Posts: 4,027
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Joined: Aug 2005
Hi, Karl;
although this is not a direct answer to your question, I'd consider those packed HP42S found last year. How long had they been stored and under which conditions?
If HP is still HP (I doubt), I'd tell you they'd be the best source of information regarding your question. But I'd not be surprised if the attendant asks you back what sort of mainframe is that...
I'd keep them in the box the way they are now. And see what happens when you finally insert the batteries and turn it on. Would you let your grand-children have the honor? Kidding...
Cheers.
Luiz (Brazil)
Posts: 673
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Joined: Oct 2008
I would power them up with batteries every couple of years just to charge the capacitors (just in case).
The weak spot for the 48G series is the compression pads just below the LCD screen. When these soften up with age (and nothing can slow this ageing process), the keyboards fail, especially the ON key. Many people believe their keyboards may suffer from dirt and wash their keyboards in the belief that they are removing dirt or other mat'l from the keypad, when in reality, they are probably just adding moisture to this pad and restoring its pressure and therefore fixing their keyboards. That is my belief, for what its worth.
I plan to experiment with a syringe and a chemical to fix/expand seals in automatic transmissions (balloons our rubber to 1.5-3x upon contact. It is supposed to fix seals, but I am hoping to have it restore the compressive force of the pad to its old self. I prefer this approach to removing the faceplate and adding more material as any work on the faceplate becomes ugly. I have yet tried this yet, but feel it holds promise.
That is what I feel is the Archilles heal of the 48g series.
Posts: 182
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Joined: Oct 2005
The electronics won't deteriorate, but I'm not at all sure about the display. Nor do I know whether regular powering will do any good.
I think one has to know about lcd technology to answer your question. Not me. Sorry.