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Full Version: How I Got a New Bezel for a HP15C
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Some weeks ago I bought a 15C at a reasonable price,
mostly due to its missing screen bezel
(as well as the back label...).
The "starting point" was the following:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/guest/mattioni/giancar1.jpg

I thought I could reconstruct the lost bezel, so I took
some dimensions (using a vernier digital slide gauge),
trying to be as accurate as possible (even though it was
not always easy, both because of the plastic material and
the lack of fixed reference points on the chassis).
Anyway I was able to get the technical drawing of the bezel
(anyone interested in it, please drop me an e-mail and I'll
send you a PDF file - about 233 kB).
At this point, as I work in an household appliances company,
I could take advantage of a "special tooling department"
of my company (specially skilled in stainless steel workings)
which could make laser cutting, trimming and bending.
So I got this piece:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/guest/mattioni/giancar2.jpg

The final result that I got is represented in this picture:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/guest/mattioni/giancar3.jpg

Now, only the final step is missing: I still have to decide
the best way to glue the steel bezel on the plastic chassis of the 15C.
I was thinking to use a both sides adhesive tape,
the thinnest that I can get (by 3M, like the VHB Series,
going down to a 0,38 mm thickness - please see
http://www.3m.com/us/mfg_industrial/adhesives/vhb/),
but on this point any suggestion or advise from the Forum
contributors will be more than welcome (I excluded using
cyanoacrylate-basis adhesives, as they would severely spoil
the plastic chassis, and any kind of hot-melt glue).

I hope my two-cent contribution will be interesting or
useful for someone.
Best regards.
Giancarlo (Italy)

Hi, Giancarlo;

congratulations! It looks to me. Although it does not have the lowered, LCD-border frame, it is too far from better than having a fold-marked, scratched frame. About the lowered LCD border, maybe a plastic add-in would do better. You see, a smaller plastic part, either peinted or already in semigloss silver, would both protect against dust and add finishing. Your solution is excellent, I'm just looking at details.

Best regards and thanks for your valuable contribution. (BTW, would you be as kind as for sending a copy of the PDF to lcviera at quantica dot com dot br ?)

Luiz (Brazil)

Hi Luiz!
Thank you for your kind words!
I just sent you the file, but I got an error message (seems to be "user unknown") - any mispell in the e-mail address you gave me?
Please let me know.
Thanks & regards.
Giancarlo

I think there is an "i" missing. Shame on Luiz.

Wonderful solution! The only question is ... can you share with the Forum an idea of the approximate cost of the new bezel? And ... could you e-mail (Please remove NOSPAM) me the PDF file at MVelcaNOSPAM@bellsouth.net

Greetings,

Congratulations on your new bezel! You will likely be best off using epoxy to attach it. Scuff up the back of the bezel just before you start gluing and at least clean off the plastic with 90%+ rubbing alcohol. It won't take much to form a good bond. Please post some pictures of the process you choose and the final result.

Since you have access to a tooling department, are you considering a similar treatment for the back label? It wouldn't be all that difficult to first have the shape cut as you did with the bezel, spray/anodized it black, cover it in masking tape, laser-etch labels through the tape, spray on a coat of white, clean off the tape, and put it on the calc. OR if you don't mind a cosmetic change simply etch the pattern into a piece of stainless.

Best of luck,
HDE

Wow! You da man! That looks really good!

I have used some of the 3M 2-sided tapes for various things. I don't remember which ones, but they were thin and supposedly strong. In each case, they were fluid enough that the part could be wiggled around a little, and the part eventually came off. Maybe I didn't clean the parts well enough.

