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Another HP 17BII ? - Printable Version

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Another HP 17BII ? - Peter - 04-22-2005

Hi. Usually the serial numbers for the HP 17BII calculators start with ID..., as mentioned on this forum a little while back. I recently saw one for sale with a 3442S04 # and made in Singapore. What year would it have been manufacutred? And, are the Singaporean versions of the same quality as the Indonesian? Thank you.

~Peter


Re: Another HP 17BII ? - Raymond Del Tondo - 04-22-2005

Hi,

the serial number schema was partially changed in about 1993,

and other HP products of these years have the newer schema,

but the HP calcs had the older schema changed some years later.

The unit you mentioned was made in late 1994.

And no, the Singaporean units aren't the

same quality as the later Indonesian ones.

Actually, the Singaporean are much better!

Comparing an Indonesian unit with a Singaporean

or U.S. unit can lead to the question

whether the Indonesian factories didn't

have the time for quality control.

Please take a look at the page related to

serial numbers here in the hpmuseum.

Raymond


Re: Another HP 17BII ? - Peter - 04-22-2005

Thanks, Raymond.

I was asking because I found someone selling an HP 17BII with the abovementioned serial number. Also, the item I was told has never been used -- it's still in the packaging! Now, I am trying to decide whether to purchase it or buy a much later model, say a 2001 model -- i.e., Indonesian -- that is either barely used or new. Would you say the former is a better choice? Again, Thank you very much.


Re: Another HP 17BII ? - Raymond Del Tondo - 04-22-2005

Hi Peter,

IMHO the older Singaporean unit is the better choice.

The keyboard feedback is somewhat nicer,

the keyboard legends are likely to be double-injection molded,

instead of printed as in the newer models,

and the overall coloring is cleaner, and looks more valuable.

Currently the price of the Singaporean unit should not be

much above the price of an Indonesian unit,

given both units are in comparable condition.

If you're lucky, you'll even get a spiral-bound

manual with the Singaporean unit.

This type of manual is much more practical

because you can simply lay it on the desk

with your page staying open;-)


Regards

Raymond