Subject areaArtificial intelligence
The Brunsviga Trinks MR is a pinwheel calculator model by Brunsviga, built by Grimme, Natalis & Co. of Braunschweig from 1916 to 1924.
MR stands for Miniature Rechenmaschine, meaning "miniature calculating machine": it is a compact version of the firm's desk machines.
The Trinks name refers to Franz Trinks, the engineer who developed the company's pinwheel models on the design of Willgodt Theophil Odhner. According to the Rechnerlexikon the label Trinks-Brunsviga is an addition to the name meant to stress the quality of the machines, so finding it on a machine does not identify a variant. The model belongs to the mechanical technologies of intelligence and predates the Brunsviga 13.
Source: Rechnerlexikon e John Wolff's Web Museum (Calculating Machines), citati nella scheda tecnica del modello aggiornata al 09/08/2026.
An example
The case below is constructed, because the term does not yet appear in the articles. A manufacturing company in the 1920s sends its inspector to audit the accounts of its branches: a compact calculator fits in the suitcase and travels with him from city to city, where a desk machine would stay at headquarters.
Enrico Giubertoni. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0: you may quote, translate and adapt this entry with the author’s name and a link, stating any changes. For commercial use, write to info@enricogiubertoni.com
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