Very impressive aucton on TAS

[Namir]

The auction 260746120739 on TAS is for an HP19BII with a spiral-bound manual. The Australian seller has an impressive video (includes background music) video that shows the machine. The video is not short and has some professional video effects. I was very impressed by that auction.

Nami

[Don Shepherd]

Wow, that is pretty cool. Seems there is a lot to like about that model. Does it have a "demo mode" that he used in showing its capabilities, and is it preset by HP or can you make your own "demo"?

Isn't this the series with the faulty battery door?

[Mike Morrow]

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Isn't this the series with the faulty battery door?

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Yes, indeed. The example shown in the auction video has the characteristic damaged battery port. You can see something wrong throughout the video, then around minute 5:00 as the calculator is rotated, the damaged corners of the battery port become very obvious. My 2830Axxxxx HP 28S has identical damage, while my (much lesser used) 2707Axxxxx HP 28C is still OK. Great HP so-called "good old days" design again!

The HP 19BII wasn't all that great as a financial calculator either, IMO. But I agree with Namir...this is the best auction presentation that I've seen in almost 15 years of ebay tracking.

HP Clamshells...hate 'em!

Edited: 2 Mar 2011, 11:27 a.m.

[Katie Wasserman]

That's quite a lot of time and effort just to sell one calculator. The seller has a similar video for an 18C.

Therein lies an idea for an HP calculator collector's website, video demos of all the models.

Edited: 2 Mar 2011, 10:42 a.m.

[Ren]

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Therein lies an idea for an HP calculator collector's website, video demos of all the models.

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Maybe if someone asks him in a nice way, he'll let MoHPC have the videos.

And then other sellers can steal them from us!

B^)

Edited: 2 Mar 2011, 1:15 p.m.

[Juergen Keller]

I did similar videos, too, but as you say it's a lot of work. But if time allows I will do some more. If you have some ideas, preferences about models, etc. let me know :-) Planned since a long time is a video about the 9100A/B, a talking HP-41, ...

HP-41 draws sine curve

HP-200LX Self-Test

Casio TA-1000

[Thomas Okken]

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seller has an impressive video (includes background music)

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Meh. The background music is so loud it's hard to understand the guy talking through it. Or maybe I'm just having trouble with the Aussie accent?


Background music in any form of documentary is an abomination anyway IMHO (yes, I'm old) but this is more like a cheap U.S. infomercial. :-D

[db (martinez, ca.)]

Thomas;
Point taken, but: i kind of liked the last two minutes of soundtrack which featured an obscure Led Zeppelin instrumental. When someone gets around to implementing Katie's idea of a video for each calculator; i'd nominate the sunrise sequence of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra to begin the 9100's demo. - db

[Mike Morrow]

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When someone gets around to implementing Katie's idea of a video for each calculator; i'd nominate the sunrise sequence of Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra to begin the 9100's demo.

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One only hopes that there's still time before it becomes appropriate to play Wagner's "Götterdämmerung" for HP's calculator line.

[Diego Diaz]

May I suggest "The ride of the Walkiries" and "Carmina Burana" for HP-41 & HP-42... ;-))

Just for the introduction... I certainly agree that background music while documentary speech is annoying.

Best from Spain.

Diego.

[Juergen Keller]

'The Ride Of The Valkyries' is already taken by 'Apocalypse Now' ;-), see (and listen):

Apocalypse Now - The Ride Of The Valkyries

What about 'Thus spoke Zarathustra' as in '2001 A Space Odyssey'? I think the HP-41 is a milestone that needs such an elevated soundtrack ...

[Walter B]

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'The Ride Of The Valkyries' is already taken by 'Apocalypse Now'

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Oh yeah, heroic warfare! ;-)

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What about 'Thus spoke Zarathustra' as in '2001 A Space Odyssey'? I think the HP-41 is a milestone that needs such an elevated soundtrack ...

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IIRC that's the original music of "Also sprach Zarathustra", Kubrik just stopped the take before the drums start. And IMHO the 35A is the only one deserving this intro :-)

[Xavier A. (Brazil)]

Nothing, nada, rien.
I'd like just one video of each calc, and eventual explainations on page, text only, no effects. Former sound engineer speaking.
BTW, I have ever been impressed by handheld calculators silence (if available :).

[Keith Midson]

Hi Namir,

The 18c from this seller has been relisted from $100 with no bids. He also had a 19B, which i won for $25 - not working but mint condition. A great and cheap battery door donor!

Cheers, Keith

[Mike Morrow]

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A great and cheap battery door donor!

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Warning: Replacing a missing door on a Clamshell model doesn't solve the problem of the battery port opening itself breaking, especially at the upper corners. When that happens, the probability increases that the replacement door will soon go missing. Plus, the calculator itself is then permanently disfigured.

The whole design of the Clamshell battery holder system is very marginal. My HP 28S broke not during the act of replacing batteries, but due simply to the static pressure of the installed N-cells on the door and thus on the door retaining structure of the battery port. I looked at my 28S one day after a few months of non-use, and found the damage had taken place while the 28S was just sitting in a drawer.

Lesson learned: Never store an intact Clamshell with batteries installed.

[Keith Midson]

Yes the wonderful clamshell door design. I have a few 28S's, 28C's, 18C's, 19B's and 19Bii's in my collection. The battery door is the biggest downside to the calculator. I do have one 19Bii with the newer back door version - it's a pity they never implemented this on the 28S, which is personally one of my favourites.

I have a few interesting 28S's in my collection - a clear cased 28S (which I will post photos of sometime), a 100th anniversary edition, and one made in Indonesia in 1997 (well after the production run had finished). Fortunately I have a few that I don't put batteries in that are in 'like new' condition.

Cheers, Keith

[Palmer O. Hanson, Jr.]

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Lesson learned: Never store an intact Clamshell with batteries installed.

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I obtained my HP-28S 100th Aniversary Model S/N 2801A04702 for two dolllars at a garage sale back in 2001. It had the damage to the case near the battery door. I have not experienced the problem you describe with this unit. The previous owner had told me of the possibility of losing memory if I fumbled a bit during battery replacement. I practiced replacing the cells and convinced myself that I could always buy some time before losing memory by touching the contacts on the battery door to the installed cells. But, when I needed to change the cells one of them became stuck partway out of the unit. No hope of touching the contacts on the door to the cells, and a complete loss of memory resulted.

I obtained my HP-19BII S/N 74300778 for five dollars at a church rummage sale in early 2010. It came with a mint condition manual, but not spiral bound. There is no damage near the battery door. I have not experienced the problem you describe with this unit either.

[Mike Morrow]

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It had the damage to the case near the battery door. I have not experienced the problem you describe with this unit.

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These statements are contradictory. If it has the damage to the case, that *IS* the problem that I described.

Edited: 3 Mar 2011, 3:23 a.m.

[Palmer O. Hanson, Jr.]

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These statements are contradictory. If it has the damage to the case, that *IS* the problem that I described.

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I am not sure how much damage we are talking about. The amount I have on my 28S doesn't seem to make cell replacement any more difficult than it is with my undamaged 19BII. But, the Rube Goldberg mechanization is difficult to work with in any case, broken case or not.