Odhner Arithmometer I
Vierspezies-Sprossenradmaschine
1891
Odhner Arithmometer I
Four-species pinwheel machine
1891
The St. Petersburg-born Swede Willgodt T. Odhner (1845-1905) began developing a pinwheel machine in the 1870s, at about the same time as the American F. S. Baldwin was seeking a US patent for the invention of a four-species pinwheel machine. Around 1877, Odhner produced 14 copies of his design at Ludvig Nobel's. Odhner received patents for this invention in 1878/79 in the USA, Germany, Sweden and Russia. But it was not until 1890 that Odhner was able to start production of his second, improved design (DE 64925, US 514725) in St. Petersburg. Our specimen with the low machine no. 765 and the crank that fits tightly to the case comes from this production. The first specimens with the extended crank were made from M-No. 4194 (lowest known number); the corresponding specimen of the Arithmeum (FDM 6180) has the M-No. 4660. The inscription on the metal plate above the setting mechanism reads: "Arithmometer Patent W. T. Odhner", round metal plate: "Maschinenfabrik W. T. Odhner St. Petersburg". This model represents the prototype of all later sprocket wheel machines based on the "Odhner principle" and two years later (from 1892) was also the model for the first Brunsviga machines produced in Germany (FDM 9248, FDM 7055). A second copy from the early production with the M-No. 3070 is archived under FDM 9563. The detailed history of the Odhner family and the development of the machine can be found in the publications of Timo Leipälä.
- Inventory number:
- FDM9043
- Year of invention:
- 1890
- Manufacturer:
- Odhner, Privatwerkstatt
- Year of manufacture:
- 1891
- Main category:
- Vierspeziesmaschine
- Subcategories:
- Sprossenrad
- Capacity:
- 9 (EW) x 8 (UZW) x 13 (RW)
- Dimensions (H x B x T):
- 12 x 29 x 15 cm
- Weight:
- 6,3 kg
- Serial number:
- 765
- Literature:
- Lange, Werner: „Rechenmaschinen, die man nicht vergessen sollte: Die Pionierarbeit des W. Th. Odhner“, in: Büro-Wirtschaft 1985, H. 5, p. 27-28 und 37-38
- Leipälä, Timo: „The life and work of W. T. Odhner (Part I)“, in: 2. Greifswalder Symposium zur Entwicklung der Rechentechnik, 2003, p. 119-139, p. 119-139
- Leipälä, Timo: „The life and work of W. T. Odhner (Part II)“, in: Schmidt, W. H./Girbardt, W. (Hrsg.): 12. Internationales Treffen der Rechenschiebersammler und 3. Symposium zur Entwicklung der Rechentechnik, 28.9.-1.10.2006. Greifswald 2006, p. 55-82, p. 55-85
- Leipälä, Timo: „Die Produktion der Original-Odhner Rechenmaschinen in Russland, Schweden und in der Sowjetunion (1905 - 1928)". In: Historische Bürowelt 89, Okt. 2012, p. 4-11
- Petzold, Hartmut: Rechnende Maschinen. Eine historische Untersuchung ihrer Herstellung und Anwendung vom Kaiserreich bis zur Bundesrepublik. Düsseldorf 1985, p. 119-128
- Wassén, Henry: The Odhner History. Gothenburg 1951
- Patents:
- DE 64925 [1892/1891] (W.T. Odhner: Neuerung an Rechenmaschinen)
- DE 7393 [1892/1891] (Königsberger und Co: Rechenmaschine)
- US 514725 [1894/1893]
- Further exemplars in the collection (2):