I've had a 42S for 10 years but it has finally kicked the bucket (died). The keys lock up and it starts doing random calculations on its own! It has been a great machine and workhorse over these years and I would love to get another one. However this model has been superseded by the 48G+ and is no longer in production.
If anyone knows where i could get a 42S (pref. in Australia), I would appreciate hearing from you.
Thanks
Dave T
There are a few for sale (including NIB samples) in the classifieds section right now.
Two of my three 42s's have done odd things that made me think they had gone seriously kaput. One started singing ...well beeping any time any button was presse, then crashed. I think it is prone to happen on the "C" machines when the batteries are low. I called HP in England and a wise person suggested that I take the batteries out for a few minutes, then replace them. I saw the sad sight "memory clear" but, at least for me, the machine has worked properly ever since. I now replace the batteries every year (or so) whether they need it or not. My "A" machine has never misbehaved like this and I used to let it continue to function for a long time with the low battery indicator on. They are strange and wonderful things, these little computerakis. Richard
For a while, I was obtaining HP-42S calculators via the following subterfuge: I bought any "broken" HP-42S I could find. I'd also obtain another relatively new Pioneer (usually a business model) at a bargain-basement price. (Nobody wants an algebraic HP . . .)
Using the techniques detailed in "Pioneer Repairs" (under "Repairs & Batteries" on the MoHPC main page -- http://www.hpmuseum.org/guest/brogpion.htm ), I swapped the guts of the two calculators. (You might need to cut a hole for the infrared LED.)
I then sent in the "broken" 42S case (with algebraic guts, and maybe even a 7-segment LCD from a -20S!) to HP, got a new HP-42S service replacement for $70, and auctioned that "Mint In Plastic" on Ebay for (typically) $270. (But this is all moot, as HP's service of the -42S is presumably no longer available.)
However, the -42S guts usually worked with the newer (not worn out) case & keys. (If you need a new LCD, use an HP-17B or BII for replacement.) I spray-painted the keyboards a nice, designer-ish flat black, and taped a flip-out, laminated color print of the MoHPC image of the HP-42S to help with the keyboard recognition. (Another form of creative use of MoHPC imagery -- thanks again, Dave!)
The point being: believe it or not, repair or replacement of the keyboard and/or display components of a much-loved Pioneer is not impossible. If it's the mechanical or display parts that are broken, your HP-42S is not beyond hope.