HP 41C calculator

From: Joe R. <rigdonj_at_cfl.rr.com>
Date: Wed Nov 17 11:18:37 2004

At 12:02 PM 11/17/04 -0500, you wrote:
>Hmmm... Maybe I should have kept the 41C after all. Oh well, maybe I'll
>find a working one some day...
>
>What makes it so much better than say an HP 48GX or even an HP 42S?

   RPN, the ability to add modules (or interfaces!). The huge range of SW avaiable for it. All the peripherals available for it. The good solid look and feel, the quality of the construction and more. A 42S had similar SW but no ports (therefore no expandability, off-line storage or perpherals) and just try to find a 42S!

    Joe



>
>On Nov 17, 2004, at 10:58 AM, Joe R. wrote:
>
>> At 09:37 PM 11/16/04 -0500, you wrote:
>>> Thanks for all of the 41C info. I'd like to pick up a working CX
>>> someday but they go for over $200 on eBay. I guess I'll have to stick
>>> with my more modern HP calculators for now.
>>
>> There's a reason that used HP-41s bring over $200. The modern HP
>> calculators bite! Once you get used to a 41 you'll stick to it.
>>
>> Joe
>>
>>
>>>
>>> On Nov 16, 2004, at 7:40 PM, Tony Duell wrote:
>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The HP 41C is gone! It's amazing how many people wanted it even
>>>>> though
>>>>> it was broken. Thanks to everyone who expressed interest.
>>>>
>>>> I am not suprised. Most HP41 faults are just bad connections (either
>>>> between the logic board and the keyboard/display or between the I/O
>>>> assembly and the keyboard/display) and can be fixed easily.
>>>>
>>>> Corroded I/O assemblies due to battery leakage are quite common too,
>>>> but
>>>> they can be repaired with care and a fine-tipped soldering iron.
>>>>
>>>> IC failures are uncommon, but I have had the odd one. Sorting out
>>>> logic
>>>> failures is hard because the connections are made when the case is
>>>> screwed together which means it's almost impossible to run the
>>>> machine
>>>> with the logic PCB exposed. HP used a special 'test calculator' at
>>>> the
>>>> service centres for this -- it consisted of a normal HP41 with the
>>>> back
>>>> case cut in half (exposing the logic PCB end) and modified
>>>> pillars/screws
>>>> to hold the logic PCB in place. I've never seen an official one, but
>>>> making a clone was an enjoyable afternoon's work.
>>>>
>>>> The HP41 is still a very useful calculator. The 41C is the simplest
>>>> model
>>>> with 64 'registers' (a 'register' is 7 bytes...) of user memory,
>>>> partitionable between programs and data. You can put up to 4 memory
>>>> modules in it, each adds another 64 registers, but doing that uses up
>>>> all
>>>> the I/O ports. There was also a quad memory module which adds 256
>>>> registers using just one port. And then there's the 41CV which has
>>>> the
>>>> full memory built-in
>>>>
>>>> The top model is the 41CX. It's a CV with extended functions (string
>>>> handling, etc), extended memory (the ability to save programs and
>>>> data
>>>> in
>>>> named files in another area of memory) and timer (clock, stopwatch)
>>>> built
>>>> in _and then some more functions on top of that, like a simple text
>>>> editor.
>>>>
>>>> Add on ROM modules include things like maths, stats, circuit
>>>> analysis,
>>>> structural engineering, thermal science, financial, etc, etc, etc.
>>>> And
>>>> ssytem extensions like extended functions and timer. And 'hacking
>>>> modules' (third party code, although AFAIK HP always made the
>>>> physical
>>>> modules) like ZenROM which let you edit the machine's memory
>>>> directly.
>>>> Serious hackers even made ROM emulators (using RAM rather than ROM)
>>>> so
>>>> they could program the 41 in machine code.
>>>>
>>>> And then there's the HPIL module with its extension ROMs (extended
>>>> I/O,
>>>> HPIL Development, always called DevIL :-)) which let you connect this
>>>> little calculator to a disk drive, plotter, thinkjet printer, RS232
>>>> interface, HPIB interface, video display, data logger, etc, etc, etc.
>>>>
>>>> And dedicated peripherals like a magnetic card reader, thermal strip
>>>> printer, barcode wand.
>>>>
>>>> What do I have? About a dozen machines, mostly CVs, but the odd CX
>>>> and
>>>> the odd C (including a very early C with all the original bugs!), a
>>>> couple of dozen modules, most of the peripherals, the machine code
>>>> development tools, and so on.
>>>>
>>>> It's a great machine, and still very actively used
>>>>
>>>> -tony
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
Received on Wed Nov 17 2004 - 11:18:37 GMT