Get round.
Posted on 06/08/2009 6:54:44 PM PDT by mamelukesabre
My HP-48SX ceased functioning about 5 years ago and i still miss it. I recently got the bug to go out and replace it with something. I saw an HP-50 on sale today for about 60 bucks. I bought the 48-SX when they first came out(circa 1989?) for A LOT OF MONEY. I forget the exact amount, but it was either $199.99 or $299.99. I think it was the latter.
The only thing wrong with my 48 is the on/off button. I know this because the problem started out minor and gradually got worse. I used to be able to turn it on and off by pressing extra hard on the button. All the other buttons worked fine. Then little by little it(the on/off button) quit working completely.
I saved the calculator in hopes that I would find a way to fix it. I've tried spraying electrical contact cleaner into the keyboard and nothing works.
I was totally lost without that calculator for a long time after it quit functioning. I had an extra fat wallet for it that doubled as my checkbook. I never went anywhere without it.
This was before I had a cellphone and I'm pretty sure it was before anyone had a PDA. I turned my HP into a primitive PDA. It didn't have a touch screen or internet connection, obviously. But I had files in it with all kinds of personal info and my entire personal phonebook in it. There was lots of old stuff from college in there too.
I was still using payphones extensively back then...along with an answering machine at home that I could call up from a payphone to check my messages.
Since I got a cellphone, the HP became a little less important. I guess that's why I never replaced it. A buddy of mine told me he could program my HP to make the sounds of the phone numbers being dialed so I could hold the calculator up to the receiver of the pay phone and just let it dial like that automatically. He never did get around to doing that for me though...and so I never got to test it to see if it would work. It seems like it shoulda worked though. But I didn't know how to do it myself efficiently without redoing my entire phonebook. I wanted a program that would take a pre-existing stored number and convert it into the sounds required to dial a number. That was a little over my head.
Even to this day, sometimes when I pick up a simple handheld calculator and start punching in numbers real fast I accidentally revert back to RPN and have to start all over. IT REALLY SUCKS! And it's been 5 years since I've ever touched anything that uses RPN!
HangnJudge ~ Yup It cost ~ $450 enough, in 1973, to buy a used VW Beetle
I remember it as an entire summer's wages...
Be afraid. Be very afraid.
That will void the warrantee...
Bump for an HP-45 repair. Needs a battery - if any freeper wants to sell one?
Yup, there are no less than 44 different RPN calculator programs for the iPhone. Many of which are absolutely free.
Some of them even emulate the appearance of classic HP calcs.
*drool*
In 1973, my boss wanted to get a new 45 to replace his 35. I bought his 35 for $125. I still have it and it still works.
A couple days ago my desktop Free Agent drive quit working, M$OS would not read the (ntfs go figure) drive at all. My AAO dual boots XP and Fedora 10, and under Linux gparted indicated there was some kind of defect in the file system but Linux was able to read the whole drive (well over a quarter million files) so I was able to backup to free space on the AAO, then reformat and restore. Took a few hours to move everything out and back again but saved years of collected data.
My slide rule still works....now if I could just find it...
My HP48G On/Off key is starting to fail. I almost have to punch it to get it to fire up. I love this tank of a calculator. What other machine comes with a 98 page “Quick start” guide?
YOU CAN TAKE MY RPN HP48 WHEN YOU PRY IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD FINGERS!
ROFL!!!
I think the time mine HP48G got hit by an AMTRAK train at flat-out speed did that. Or the (almost) 2 decades since I got it.
Far as fixing your switch goes, I have done that sort of thing with various electronic gadgets and It depends on what kind of switch it is, how you fix it. The little plastic bubble switches are tough to fix but can be wired around. Carbon button switches usually just need cleaning, and plain alcohol with a small plastic foam sponge on the buttons and PC board contacts usually does the job. I think I read from a link somebody posted upthread that you have to drill out some plastic welds or one way snaps to open the keyboard half of the case. High temp hot melt would probably put it back together.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
Must have now.
A 20 year old calculator has a warrantee??
Where’s the USB port?
Please accept our sincere apologies. Sorry
I got the last 50G at best buy today for $60.99. It was marked down from $139.99. It was not a returned item either. I don’t know if the little cutie-pie behind the counter knew what she was talking about, but she said it was marked down less than half because it’s a discontinued item and they’re blowing it out. Maybe that means they aren’t made anymore...and maybe it means best buy doesn’t want them in their stores anymore...and maybe it’s both.
Whatever the case may be, ITS MINE NOW!
So far, I got five complaints about it.
1. the ‘enter’ button is in the wrong place and is way too small
2. missing the ‘swap’ button.
3. missing the ‘review’ function.
4. the owners’ manual is merely a cliffs notes version(it sucks!) you gotta put a disk in your computer and read an adobe file to get the full blown owners’ manual.
5. it took me an hour of fiddling with it to get all the modes and options set just to make it work like a REAL HP IS SUPPOSED TO WORK OUT OF THE BOX.
Overall, I’m pleased with it considering the price of only 60bucks. That seems like a bargain considering what the 48SX went for when it first came out.
Get round.
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