hp49+ won't power up

[Tom Lianza]

My hp49+ just won't power up. I've replaced the AAA cells with fresh ones and it does not power up. Any suggestions would be welcomed.

[Ron Ross]

A couple of things to try.

Adjust contrast with on and + button (or on and - button if screen is black).

Next, try a soft reset, press On, F1 and F3 all at the same time.
nothing?

Try a complete reset, Press On, F1, and F4 (or F6, hell try both at this stage).

Finally try a hard reset, take a small paper clip and insert in Reset hole in back of calculator.

Still nothing?

Try changing the little 3 V button cell and retry option 1 above (you may have a dead 3 Volt button cell or it is in backwards, though this would be tough to do as it is a shaped compartment).

Nothing?
Double check your batteries again.
Then it is time to call Hp and complain!

[Guest]

A 49g+ will power on without the 3V cell.

[James M. Prange (Michigan)]

Sometimes the button on the + end of a a AAA cell doesn't quite touch one of the contacts, particularly the spiral-shaped contact for the top battery. The battery brand can make the difference.

Also, If you had already stored anything in memory, you'd be better off trying the "paper-clip reset", which just forces a warmstart without clearing memory, before the ON+A+F memory reset.

Regards,
James

[Ed Look]

Oh right! This reply has brought back memories... not good ones.

Before I replaced my 49G+ (the new one is actually quite nice to use... as far as graphing calculators go; I am prejudiced toward scientific models) I did also have a problem with some brands of battery not being long enough to satifactorily touch the contacts.

My homemade solution?

I wadded some houselhold aluminum foil and gently wedged it between the battery terminal and the electrical contact.

If you have one of the older model versions, you may have to do this. It's a slight pain, but it works.

[Tom Lianza]

Hi all,

The paper clip reset finally worked. I didn't realize that you had to keep the clip in place for a few seconds. I put it in there and rotated it around for a few seconds and it came back to life...

Thanks,