HP Forums

Full Version: Just how tough is a 32S-II ?
You're currently viewing a stripped down version of our content. View the full version with proper formatting.

Hi all,

Today, my 32sII too a tumble. Here are the details:

My calc, with the manual was in its original packaging box.

Sitting on top

Below it are several manuals books, headphones

My bag was filled as though there was nowhere for the 32 to slide around.

the bag fell off my walker. The bag's resting point was on a seat about three feel off the ground.

I've performed the self-test 'On-y^x' three times and OK-32S II appeared BUT, the flag 1 anunciator was also lit.

Is my 32S II okay?


Edited: 10 Mar 2012, 9:28 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

What happens when you do a full reset and keyboard test?

If you mean the [ON]+[y^x] test, everything checks out (no pun intended). Although, at the end, the OK-32SII text appears WITH the annunciator for flag 1 lit. Isn't it just supposed to say 'OK 32SII' or is the '1' for flag 1 supposed to be lit, too?


Edited: 10 Mar 2012, 9:20 p.m.

A friend from this forum sold me a few weeks ago a brand new 32sii in the sealed package. It is made in Indonesia, and it is the one I´m using right now (I love the feeling of an old HP model, but as news as if they were still produced). I run the test as you described, and also got the same "1", so I suppose your unit is OK.

PHEW!! That's a relief! Perhaps I never noticed the '1' annunciator because the focus of the test is to get the '32SII-OK' message.


Although, on another note, does anything have the potential of jarring loose or, the way calcs are made today, the components are made in such a way that moving parts are nil?


Edited: 10 Mar 2012, 10:41 p.m.

Based on durability, perhaps the hp32s-ii could be the last one to be able to make it through such an accident or a few several of them, and, in my opinion, none from that time on and even less the newers could have that many chances. I have described before that my first HP was an 11c, which I took from my father in 1988. While I still have it, the decimal point suddenly appears and dissapears, so it is not that reliable anymore. This started probably in 1999, so it worked for 10 years, but not continuosly; with my destructive hands, using it everyday as I use a calculator now, probably it´d last 5-6 years. And even it felt from a second floor when I was in college!
My "first" 32s-ii was in my hands from somewhere in 1999 to 2004, lasting around 5 years in my, again, destructive hands. And my 48GX lasted in everyday use from 2005 to 2011, with a very short period of use around 1997. So, it lasted around 6 years.
A friend of mine also uses HP and we got the 32s-ii at exactly the same time, and also lasted about the same time as mine (he must have very drestructive hands also!). But then we took *separate ways* and he got a 33s in 2005 which made it until 2008, then got a 35s somewhere in 2008 and just died this january (the keys awfuly rattle, specially the 'enter' one, which is closed to useless). So the service life for a 33s and a 35s in *his* destructive hands is about 3 to 3-1/2 years.

That should reflect also in the durability against *extreme events*, isn´t it?

PS. Based on that, I think the 15cLE would not last farther than that either.

Just my simple opinion, anyway.

Thanks for the reassurance! Much appreciated! I baby my stuff very dilligently so, even the slightest mishap, even though from an objective standpoint, would be harmless, because of my protectiveness, I'm very attentive to even the most minor accident.

I've got several 32s-ii calculators and they've taken a lot of abuse over the years. I never had a failure even with all sorts of dents from falls, etc.. They are exceptionally well made.

My Singapore 32SII (w/ fraction bug) lits the 0 annunciator, my Indonesian model activates flag 1. None of their respective dutch/german manuals mention this.

I switched to the European style decimal display to avoid the disappearing decimal. I think A short vertical bar would better serve as a decimal point. Sam

Could you please tell me how to switch it to see if it works for me? As since 1999 don´t use it, I can´t find the manual!

BTW, this 11c was made in Brazil in 1988 and, just to have a look, I opened it a few weeks ago. Interesting enough, there are some handwriten annotations in the **board**(is that the correct name for the main flat plate inside??. Sorry guys, I have minimal, if any, knowledge on electrical components and internal hardware), so I´m guessing that part of the well-known high-quality they show comes from a process that involved artesanal activities by highly qualified workers. Leaving quality of materials aside, I wonder if the production of new calcs still involves activities like that. Anyone with an inside knowledge?

Turn the calculator off, then press and hold the decimal point and turn it on again. Release the decimal point. This should switch the decimal separator from "." to "," and back.

Thanks Marcus, though it didn´t worked either way. Getting that calc to life would require major surgery, so it will then go again to the "fallen warriors" box.