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HP Forum Archive 13

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Decoding new serial numbers
Message #1 Posted by jose goncalves on 18 May 2003, 2:29 p.m.

Ok, I understand the structure of traditional serial numbers for HP calculators. But what about the new format ? Those numbers that begin with IDxxxxxx or these with CNxxxx. Those Chinese numbers are quite strange ! They are too low to really individually identify several calculators manufactured in a high volume production line. For instance, s/n for my HP9S is CN0246 and for my 9G it is CN0248. One of my HP17BII's s/n is ID04901440. What to this all mean ?

      
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #2 Posted by Scuba Diver on 19 May 2003, 12:55 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by jose goncalves

Well, as I understand it, this is how you decode the new serial numbers:

First two characters; country of manufacture (US, CN and ID are the ones I've seen)

Next character is the LAST digit of the year of manufacture (ie. ID0 would be 2000 in Indonesia)

The next two characters are the week, then finally the last digits are just like the last 5 digits on the old serial number.

Hope that helps! B.

            
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #3 Posted by jose goncalves on 19 May 2003, 8:15 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Scuba Diver

Hi, Scuba

So I have to conclude that those short Chinese numbers (CN0268, for instance) are really truncated numbers. The last portion (the real serial part of the thing) is missing, right ?

                  
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #4 Posted by Julián Miranda (Spain) on 19 May 2003, 10:36 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by jose goncalves

I have a HP30S with serial number CN0043, that is similar to the HP9x you mention. My guess is the first two digits (00 in my 30S) are the year and the last two (43) are the week, and there is no actual serial number. I don't know if HP has keep the serial number the way Scuba described in more "important" machines as 49G or the new 12C which are also manufactured in China.

                        
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #5 Posted by Scuba Diver on 19 May 2003, 7:27 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Julián Miranda (Spain)

Well, I don't have a calculator with the new numbering sequence, but I thought that there was more than just the CN0043...

I've seen a few Chinese 12Cs, and their serial numbers are something like:

CN20812345

Where 208 means 2002 and the 08 means the 8th week...

I could be wrong, however...as I mentioned I don't have any calcs with a new serial number, but I'm pretty sure that this is how it works...

Hope this helps! B.

                        
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #6 Posted by James M. Prange on 19 May 2003, 9:23 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Julián Miranda (Spain)

Close. CN is the country (China, apparently using ISO two-letter country codes). The first digit is the year code. I guess that they don't expect to continue manufacturing the same model in the same country for more than ten different years, or they could rely on a changed serial number format or some other way of identifying the calculator. Wierd color schemes come to mind. The next two digits are the week code, and the last five digits are the unit (serial) within that week code.

                  
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #7 Posted by James M. Prange on 19 May 2003, 9:12 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by jose goncalves

Well, perhaps some people don't like to let everyone know their calculators' serial numbers, so post only the country, year, and week codes, CN026, for example, and leave off the last five digits (the serial part). In other cases, perhaps the serial part doesn't seem relevant, so is left out for the sake of brevity. After all, it seems reasonable to expect that if the country, year, and week codes of two units of a given model are the same, then they should be very nearly identical.

                        
Re: Decoding new serial numbers
Message #8 Posted by jose goncalves on 19 May 2003, 10:05 p.m.,
in response to message #7 by James M. Prange

Almost, almost. My 3 calculators from China that I mentioned have only the first, non serial part of the serial number. IMHO, this should no longer be called serial number but only source id number or something for that purpose. I also think that even if the calculators manufactured in the same week of the same yaer in the same manufacturing facility are suposedly quite similar, they should be individually for identification purposes, But this would be the case for high quality products that deserve and are served with good repair services, if they are needed. I'm afraid recent HP calculators will not fit in this last classification, so there is no need for such elaborated control scheme. Umph !


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