The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 06

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Battery Pac on HP-80
Message #1 Posted by Tom on 26 June 2001, 3:19 p.m.

Hello

Is the battery pac that came on the HP-80 common to other calculators that it might be be available in stores.

Or, are the originals hard to find

Or, is there some other arrangement of batteries that will work in the HP-80

      
Re: Battery Pac on HP-80
Message #2 Posted by Viktor Toth on 26 June 2001, 4:16 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Tom

Tom,

The battery pack WAS common to other calculators... some 25 years ago. Unfortunately, these battery packs cannot be found in stores.

It is, however, possible to rebuild an old battery pack using modest skills, a few tools, and NiCd battery cells that can be obtained, for instance, at Radio Shack. You haven't thrown out your old battery pack, have you?

Viktor

      
Re: Battery Pac on HP-80
Message #3 Posted by Tony Duell on 26 June 2001, 5:28 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Tom

The battery pack for the HP80 is the same as the one for the HP35, 45, 55, 65, 70, 67, and 75. As far as I know it was specially made by HP for these calculators, and no other standard battery will drop in. If you still have the old battery pack, it's possible to cut the plastic apart, remove the old cells and replace them with new ones, using the original plastic housing and contacts. It's just 3 AA size NiCd cells in series. If you don't have the original pack, then you might be able to find some way to connect 3 AA NiCd cells in series to the contacts in the calculator -- the contact nearest the front of the machine is +ve. Also, with the 'classic' machines without card readers (35, 45, 55, 70, 80), it is perfectly safe to run them from a charger without a battery pack installed. When the charger is connected, the battery pack is disconnected from the calculator. The charger unit is electrically in 2 sections, one is connected to the battery and charges it, the other is connected to the calculator electronics. The second part is not affected if there's no battery connected. This DOES NOT apply to those models with card readers (65 and 67) -- on those, plugging in the charger without a good battery pack installed risks damaging the card reader chip.

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall