The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 13

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HP48SX Sticky ON/ATTN button.
Message #1 Posted by Randy East on 16 Sept 2003, 12:58 p.m.

HOW CAN YOU FIX THIS PROBLEM?

      
HOW CAN YOU FIX THIS PROBLEM?
Message #2 Posted by Randy Sloyer on 16 Sept 2003, 7:19 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Randy East

It all depends.

Physically sticky? Maybe a coffee/cola spill? It would need a bath in distilled water (without the batteries).

Electrically sticky? It would need a new one :^(

Or, in the case of the most bizzare sticky switch I ever saw, it needed to have the aluminum bezel shaved down. Seems the SX was in a car accident and the calculator bottom edge took the impact compressing the bezel and binding the ON button. A real long shot but worth a mention.

            
Re: HOW CAN YOU FIX THIS PROBLEM?
Message #3 Posted by Tracy Vermeyen on 17 Sept 2003, 12:02 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Randy Sloyer

Randy,

I may need to put my 41CV through a bath to clean up the ON/USER and PRGM/ALPHA keys can you please explain how to do this?

I had some corrosion problems and I have cleaned the contacts with a small wire through the access hole, but the contacts gradually get less responsive with time.

                  
HP41 non-responsive keys
Message #4 Posted by Randy Sloyer on 17 Sept 2003, 7:01 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by Tracy Vermeyen

Try a few drops of Caig Deoxit D5 in the hole first, let soak then scratch around. This is a lower concentration of their Deoxit product and will evaporate after doing the job. That usually does it.

I've found trying to wash the keyboards only makes matters worse as you run the risk of getting dirt into rather than out of the key domes.

Edited: 17 Sept 2003, 7:02 p.m.

            
Re: HOW CAN YOU FIX THIS PROBLEM?
Message #5 Posted by Randy East on 18 Sept 2003, 12:15 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Randy Sloyer

NO COFFE OR ANY FOOD LIQUID HAS BEEN SPILLED ON THE hp. THE KEY DOES APPEAR TO BE LOWER IN THE SETTING THAN THE OTHER KEYS. i TURN IT ON BY TOUCHING THE ON BUTTON THAN THURNING THE ENTIRE CALCULATOR OVER AND TASPING IT ON MY KNEE. iT APEARS THAN i CANNOT TURN THE CALCULATOR OFF BY THE SAME PROCESS. iF i DO NEED A NEW KEY, HOW DOES ONE GO ABOUT THAT PROCESS?

                  
HP48 keyboard woes
Message #6 Posted by Randy Sloyer on 18 Sept 2003, 8:56 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Randy East

The ON button is normally lower than the rest. U can try this:

Place the unit on the desk in front of you. With a left finger, press down on the raised portion of the bezel above the B and C keys. Now with your right, try turning the unit on. You may find some pressure applied to the area described will get the unit working normally again. It may continue to work okay for a while or work only with pressure applied. If this test restores operation, the problem is an intermittent keyboard connection and can be repaired.

Post again if this works and we can go to the next step.


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