Hi, Bill;
about the IR output, you'd need another calculator OR (even better) an IR sensor (transistor) connected to the system so it would check it for you. The worst of it (I think) is the power consumption when the IR output is active. And when I considered the checking, I was thinking of a Voyager (no output of any kind...).
Have you considered a system that adapts to the pressure by... "learning"? Cursor sensing/positioning would be enough to create a database with small fuzzy and neural net SW.
The domes used in the keyboard (under each key) are essentially the same (design) and each key has the same surface area to act over their respective domes. I think that you'd not confirm such a big difference from one key to another.
The "programming" systems grows too much in size and complexity, but I guess it's no reason to give up reasoning about it. And this IS a good reason to use a robot arm; why not?
I guess yoú're not in the wrong way. The fact is that if the HP42S had a single IR input with the equivalent SW, nothing would be necessary... But I also guess that HP considered the amount of extra "customers" would go for the HP42S and probably none of them would try the new RPL models: HP28S and HP48SX/S. Well, maybe HP just wanted to give the HP41 fans the feeling that they have not been forgoten by introducing the HP42S prior to discontinue the HP41. That would be easy to take both HP41 and HP42S out of the market later, without so much "trauma".
Cheers.
Luiz (Brazil)
Edited: 4 May 2004, 5:30 p.m.