Any ideas on what to do with..

[wancholo]

Any ideas on what to do with a hp49G (unused for years and out of warranty) that is completely dead? I've tried the paperclip reset and different batteries without luck.
Is there anything else that can be done?

[Ron Ross]

Recheck your batteries or try a different brand (I recall that some brands did not make battery contact). The Hp 49G is actually a very reliable calculator. It doesn't suffer from quality issues in general (The rubber keys and sloooow CPU were design errors that affect the over all look and feel, but it was still a well made device).

[wancholo]

Tried different batteries but no result :-(

[Ron Ross]

I did read that. However, look closely at the contacts inside the compartment. Some batteries do not have as long or deep of a nipple and do not contact the plate (design flaw?) so the calculator can be somewhat fussy about the batteries used. If you have a voltmeter, check voltage across opposite contacts diagonally set in calculator and you should read 4.5 V. If you do, then your batteries are making contact.

Also, check your display contrast. Hold the ON key down and hit [+] key repeatedly. Your screen should darken if it is on.

[wancholo]

(Thanks for your responses btw, i appreciate the help)
I just tested the contacts diagonally and it reads 4.44 volts, so the batteries are making contact. Tried the "on" and "+" to darken the lcd but nothing happens.

[Ron Ross]

I'm out of ideas or easy fixes.

Anyone else?

[wancholo]

I shorted the contacts and kept fidgeting with the on- and F3-buttons: to my surprise it turned on and seems to work ok.
The problem now is that when turned of i have to go through the same thing to get it on again. and it takes a lot of tries.
Any ideas on this?

[Ed Look]

Wancholo, with the original 49G+ (and some [very] inexpensive scientific calculators)... I know, different calculator, but still... there was a similar issue I had with batteries and the contacts. One klugey way around is to take some aluminum foil and fold it up and press it down into small, thin squares or dots, but thick enough still to be held between the battery terminal and the contact strip of the compartment. That does work, but over time, the piece of foil gets compressed more and loosens, so you may have to do it again from time to time.

I really hope you can get your 49G to work consistently for you.

Edited: 29 Jan 2007, 2:19 p.m.

[wancholo]

Hi Ed,
I don't think it is a case of bad contact. I think there is some kind of charge build-up that prevents the calc from turning on. After i short-circuit the calculator's terminals it will turn on again while playing with the On and F3 keys (after a couple of tries).
Also, when i press On immediately after turning the calc off it will turn on again, but if i wait a couple of seconds before pressing On it won't turn on.

[Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil)]

... reloading the O.S.? As you are using new, fresh batteries, why not trying to load the O.S. from scratch, after it turns on for the first time? That´s what I'd do.

Just a guess...

Success!

Luiz (Brazil)