HP Forum Archive 13

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HP41C halfnut serial numbers Message #1 Posted by David Smith on 12 Aug 2003, 4:58 p.m. I recently got an HP41C HALFNUT. It had a serial number of 1932A00XXX. This number was 13 off from my old full-bugs, gold ball, tall key unit. This seems to support the theory that the halfnut 41C's were very late date service replacement units. For a service replacement they swapped the old case back onto the new halfnut front end to keep the old serial number. If you had a damaged case back, you got back a new case back with a hand-engraved serial number.

Re: HP41C halfnut serial numbers Message #2 Posted by Randy Sloyer on 13 Aug 2003, 9:40 a.m., in response to message #1 by David Smith That would make a lot of sense. Why not just replace the front with current production and give the customer his old serial number back. I guess the older case bottoms without the extended cylinders on the bottom screws didn't matter on a half-nut? This gives rise to the question: Was the C just a CV with a trace cut for the reduced memory? I doubt they masked a separate chip for just the C's. Maybe they just dropped a wire bond or two at packaging. I read the memory was in the display module, I believe Luiz did or at least tried to confirm this a few months ago. Maybe the module part numbers will tell the story?

Re: HP41C halfnut serial numbers Message #3 Posted by David Smith on 13 Aug 2003, 4:03 p.m., in response to message #2 by Randy Sloyer HP was rather agressive about keeping a unit's serial number when the case was replaced during service. I know a lot of calculators back then were kept under inventory control systems. Changing a serial number could cause a lot of user headaches. I have not opened up the halfnut 41C yet to see what differences it has with the CV. It is definitely a 41C halfnut (with quad memory module plugged in).

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