There were some feature and cosmetic changes (most notably changes in colors used to minimize user fatigue) from the ST to the STW-10, but the internal workings were virtually the same as the ST. After the war, a refined version of the ST was created, and re-introduced as the STW-10 in 1949. The ST was a very successful seller, and enjoyed a long production run which lasted through World War II.
As a result of his skills and dedication, along with other gifted mechanical engineers that he hired on at Friden, they ended up with a machine that was fast, extremely durable, reliable, and easy to use. Friden, the perfectionist that he was, was personally involved in the mechanical design aspects of his machines. The ST could automatically perform all four math functions. The precursor to the STW-10 was the model ST. In fact, early Friden advertising literature self-proclaimed the machines as the "Aristocrat of Calculators". Once customers purchased and started using the machines, Friden calculators quickly gained the reputation of being the 'Cadillac' of calculators. The Friden Calculating Machine Co., Inc., was founded in the 1930's by Swedish-born Carl M. I credit the time spent watching her operate that machine to sparking an interest in Mathematics and numbers that set the stage for my career working with computers.Īn old (Early 1950's) Friden ink-blotter advertisement, showing a Friden Model ST-W To this day I can still vividly remember the spinning numbers and wonderful mechanical noises that machine made in operation. Many times, during the time she was watching us, my 'Auntie', as I called her, would be hammering away at the Friden, working on generating the charts. When my Mom had errands to do, my Godmother would regularly babysit me and my little brother. My Godmother would take the worksheets generated by her husband in the field and use the Friden to perform the math necessary to generate a final chart giving the total number of pounds of milk in the tank based upon a 'dipstick' reading.
The calculator that was used to grind through the interpolation process to generate these dairy tank charts was a Friden STW-10. My parents were very good friends with these neighbors, and in fact, they were named my Godparents when I was born. Back in the early '60's, when I was just a child living in Seattle, Washington (my birthplace), one of our neighbors owned a business which involved use of a calculator to generate dairy tank calibration charts. Friden Model STW-10 Electro-Mechanical CalculatorĪ machine identical to this has a special place in my personal history.
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