work out the numbers are reversed.

[@mihailazar2487]

You can FUCK WITH PEOPLE this way just replace the MRC button with the EQUALS button and when you do a calculation, you input whatever numbers you want and press M+ then, you can just show it to people and do their calculation and when you press =, it will not compute whatever you inputed, it will show the answer to the previous calculation I believe this was done in an episode of "The Real Hustle" where they set up a fake money exchange and they would do this to people where they would use a 10% smaller exchange transaction ratio than the real one, and when they showed it to people, "proving" it was 100% legit they managed to fool everyone into giving them less money for their exchange noice

[@starfrost6816]

that BASIK caculator was so BASIK it didn't want to exist

[@encycl07pedia-]

Basik bitch.

[@tjiiik]

*Bazic* bitches.

[@michaelsegal3558]

I would love to have one of those Chinese talking calculators that play music I’d probably use it more as a musical instrument than an actual calculator haha

[@MistSGM]

for 19 years I dont know what those rectangular thingies on those calculators. Now I know...

[@AdrianFreakout]

He simply disassembles and tests a few calculators but I found this the most entertaining video I've watched in a while!

[@louistournas120]

+Adrian Miska: I clicked on it because the thumbnail does not have big tits, bikini, and the text doesn't say "You won't believe what she did", "You won't believe what the cameraman saw", "the 10 greatest something something".

[@SensoryAlterations]

I bet the next video thumbnail you clicked on had big tits tho, these calculators would have gotten you in the mood and you have to finish the job.

[@matt69savage-xe3ox]

Hilarious.

[@cammz05]

Adrian Miska IKR!

[@somerandomretard8283]

Adrian Miska i

[@claypf4795]

I hope you're happy, JSD really liked that calculator, almost as much as the red Swingline stapler.

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

best movie ever haha

[@s8wc3]

Now you watch, he's gonna burn the building down.

[@brentfisher902]

PC LOAD LETTER

[@Gabriel87100]

1:46 i love how universal this model is, pretty much everyone i ever met in my life used one of these at least once and I live in a random city in brazil

[@AlvinMarin.]

Thank you just found your video made me want to test to see if my calculator was really solar and it is I’ve always wondered thank you

[@hirambright6106]

I'll have to check my solar powered sun dial.

[@sparticus214]

Hiram Bright it's fake it has unclear power cell that will need replacing ever 160 years

[@thevaultofwisdom1242]

what people still use sundials what is this 1985 hello McFly!!! tee hee! just kidding dude, chill out, no need to stop drop and roll, but anal sex is surprisingly nutritious my good lad ;)

[@Whoolgans]

What?

[@skop6321]

that started out funny, then it was weird . .

[@toposebi95]

So who wants to send VWestlife a Chinese talking calculator? (or BigClive...)

[@asterisk4163]

simontay1984 I live in Hong Kong and I can say it's so awkward that we don't even want to use it lol

[@BrendanOrr]

Only if you can find one in pink

[@ColHogan-le5yk]

Vasconium big daddy clive

[@irtbmtind89]

You can buy a scientific calculator from a real company like Casio or Canon for that money.

[@disenfranchisedrealist4433]

This motivated me to find my old Canon LS-3 solar calculator. I looked it up online and it says they were introduced in 1982, which sounds about right. Still works fine. Somewhere I have a TI scientific that would do statics. If I remember right it only used one AA battery and I think I've only ever put maybe 3 in it in all these years. The LCD screen was a major improvement over the LED screens from the mid-70's. Those things would eat the batteries in less than a half-hour of use but they were pretty.

[@VKURDR]

i remember playing with these, covering the solar cell to see that the numbers would fade away or become more solid. i was a kid, and i had no idea what it was, but i made the connection that it had to do with the battery, and light.

[@nightrous3026]

I have a chocolate calculator. The solar cell actually works. I had it since middle school. But i remember the display would dim if you covered the panel. I also made it glitch out one time like that.

[@alexwang982]

Is it edible?

[@ToasterBrain51702]

nice pfp

[@EriksGarbage]

what do chocolate calculators do?

[@ToasterBrain51702]

@@EriksGarbage They're just regular calculators that look and smell like chocolate

[@alexwang982]

@@EriksGarbage Made out of choco

[@deleteduser9455]

Here I am watching a guy crack open calculators at 5 in the morning

[@alexisfishinhuntinandfarmi2923]

Lego4birds try 2:21 am

[@omegalul9629]

3:33 AM here..

[@Emaagination]

DeZo Try 8 am

[@80230a]

3:16 AM

[@aryannarula2086]

Lego4birds same but at 6 am

[@danpowell3953]

Thanks for shining a light on this subject!

[@fxpires]

My dad has an old (probably late 80s) Sharp solar calculator. It has no power button, and is housed inside a small wallet, so it powers on when the wallet is opened, and off when it's closed (or if you cover the solar cells).

[@JoshuasRecordings]

When I saw this video in my inbox I thought it was a EEVblog or Thunderf00t video.

[@SmithdoesMinecraft]

Solar Roads BUSTED

[@pyromaniac000000]

With all these busted calculators you can make your own special one with everything you would ever want!

[@Beanpolr]

pyromaniac000000 a full color graphing/scientific calculator with HD rainbow six siege.

[@Bobbylim323]

Game Hazard graphing calculators are an absolute waste of money(Ti ones) Cpu chips has gotten pretty cheap so Idk why I am paying above 100 dollars for a potato cpu and a calculator that barely works (I had a Ti 84 plus c that broke on me 4 times whilst on warranty and once out of it)

[@deltadelta9042]

pyromaniac000000 Just download an app

[@pyromaniac000000]

DELTA Delta but its not as cool. I have 2 (technically 3) apps. They work better than any market calculator, but i cant say its custom made. I cant say it has every feature i could want!

[@mattkinsella9856]

"I found this one at work" .... I've also "found" a lot of things like that at work that have "found" their way to my house.

[@poluticon]

I have a "dual power" Sharp calculator that I've been using at work for over 15 years now and it's still going strong. Sharp is a reputable brand so I assume it has a real solar sensor on it.