Voyager HP-10C restoration and bezel replacement. and the book.

[Geoff Quickfall]

Hello all,

Here is a shot of a 10C that I did today and the restoration techniques used comprise the bulk of chapter 9 "Voyagers". The aluminum bezel was replaced with an undented donor that I restored to it's brushed finish. The keyboard is now functional, in fact this one did not work due to a broken solder joint and dirty logic pca zebra connector. This is an early version with the separate logic pca and LCD panel.

The second half of chapter 9 will feature a complete strip down of an 11C and removal of the keyboard from the case. The book is up to 105 pages and should top out at 230 pages when completed. So far there are 144 figures all referenced to the text in a step by step restoration process, similar to the following:

So far the following chapters/appendices are completed:

Introduction

Acknowledgements

Contents

Chapter 1     About Restorations

Chapter 2     Classics                      34 figures 

              HP-65

              HP-45

              HP-55               

Chapter 3     Woodstocks                     8 figures

              HP-29C

Chapter 6     Cricket                        25 figures

Chapter 8     Coconut                        55 figures

              HP-41CX halfnut

              HP-41CV fullnut

              Card reader

              Rechargeable battery pack

              Double x-memory module

Chapter 9     Voyager                        25 figures

              HP-10C early version with separate logic PCA 1982

              HP-11C late version 1989

Appendix A    Tools and Materials

Appendix B    Battery Pack Substitute        20 figures

              Drying boxes

              Overlay labels for the HP 41

              Rubber feet fabrication

              Static Electricity protection techniques

Appendix C    Diagnostic programs for various early calculators

Appendix D    Terms and definitions

Appendix E    Links to the Web

The following need to be completed:

Chapter 4     TopCat

              HP-97

Chapter 5     Sting

              HP-19C 

              HP-10C             

Chapter 7     Spice

              HP-34C unsoldered

Chapter 10    Titan

              Early version HP-71B

              Late version HP-71B

Chapter 11    Clamshell

              to be annouced (possible an HP28C)

Chapter 12    Pioneer

              to be announced (possible an HP42S with memory

              enhancement)

Chapter 13    Charlemagne

              HP48SX 

I am hoping to have this ready for HCC2009 but we shall see if life gets in the way. In fact, most of the uncompleted chapters have been photo documented but the text needs doing so they should flow rather well.

I hope some one out there would like a copy. It will be spiral bound, full colour 8.5 by 11 inches in size so that the photo/figures are easily readable.

Thats all for now!

Edited: 27 July 2009, 1:09 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

[Walter B]

Hi Geoff,

Great work!

Quote:

---

I hope some one out there would like a copy. It will be spiral bound, full colour 8.5 by 11 inches in size so that the photo/figures are easily readable.

---

For sure they will :) Any idea about the price?

[Geoff Quickfall]

Don't know the costs yet! That of course is based on the quality of paper, number of colour photos and etc. Once the book gets closer to completion I will have a handle on the cost.

I would like to cover the costs to produce the copies and of course shipping and at the end of it all, take my wife out for dinner based on the profit ;-)

Cheers, Geoff

[Marcus von Cube, Germany]

Put me on the list, even if I will never be nearly as proficient as many others here. The book will possibly prevent me from killing one of my precious HPs.

[Gerry Schultz]

Count me in too, Geoff. If you bring copies to HHC 2009, I will buy one. From what I've seen in your postings, I am very impressed by all the work you put into this, so save me a copy.

See you in Ft. Collins!

Gerry

[Ronald P]

Hi Geoff

Very nice, I certainly like to have a copy when available.

I suggest you also add a chapter on the HP10 / HP 19C.

I can suply you with pictures from the insde when needed.

Br

Ronald

[Geoff Quickfall]

Hello Ronald,

Chapter 5, "Sting" is both the 10 and 19C printer calculators.
Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz has lent me both the 10 and 19C for disassembly for the book.

I will be picking them up on my next London layover, but will keep your kind offer in mind. However I would appreciate a set of your photos. I am trying to keep the photo consistent (blue background for printing) and also part of the novelty of the book is that I have done all the restorations and repairs. Each step is photo documented with labels and text references so consistency is a requirement!

I am using a lot of resources including service manuals, the museum articles and archives as well as HP employees and consultants from the past.

Cheers, Geoff

[Richard J. Nelson]

Hello,

We saw many examples of Geoff's restoration skills at HHC 2008 and read about them in HP Solve.

He will demonstrate his restoration techniques for the HP-41 at HHC 2009 in Ft. Collins CO. See details at:

HHC Websites

When HP provides their facilities to hold the conference we have a special situation in terms of keeping cost down and the benefit/cost ratio is exceptionally high. See the Conference reports at the above link. We have only had this situation during a small percentage of our Conferences since the first in 1979. With everything changing so fast these days the future is evermore unpredictable. If you have been putting off attending and you have a special interest in the future (and sell/buy/swap the 30 year old HP-41 system) this should be the year you attend. With HP selling off their campuses we may not have these opportunities as often in the future.

