Happened again. Bent over to solder something at a client, the trusty HP11C slipped out the shirt pocket and hit the tile floor really hard. This time the asterisk blinked and gave me a scare since you can't buy these calculators anymore.
So, is there a good emulator for the HP11C? I found one here but it's missing important stuff such as SCI and ENG display of entries and results:
formatting link
I can find lots of HP48 emulators, usually free/shareware, but I got so used to ye olde 11C.
BTW if someone else sees that asterisk in the lower left corner: It is the low battery indicator and after a fall you may have to clean the batteries, clean the contacts or adjust the contacts. Sometimes giving the batteries a twirl fixes it.
But Joerg, think how much more expensive it'll be when a whole laptop falls out of your shirt pocket, not to mention the wear and tear on your shirts!
I'm teaching myself Java by writing a generic RPN calculator, that _will_ include ENG and SCI mode (those are the next features scheduled, in fact), as well as hex and octal. I'll post it on my site when it's done enough.
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Tim Wescott
Control systems and communications consulting
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"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" by Tim Wescott
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See if you can build it in the J2ME environment. Then you'll be able to run it on something like a Palm or other handheld (even a cell phone).
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Paul Hovnanian mailto:Paul@Hovnanian.com
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There are only 10 kinds of people in this world,
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I've repaired about a dozen HP10c through HP16c series calculators. Dirt under the domed keyboard contacts is the usual problem. Also filthy display contacts. Careful cleaning and careful re-assembly usually fixes it.
Drivel: I repair and collect HP calculators in my ever shrinking spare time, but don't tell anyone.
Emulator? Get the real thing. There's one on eBay for $150, which is more than a bit overpriced. The HPmuseum has prices varying from $45 to $212. Ouch.
I have one, but I use it.
Well, there's:
but there's nothing to download.
This one's not free:
Yet another for money:
Here's an HP11c emulator that runs on the HP48 or HP49 series.
Yep. That usually means some dirt or water has crawled into the battery compartment. I usually scotch tape the easy to fall off cover to the case, which make it loss proof, and somewhat waterproof.
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# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS
Almost forgot. Look into getting an HP15c as a replacement for the
11c. The 15c has matrix arithmetic and complex numbers, while the 11c does not. Otherwise, they're the same.
If not, I have an HP35s, which is my current favorite:
About $50 to $60 anywhere.
One quibble is that the keys are silk screened with white paint which will rub off. Previous HP calculators had the labels molded into the plastic keys. It comes with a case, which helps. Mine arrived with some of the labels smeared.
One of the handiest features is that it will use fractions directly.
I never have figured out how to use the "HP Solver" correctly. Maybe if I read the manual.
--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 jeffl@comix.santa-cruz.ca.us
# http://802.11junk.com jeffl@cruzio.com
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS
The shirt is a problem but the laptop is a mil-style deal. Metal, rubber bumpers on all corners, the works. Plus I need it anyhow to view Gerbers, schematics, documents, etc.
Hmm, maybe I should consider getting one of these, if they aren't bigger than the HP11C. Must absolutely fit into a shirt pocket. A belt holster would be ok, too.
Doesn't have to be free. Price is reasonable, main thing is that _all_ the keys work, not just some. For example I really need to switch between Fixed (for budget calcs) and ENG notation (for da real stuff...).
Thanks, I'll try that. As long as it's RPN I should be able to get used to it. But first my wife wants me to repair the dreaded sink. Drips a bit, those darn compression joints. I already see it coming. Contortion, then back pain, then some more back pain ...
Well, the pressure cooker also needed some TLC. Sink will be done this afternoon. Saturday is Honey-Do day around here. But my wife is quite handy with tools. When I met her for the first time I was impressed that the purse of a marketeer contained, among the usual women things, a screwdriver, a pair of pliers etc.
Not an 11C emulator (they exist but I didn't much care for them), but XCALC is an excellent (free) RPN calculator.
Did you do a web search? There are emulators that use the original HP microcode for the 11/12/16 and a bunch of others. The HP35 has been resurrected as the 35s and has, I think, all the functions you want. I just bought new batteries for my HP45 (and a carrier for AAAs), but at $60 I might spring for a 35 and keep the
45 in the place of honor next to my VersaLog. ;-)
I really need (better) binary functions though. Anyone know of a good calculator with binary fixed point arithmetic? That's one shortcoming of XCALC (no binary point). I'd even spring for a PDA if there were a *good* calculator for it. I paid $400 (1973 $$) for a '45, so a couple hundred in '07 should be easy to come up with. ;-)
That would have been good to know, if someone hadn't "liberated" my
Did a web search and found some but all were lacking ENG notation. That's really important, especially when tired. Too easy to miss a decimal point.
AFAIK PDAs don't have stellar battery life. That's the most important parameter to me with all things portable. The HP11C is the secret hero in that domain. It ran 15 (!) years on the first set. Only my wife's alarm clock that she got from our ultrasound company beats that. Over 20 years on the first battery and still humming.
Sad. I don't really understand people who do that.
The calculators from left to right are HP35, HP35S, HP16c, and HP41CX. The 35s and the 16c are almost exactly the same width. The *average* thickness is about the same. However, the HP35s is about an inch longer. If you shove the 35s in your shirt pocket, without a protective case, methinks the legends are going to wear off from the keys.
Tear the sink apart. Make a huge mess in the kitchen. Then, ask her if you can buy yourself a new calculator (implying that you're not going to put her sink back together unless you get your new calculator). That will either result in instant permission, or a divorce. No warranty on my advice expressed or implied.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Sure. What's probably happened is that the grease that lubes the slide switch has turned to tar and is not making contact. You can sometimes get away with just applying some mild solvent (alcohol) to the switch, slide it back and forth, and sorta smear the grease around.
However, if you've been moving the switch back and forth zillions of times, then you've probably worn a grove in the gold contacts on the circuit board. That will require disassembly.
Try not to wreck the stick on label when you peel back the corners. I use a hot air gun to soften the glue (and hopefully not melt the plastic case).
I've been fixing switch contact pads with gold leaf and very tiny wire (available at art supply and hobby shops) which are a real nightmare to use. The stuff sticks to everything and won't release. For practice, try cutting and applying a single layer of toilet paper without ripping it apart. Good luck.
If it's really been sitting for 30 years in a drawer, the NiCad batteries are dead, leaking, rotted, corroded, and disgusting. Don't try to charge it if the batteries are swollen or covered with white crud. They're ordinary 850ma-hr NiCad batteries and the battery pack can easily be rebuilt.
If there's corrosion damage and white crud on the inside, just clean it off with water and some mild solvent such as alcohol. Don't get anything near the keyboard or capillary action will suck in the liquids. Blow away the excess water, let air dry for a day, and you have a chance.
Also, check the shorting bar inside the charger connector, which has the bad habit of becoming intermittent. It may not be a bad on-off switch but a flaky shorting bar. Just clean the round pins around the shorting bar.
HP45 Crystal modification:
Drivel: Ancient photos of an HP65 rebuild.
--
Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Doesn't HP still use the keys with the color molded in (like Model-M's)?
That's the way I generally justify new tools, but SFMBO would never buy the calculator-sink connection. Now I just tell her that stuff is a business expense. ;-)
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