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Hello folks,
I consider now to replace the HP-35S of my wife and which will soon cost me more in new batteries than the calculator itself by another less battery-consuming calculator.
Since my wife started to feel comfortable with RPN, I want to buy her another HP.
Does the 20B suffer from the same "disease"?
It looks nice but since I am fed up with buying fresh batteries every now and then, I prefer to ask for opinions first.
Thanks for your help.
Kind regards.
Jean-Michel.
P.S.: my wife does not bother with fingerprints on glossy surfaces ;-)
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33s. It might use less. Anyone know?
Used 32sii. Common as dirt. Can be had for $50 if you are patient.
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Batteries for your 35s will soon cost you more than the calculator itself? I don't think that the 35s uses much battery power. The first set that came with the calculator lasted for at least one year, with daily use and lots of programming with the new toy. The second set was able to power the 35s for 1 1/2 years until the battery announciator came on - again with daily use.
How often do you have to change the batteries in your 35s?
Dieter
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Quote:
33s. It might use less (battery power). Anyone know?
I suspect that the HP-33s actually uses more power and discharges its cells faster than the HP-35s. The 33s runs faster, and uses the same two Type 2032 cells in parallel. I've noted that battery replcement is more frequent than expected, even during non-use.
Only the old-school HP-41, Voyager-series, and Pioneer-series models had astounding battery life. Those of that group that kept "wall time" -- HP-41CX, HP-41 Time Module, HP-27S, HP-17B/BII -- will have much shorter battery life due to the running of that clock, even while the calc is turned off.
-- Karl
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Buy a 30b and skip the 20b completely. It's miles better.
Thanks,
Bruce
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I would buy two or three HP 12Cs if I were you. Someone once said he keeps one by each phone in the house (presumably when folks had land-lines and a phone in almost every room).
You can get 'em cheap and the batteries last forever. However, they don't have scientific functions she may need. In that case, iPod Touch would be a nice gift this time of year ;)
Edited: 5 Dec 2010, 8:26 p.m.
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Hi Jean-Michel. You may have a defective unit if it is using batteries excessively. If it is still under warranty you should consider contacting HP for a replacement.
Good luck and regards,
John
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Quote:
I suspect that the HP-33s actually uses more power and discharges its cells faster than the HP-35s. The 33s runs faster, and uses the same two Type 2032 cells in parallel. I've noted that battery replcement is more frequent than expected, even during non-use.
I've observed the 35s discharges significantly faster than the 33s sitting idly on a shelf. Statistical basis is one of each only, so watch it - but far more sound than suspecting d;-)
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Search eBay for CR2032 batteries. Many to be had for next to nothing. If the link works: eBay link.
Be careful, many of these have high postage to compensate for the trivial cost of the batteries.
- Pauli
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I've also (surprisingly) been impressed by the relatively low cost of name brand CR2032 cells on commercial sites (such as Digikey) if one purchases quantities of 50 or more.
TomC
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I agree with Bruce, if you're considering a 20b, get a 30b instead. The keyboard on the 20b is really bad (keys sort of squish instead of clicking) and the 30b is programmable.
For functions that aren't on the keyboard, the 30b's menu system is time consuming. You choose the menu and then you have to scroll down through the options to find the function that you want. It's easy to use for sure and ideal for functions that you don't use often, but if your wife frequently uses functions that are on the menu's it can be time consuming. On the other hand, it's pretty easy to assign functions to less frequently keys.
One alternative to consider is the older version of the 48gii. These can be had new on ebay for less than $60.
Dave
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I found I could buy 20 cells for the price of 2 retail at auction, so I now stock them. Sam
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Quote:
found I could buy 20 (CR2032?) cells for the price of 2 retail at auction, so I now stock them. Sam
I once bought a package of cheap imported 13/44/76/357 button cells on eBay, due to the number of Voyager- and Pioneer-series models I have, and the short life of the cells in the models having an operating built-in 'wall clock'.
The cells tended to lose energy with or without use, and I noticed that one of them in my HP-10C started to form crystalline deposits from a leak.
Out they went. 3-packs of quality silver iodide Energizers can now be bought for under US$7. There is no reason to risk expensive collector electronics to shoddy battery cells.
Perhaps cheap CR2032 cells in an HP-33s or HP-35s is worth the risk...
-- KS
Edited: 8 Dec 2010, 10:39 a.m.
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Quote:
Out they went.
Agreed. Those CCC's (Cheap Chinese Cells) are only a little better than worthless, regardless of the application. Short shelf life, even shorter life in use.
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Quote:
3-packs of quality silver iodide Energizers can now be bought for under US$7.
Office Depot is now selling the above for $3.99 per 3-pack. Incredibly, still made in the USA.
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I've purchased 357, 2016, 2025, and 2032 button & coin cells from SwatchBattery.com. Got the Energizers - $10.71/10-pack, except the 2032s which are $8.91/10-pack.
Name brands, shipped quickly. My personal experience only. YMMV.
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Even though they don't have anywhere near the same selection, BestByte does have better prices than SwatchBattery.com. You can get the Energizer 357 for 84 cents a piece and for greater quantities they charge less. For example, an order of 10 batteries would be $8.10 (81 cents a piece).
Additionally they have the Panasonic CR2032 for 39 cents a piece. The HP 30b ships with Panasonic OEM batteries. The only differences are the writing on the battery and the nominal capacity (higher for non-OEM). The OEM and non-OEM are made in Indonesia and are high quality batteries.
They also ship very quickly.
Regards,
Mark
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there are sooo many "bestbyte" companies, I have know idea which one you refer to. I also looked at Swatch battery, but they do not stock the 2032.
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Here are some links:
CR2032 at BestByte.net
357 at BestByte.net
Hope this helps.
Mark
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