Something peculiar is going on through the internet stores.
If you go to amazon.com and compare the sales price of HP20b and 30b, 30b is cheaper than 20b by more than $10.
HP30b comes to $32.54 including shipping.
Outside of Amazon, the best price I could find on 20b was from buy.com ($28). It still comes to $35 if you add the shipping charge.

This is great for people who is thinking about flashing WP34S. keyboard is of much better quality on 30b compared to 20b.

So I did a quick calculation for the cost of ownership for flashed WP34S.

$33 for hp 30b from amazon affiliated seller (incl. shipping)
$3 for flash cable from Gene
$5 for overlay from Eric
Total $41

retail industry does a strange thing.

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$3 for flash cable from Gene

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That is freaking crazy cheap--unsustainably so--for a hand-made product!

Before this gets out of hand, Gene does not make these by hand. He got big bags of them from HP.

Also, he was spending so much time, gas money, and postage that he raised his price. It isn't $3 anymore. I tried to search the archives but couldn't find the thread with the new price quickly. If you want one just send him a message to get the new price and details.

Quote:

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Something peculiar is going on through the internet stores.
If you go to amazon.com and compare the sales price of HP20b and 30b, 30b is cheaper than 20b by more than $10.
HP30b comes to $32.54 including shipping.
Outside of Amazon, the best price I could find on 20b was from buy.com ($28). It still comes to $35 if you add the shipping charge.

This is great for people who is thinking about flashing WP34S. keyboard is of much better quality on 30b compared to 20b.

So I did a quick calculation for the cost of ownership for flashed WP34S.

$33 for hp 30b from amazon affiliated seller (incl. shipping)
$3 for flash cable from Gene
$5 for overlay from Eric
Total $41

retail industry does a strange thing.

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And add about $20 or so for a USB-to-Serial adapter most of us would need. Still, not bad at all.

Strange about those Amazon prices. About a month ago I checked and the 30b was more expensive by about $10.

The 20b is no longer manufactured, so probably everyone who was selling them cheaply sold out, and the only vendors on Amazon who still have them in stock are the ones who want to overcharge, so nobody's buying.

You can probably find a used 30b for not too much on TAS. I got mine that way for under $20 shipped. No manual, just the opened original packaging, a 30b, and a case, but you don't need the manual if you're going to be flashing it.

At any rate, from what I've heard the 20b keyboard is atrocious, however my 30b's feels great so I'd recommend the 30b.

HP30b Calculator = $22 (New from Amazon)

WP 34s Overllay = $5 (Thanks Eric)

Programming Cable = free (Thanks Gene)

Attending HHC 2011 = Priceless!

Steve's cable was free at HHC 2011. :-)

I have now had to ask $6 to send to a US address and $10 to an overseas address. Sorry about that. Email me if you want more information and I will respond with the procedure I have adopted.

New prices:

$6 to USA addresses

$10 oustide USA

Updates and Cables

While this isn't as bargain-basement as one could hope for, the 20b is currently only $27.99 (or $34.93 shipped) from buy.com. That's roughly the same price as the 30b on Amazon.

You are right about USB-serial converter.
The one I used is "
USB to RS-232 Serial Adapter for Windows 7 (32/64bit) FTDI Chip Pro Adapter with LED" ($18+$6.50 s&h )

Three LEDs are in blue tinted DB9 shell, power, Tx and Rx.

Quite geeky when they blink while the signal are fed into calculator.

Edited: 14 Oct 2011, 12:17 p.m.