Posts: 81
Threads: 7
Joined: Nov 2013
In my opinion you don't have any obligation to fix it.
It's your calc, you bought it, you can do with it whatever you want to do.
The HP32E is quite common and easy to get. No big loss to the collector community if it is not restored. Other Spice models are rarer and more valuable. The common HP32E might serve as a transplant organ spender to revive some on the rarer Spices. Such as replacing burnt out LED displays or worn keyboards (I mean on the solderered variety, not the press-fit ones). I even must admit to have slaughtered a not so pretty but fully functional HP32E recently to get just the battery PCB and the flexfoil to fix a HP38C which also had corrosion by leaky batteries. The HP38C now is in perfect condition again, the HP32E is dead. Was it worth the sacrifice ? For me, yes. I also buy worn / ugly HP45 just to cannibalize them for LED display modules and chips to repair the more valuable Classics, the HP55s being particular notorious for burnt out LEDs.
So there is nothing wrong with not restoring your HP32E. If you are new to restoring HPs and want to get a little practice, try to replace the corroded parts with thin wires. But don't blame me if you break the case in the process...
Regards,
Bernhard
Posts: 858
Threads: 80
Joined: Feb 2009
Do you like just a paper weight or a paper wight that works?
Ciao.....Mike
Posts: 1,830
Threads: 113
Joined: Aug 2005
Assuming you'd rather have it working than not, because of your delight as a enthusiast, or your conscience as a collector, then one thing to look at would be risk:benefit. Though the current state of your machine could be described as "a pretty paperweight," that status actually has value in a display piece or conversation starter. So if you don't do anything to screw up this attribute of the device by opening it, then the only risk you run is that the machine won't work, and may be even more damaged, when you put it back together. If you are satisfied with the display piece, then that isn't really a risk at all. On the other hand, if that really is an unacceptable risk, then you can choose to send it off to one of the expert calculator repair people. This could be pricey, but may have a better chance of producing a working machine than if you attempt the repair yourself. Finally, you might get a benefit from opening your calculator, even if yo screw it up. You could end up learning something about how the machine ought to work. If this gives you pleasure, then I wouldn't discount it as a benefit.
Best of luck!