ZENWAND for HP-71B (was Re: Repair or Replace? [Was: Repairing Timex])

From: Joe <rigdonj_at_intellistar.net>
Date: Sun Jul 23 09:41:01 2000

At 01:20 AM 7/22/00 -0000, Eric wrote:
>John Honniball <John.Honniball_at_uwe.ac.uk> wrote:
>> Ah, now I have five HP71B calculators, plus an HP bar-code
>> reading wand for them. I'd better get a TX6!
>
>HP didn't make a bar wand for the HP-71B.
>
>However, they did make general purpose bar wands for OEM applications.
>Zengrange, the same people that made ZENROMs and ZEPROMs for the HP-41,
>bought the OEM wand and integrated it into a product for the HP-71B
>called the ZENWAND.
>
>Sorry to pick nits, but I didn't want anyone who isn't familiar with
>the history to go on a wild goose chase for a non-existent HP product.
>

   Correct. HP never made a bar code wand for the HP 71. However, Zengrange
made two different wands for the 71. The first one has the normal type
programmer applications. The second one was made for use with the HP 71s
that Zengrange sold to the UK's National Health Service (or what-ever their
exact name is). The second type wand only has functions that were used for
the NHS's data collection operations. The commercial Zenwand is much rarer.
 The two wands look the same but have entirely different functions so make
sure of which one you're getting if you buy one. The NHS HP 71s and wands
are common in the UK and were sold surplus for something like 5 UK Pounds.

    Joe
Received on Sun Jul 23 2000 - 09:41:01 BST