X < > Y,

Richard

[Giovanni Jimenez]

Please save a copy for me, and a question for you:

I have a nice working HP-15C, but the aluminum bezel is scratched. In your opinion, is it worth restoring the bezel to bring the calc close to perfection, or are there any risks (collaterla damage) to the functionality of the calc in doing this ?

Thank you !

[Geoff Quickfall]

Hello all

Any one wondering what will be in the book can look forward to a variety of techniques for restoring the calculator from electronics to physical shape. Here are some steps found in the Voyager section (in point form here, not quite as in depth) with accompanying pictures. The text will have many more intermediary photos with accompanying explanations.

I have designed the book to help the (like me) non technically oriented to restore the basic problems in mechanical design as well as the most frequent, fixable electronic problems (LED block replacement, contact cleaning, substitutes in foam inserts and etc.)

In a nutshell the book is:

1.     about 250 pages

2.     over 300 photo illustrations with accompanying text for all

       thirteen calculator families up to and including the 

       Stretch Pioneers.

3.     130 pages completed so far including chapter 8, the HP-41C

       series

       a.     HP halfnut restoration

       b.     HP fullnut restoration

       c.     Rechargeable battery pack reconditioning

       d.     Memory enhancement (2X-memory)

4.     Hoping to be done for HCC2009 in October but it still has

       to be peer reviewed by the committee.

5.     Expecting to be on demand publishing but I should have some

       copies made up prior to that (don’t know the cost yet).

Hello Giovanni!

Thanks for the order, now to complete the book (half way and counting).

There are two methods to restoring the Bezel.

"REPLACING" OR "RESTORING while in place."

I am going to consider that the bezel is scratched and not dented, i.e. you would rather remove the scratches and refinish with a brushed finish with the bezel in place.

1  cover the clear plastic lens with a non sticky piece of paper

   which covers the lens only and not the two depressed bezel

   pieces at either end.  Any application of a sticky mask to the

   lens and subsequent removal may only serve to remove part of the

   anti reflective coating.  Hold this in place with a piece of

   masking tape long enough to attach to the two depressed bezel

   pieces at either end.

2  if the HP15C badge is metal (pre 1982?) then mask it, other wise

   remove it by applying heat to the badge with a hair dryer then

   gently prying it off.

3  mask the entire calculator seen in the picture below.

4  once masked, secure a piece of 400 grit wet dry sand paper,

   green plastic pot scrubber (scotch brite), alcohol and gloss

   lacquer spray can.

5  using a parallel motion, be as accurate as possible, use a 

   stroking motion with the sand paper parallel to the

   longitudinal axis of the calculator until the old lacquer is 

   completely removed as well as the scratches.

6  to remove the harshness of the finish, repeat step 5 with the

   plastic pot scrubber material.

7  clean with alcohol to remove any oily residue and remask the

   lens if required.

8  spray the lacquer according to the manufactures requirements,

   many light coats as opposed to a runny heavy coat.

9  let dry overnight.

10 heat the masking tape until warm to the touch to soften the 

   adhesive prior to removing the tape.  This IS IMPORTANT!!!!

   The heat softens the adhesive and when removing from the back

   of the calculator it, when warm, will release without removing

   any labelling on the instructions.

11 Reglue the badge in place with contact cement.

Removing the bezel is a long process that must be carefully done with precautions. It requires lots of heat so the LCD must be removed in the early two piece versions (HP-15 I don't think was ever the two piece PCA) or protection of the LCD panel with cloth. You will have to wait for the book for that! If the bezel is just scratched and not dented then refinish the bezel in place.

HP-15C MASKED FOR REFINISHING AND LACQUERING IN PLACE WITH
NEW OLD STOCK METAL BADGE MASKED:

HP-15C WITH REFINISHED BEZEL WHILE BEZEL WAS IN PLACE
(dark LCD lens due to polarizer on camera interfering with
polarizer on LCD panel):

HP-10C BEZEL BEFORE BEZEL REMOVAL PICTURING THE THREE DENTS
ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHICH COULD NOT BE SANDED OUT:

HP-10C BEZEL REPLACED WITH AN HP-11C DONOR THAT WAS
REFINISHED AFTER REMOVING IT:

BEFORE AND AFTER BEZEL REPLACEMENT ON THE HP-10C:

Hope this helps!

Cheers, Geoff

Edited: 12 Aug 2009, 6:03 p.m.

[Ignazio Cara (Italy)]

Wow, you are a big wizard.
And yes, I wish to buy a copy of your great manual when it will be available.

Regards

Ignazio

[Giovanni Jimenez]

Thank you Geoff...very informative; I might even buy 2 copies of the book :)