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Hi Guys...I just decided to get a 33s to test it and look if it´s so bad as so many people say...i just want to know ways to identify the new ones using the improved display. (serial codes?)

Thanks for your help...

Will.

Hi Will. During a visit to WalMart last weekend I saw 3 versions of the 33s display with the newest being the best yet as the numbers and characters were all visible. The units had a 502 date code.

It appears to me that units made before mid year 2004 have the poor display and small (,) and (.). Units made between mid year 2004 and end of year 2004 have the poor display but with larger (,) and (.). Units made in 2005 have a much improved display. I am hoping that the 2005 units have had the bugs removed as the product manual update was removed from the HP web site some time in the Spring of 2005.

I hope that this helps.

Regards,

John

I've only seen two displays. One has the decimal points noticeably smaller than the pixels in the 5x7 character grids. The newer (Wal-Mart) unit has decimal points approximately the same size as the character pixels.

If they're fixing bugs anyway, it seems to me the firmware solution is to sacrifice a digit and program a big, fat 4- or 6-pixel d.p. as a separate character. (But they didn't ask any of us, now did they?)

I think the comma has been signifcantly improved. Not so sure about the beloved decimal point!

I think they've both been increased in size. But as noted above, IMHO "improved" may be a bit of a stretch.

I do use the comma as the radix mark in both of my 33s' (while on no other calculator model do I do so). It just shows up a little bit better, and in this case every little bit helps.

Hi Paul. I picked up a new 33s from WalMart this afternoon with date code 524. It has a new and improved display and the bugs (hms and polar conversions, and nCr) have been fixed. Also, I find the keys are a bit easier to push and in my opinion have a better feel.

I gave my 417 33s a rating of three stars but the new and improved 524 33s rates four stars.

Regards,

John