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Hello,

I've gotten ahold of a few HP-38C's and HP-38E's, but the problem is none of them have battery packs. Is there any way I can test them without buying a battery pack, or will they absolutely not work under any circumstances with AAs or their chargers alone?

I have several 34C's, which are also members of the Spice series. They are designed to use "short" 2 x 1.2V AA series-connected cells; the standard AA cells with posts on the + terminals are too long and will break the battery contacts when inserted.

Packs can be fabricated using Radio Shack's "replace-a-cell" 1.2V 700 mAh NiCd short cells with soldering tabs (part #23-191B).

Or, for testing, you might buy Radio Shack's 1600 mAh, 1.2V NiMH cells with posts (part #23-525A), place them in a 2x AA battery holder with 9V-style connector, and connect them to the calculator battery terminals with a connector-terminated set of leads and set of alligator clips. RS sells all parts.

The + terminal on the calc is nearer to the serial number on the back.

If you cannot locate short AA cells with soldering tabs, you may also want to try to buy a ready made pack with 4 AA cells (they are usually sold pre-assembled in white plastic wraps. You can then break the pack into two pairs, cut off the remaining tabs and connecting wires and you have two battery packs for your Series 30 calculators.

**vp