Friden, Inc.

Friden Calculating Machine Company

Company type	Private
Industry	Manufacturing, Calculators, Typewriters
Founded	1934 (1934) in San Leandro, California, United States
Founder	Carl Friden
Defunct	1974 (1974)
Fate	Acquired by Singer Corporation; brand discontinued
Headquarters	San Leandro , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Carl Friden, Robert "Bob" Appleby Ragen
Products	Mechanical calculators, electronic calculators, typewriters, Flexowriter teleprinters
Parent	Singer Business Machines (from 1965)

Friden Calculating Machine Company (also known as Friden, Inc.) was a U.S.-based producer of typewriters and calculators, initially mechanical and later electronic. The company was established in 1934 by Carl Friden in San Leandro, California.

History

The company introduced its first calculators, models A (8-digit) and B (10-digit), in 1934. By 1936, the model C was released, featuring automatic return clearance; it came in two variants, the C8 and C10, which handled 8 and 10 digits respectively.

In 1957, Friden expanded by purchasing Commercial Controls Corporation from Rochester, New York, thereby acquiring the Flexowriter teleprinter—an electrically powered typewriter originally developed for automated unit record systems during World War II. This device could be paired with Friden calculators through paper tape to streamline tasks such as billing and correspondence. Additionally, Friden ventured into manufacturing some of the earliest transistor-based computers.

June 1963 saw the launch of the EC-130, recognized as the first fully transistorized desktop electronic calculator, engineered by Robert "Bob" Appleby Ragen. It supported calculations up to 13 digits and displayed results on a 5-inch CRT. Utilizing magnetostrictive delay-line memory, it reduced transistor expenses. Priced at $2,200—approximately three times the cost of electromechanical counterparts—it was pioneering in employing reverse Polish notation (RPN), which removed the need for parentheses in complex mathematical expressions. The successor model EC-132 arrived in April 1965, introducing a square root functionality.

Friden became part of Singer Business Machines, a division of Singer Corporation, in 1965; however, the Friden brand continued operating independently until 1974. The Singer–Friden Research Center, initially located in Oakland and later moved to Palo Alto, was unable to produce a pocket calculator competitive with emerging Japanese models such as Busicom’s Intel 4004-based calculator (1971), Casio Mini, and Sharp EL-805 (1972).

In popular culture

A close-up shot of an early Friden electromechanical calculator is featured in the 1949 British motion picture The Small Back Room.

In the 1960 film The Apartment, Friden calculators—recognized for their intricate mechanical operation—are prominently displayed on desks within the fictional "Consolidated Life" insurance office.

External links

• Archived tribute website for Friden (2019)
• Electromechanical Friden STW-10 calculator sold between 1949 and 1966
• The Friden Flexowriter: an IBM-designed combination typewriter and paper tape punch from the 1940s acquired by Friden in the late 1950s
• Friden EC-130 electronic calculator (1963)
• Friden EC-132 electronic calculator (1965)
• Singer/Friden 1152: electronic printing calculator utilizing DTL technology
• Singer/Friden 1162 electronic calculator featuring DTL logic and CRT display
• Friden/Singer 1112: designed and manufactured by Hitachi, incorporating 507 transistors with a twelve-digit Nixie tube readout