HP used a double sided sticky film (probably 3M). If you can get something like this, I would use it. Otherwise I would use something like 3M Super 77 spray adhesive (available at most hardware stores... except in Kaliphoneya)

Hello Margaret.
I just e-mailed the PDF file to you.
As far as the cost of the new bezel is concerned, it's quite difficult to make an estimate.
For me, of course, it was completely free ;)
But its overall cost is the sum of material and processing.
Material: let's say 0,5 EUR
Processing: maybe 1 hour (to be multiplied for the unit labour cost).
Unfortunately, all of this does not take into account the mark-up that a company would put on the component if it was to produce and to sell it....
Hope this helps a little bit.
Cheers.
Giancarlo

Hi, Giancarlo;

forgive me... I mispelled my own name ('senior moment'?) Charles is right: it misses an i. Try this, plese:

lcvieira at quantica dot com dot br

It seems to be correct, now (Oll Korrect...)

Thanks, guys.

Luiz (Brazil)

What have you used for the plastic protection of the display, do you still have the original one?

By what I see, you had no original bezel to base yours upon.

(Gliene offrirei uno venuto da una vecchia HP-11C, se ancora lo vuole)

Regards,

Gerson.

Hi Gerson, and congratulations for your perfect Italian!
I didn't use any plastic protection for the LCD display, indeed, as I didn't have the original one.
How would you suggest to replace / rebuilt that plastic protection as well?
For the 11C original bezel, please mail me some details.
Thank you for your feedback.
Cheers.
Giancarlo (Italy)

Quote:
...and congratulations for your perfect Italian!

Grazie! Ho appena finito il quarto livello del corso elementare di lingua italiana per stranieri alla Dante Alighieri qui in Brasile :-) Still a lot to learn...

(Thanks! I've just finished the 4th stage of a basic course of Italian for foreigners, here in Brasil)

As a temporary solution for the plastic protection of the display, you can take a piece of hard plastic from a blister package like those that come with new HP calcs. Only, of course, if your 15C is one of those earlier model, or you won't be able to replace it later.

http://www.hpmuseum.org/10cint.jpg

As a definitive solution, you should take one from a cheap non-working 12C, in case you find one. I could send you the bezel, withouth the HP logo that was missing and the plastic protection because I needed it for my own 15C. It is not so good because the previous owner kept it in a drawer with other calculators, and it appears that some batteries leaked on it. But it might be good as a model.
I could send it to you, you'd only send me a post card from Italy in return if you wanted. Just send me an e-mail (remove the obvious NSPM)

Regards,

Gerson.

I took a few quick measurements from my 11c and put them into emachineshop's CAD program to get a few quotes. Laser cut 0.024" brushed stainless steel with all necessary bends came out to:

$85.90 (1 unit)=$85.90/part
$94.50 (10 units)=$9.45/part
$111.05 (25 units)=$4.45/part
$137.05 (50 units)=$2.75/part
$192.30 (100 units)=$1.93/part

If there's much community interest in buying a few of these I would be happy to organize an ordering pool so everyone can benefit from volume pricing. The CAD model and all specifications would, of course, be refined and reviewed before ordering. Lead time is currently about 3 weeks.

Hi,

One more message from Brazil.
Well, about the bezel, I believe if you could make it from a thin steel sheet, you could add another piece under it and flue both. So, you could make the recessed frame inside the main hole.
For the protective plastic, cut it from a CD case. It is great. Not so scratch resistant, but is what I have used to make HP 10 series restaurations.
If desired, I could make a scan from one HP15C for you see the recessed part and get the actual measures.

Best regards from Brazil and congratulations!
Artur

It looks like a very professional job, congratulations on bringing your 15C back to life!

Can you email the file to me at:

gordon dot dyer at blueyonder dot co dot uk

Thanks.

Hi Artur!
One day I'll try to understand why there seem to be some "geography" for HP enthusiasts (Brazil, Spain, USA of course, UK, .....).
Now back to the bezel: please, mail me (or, if you think it could be interesting for the Forum, post on it) the scan of the 15C, because I'd like to put in place your advise.
Thank you for your feedback.
Cheers.
Giancarlo (Italy)

Hi, I took the pictures and measures. What is your email? (about 400Kb )

Best regards
Artur

Hi Artur.
My e-mail address is:
giancarloDOTmattioniATindesitcompanyDOTcom (replace the obvious with the corrects signs...).
Thank you in advance for your information.
Best regards.
Giancarlo (Italy)