Oldest HP 41c aka earliest Serial Number

[Gene Wright]

The museum database indicates 1926A....

Richard Nelson has an older one. PPC CJ V10N3P36 top right. His machine's serial number is / was 1916A00078. Time to update the list. :-)

How many machines earlier than 1933A are out there? I have two. Anyone else?

[Geoff Quickfall]

Darn!

1933A02074 and 1953A12342.

The first one is a CL but not to worry, the original board is safely stored.

HHC2013

Edited: 2 Sept 2013, 1:03 p.m.

[Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)]

1930A000xx

:)

[db (martinez, ca.)]

the best i can do is only a tall keys 2040A....

if this had been poker i could have tried a bluff

[Ángel Martin]

2005A here... also a tall keys, with a greenish display (which seems to be suffering the passing of time more).

[Jim Horn]

1932A00186, purchased 8/2/1979. Original 41C, but replaced RAMs with 41CV parts making it a 41CV but with all original 41C firmware bugs (fun for synthetics).

[Geoff Quickfall]

Jim, I am jealous !

Not only are the 41cs old, that we have; the sad part is we bought them new!

My serial number would be -0349G00002 in the Hp scheme for dating

(Edited for German version)

:-)

For those of you who do not know.

Take the first two digits and add 60 for the year of issue. The second two digits for the week of production. The serial number at the end would mean second unit produced at the Quickfall family (one older sister).

What's your serial number everyone?

Edited: 5 Sept 2013, 3:35 a.m. after one or more responses were posted

[Dave Shaffer (Arizona)]

Quote:

---

What's your serial number everyone?

---

If I understand your sign convention, I'm -1407A00001

(that 7 might be an 8 - I don't have a 1946 calendar lying around!!)

[John Richards]

For what it's worth, I've read that the year and week digits in old HP serial numbers are referenced to the HP *fiscal* year, and not the actual *calendar* year. I've also read that the week indicator did not necessarily increment on a weekly basis, but only after a production batch was complete.

Unfortunately, I don't have a large enough collection of HP calculators to evaluate either claim on the basis of empirical data....

[John Richards]

Actually, an earlier post in this thread backs up the first claim (or, at least, the use of a different reference than the actual calendar year): Jim Horn posted that he bought serial number 1932Axxxxx on 8/2/79. Regardless of how you count, week 32 of the year cannot begin any earlier than day 218 of the year -- which is August 6 in all non-leap-years.

[Geoff Quickfall]

Hi John,

There has always been a controversy about the actual interpretation of the numbering method.

I am using the interpretation of the numbers as demonstrated in the HP 97repair guide. I am not home now so I can't access the illustration found in the repair manual but will when I get home.

At the moment let us use the following description found here at the museum::

Serial number museum definition.

Scroll down to 'decoding serial numbers'.

And here:

Another site.

Which may be a repeat. The citation aim, using as described earlier, is actually an HP document which says in effect the same as the above links.

Cheers, Geoff

Ah! found it from a previous posting as found in the HP 97 repair manual

Edited: 3 Sept 2013, 11:48 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

[John Richards]

Wow -- definitive information from a primary source! Thanks for the picture and the links.

[Geoff Quickfall]

It is interesting to note the word 'week' appears to be a hand written correction. Not by me but actually part of the original document.

[Jim Horn]

Geoff, for someone who I admire as a collector, restorer, teacher and pilot to say he is jealous of me... Wow.

I'm catching up on bills from seven weeks between jobs this summer. Rent, unfortunately, has precedence over HHC 2013. I *really* wish I could join you all there. But do have a great time - a wish I know will be filled and then some!

[Geoff Quickfall]

Will miss your input Jim, and well, I am flattered, to coin a phrase; "wow".

Cheers

[Massimo Gnerucci (Italy)]

0012I00001

:)

[Dave Shaffer (Arizona)]

Can anybody be simpler?

i.e. 0001(letter)00001 (very early January 1960)

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

0129B00001

At least not a negative S/N :-)

[Steve Simpkin]

0124C00001

[ "C" is for a "rare" Canadian made version :) ]

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

Mostly firstborns so far (or firt units produced at one's respective families, according to Geoff's convention). Does that mean subsequent units are closer to normalcy? :-)

[Paul Berger (Canada)]

Not necessarily -0349C00004 I am by far the geekiest of the lot. Hey Geoff we are the same vintage. Edit to correct serial format.

Edited: 5 Sept 2013, 6:45 a.m. after one or more responses were posted

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

It's just that I've heard firstborns are special, whatever that might mean :-)

Anyway, the sample is too small. Perhaps people don't want to share their serial numbers or just don't want to compute it. If such is the case, the following 12C program might help. Just enter your birthday date either in DD.MMYYYY or MM.DDYYYY (according to your date format setting) and press R/S for the first part of your serial number. This works only for Y>=1960, however.

01   ENTER

02   ENTER

03   EEX 

04   2

05   *

06 g FRAC

07   STO 0

08   1

09   0

10   1

11   +

12   EEX

13   2

14   /

15   x<>y

16 g DeltaDYS

17   7

18   /

19 g INTG  

20   1

21   +

22   RCL 0

23   EEX

24   4

25   *

26   1

27   9

28   6

29   0

30   -

31   EEX

32   2

33   *

34   +

35   GTO 00

--------------------

Those of you who were born before 1960, use the following version and change the sign of the result.

...

22   0

23   RCL 0

24   EEX

25   4

26   *

27   1

28   9

29   6

30   0

31   -

32   x<=y

33   CHS

34   +

35   EEX

36   2

37   *

38   +

39   GTO 00

Edited: 4 Sept 2013, 8:02 p.m.

[Geoff Quickfall]

Neat program!

Hello everyone, those going to HHC should wear their production number!

[Geoff Quickfall]

Stick a zero in front of the 3 Paul!!!

:-)