The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 13

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hp42s defect beeeeep
Message #1 Posted by Michael on 22 Sept 2003, 4:12 a.m.

who can help? my hp42s doesen't work with new batteries it only beeps permanently after power on.

      
Re: hp42s defect beeeeep
Message #2 Posted by christof on 22 Sept 2003, 10:38 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Michael

Sounds like you need to remove the batteries, short the terminals with a piece of wire (steel paperclip is good enough) and put the batteries back in.

That's how I've done it in the past for pioneers.

Some people recomment shorting with a reversed battery, but I've never seen that mentioned outside of the voyager series.

            
Re: hp42s defect beeeeep
Message #3 Posted by David Smith on 22 Sept 2003, 3:48 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by christof

The HP42 manual says to short across the battery terminals for one second WITH THE BATTERIES INSTALLED. This will not damage the batteries and will protect the machine from static problems.

                  
The 42 beeeeps when the batts are almost dead
Message #4 Posted by Menno on 23 Sept 2003, 1:40 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by David Smith

The 42 has the strange feature that when the batteries are allmost empty it will start to beeeep continously. This has happened to me twice, both times in the middle of the night. That little bastard has a mind of it's own.....

So I think that you try to install batts that are almost empty. Measure the voltage of your batt; it will be less than 1 volt.

have fun

Menno

                  
Re: hp42s defect beeeeep
Message #5 Posted by christof (NoVA USA) on 23 Sept 2003, 3:07 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by David Smith

"The HP42 manual says to short across the battery terminals for one second WITH THE BATTERIES INSTALLED. This will not damage the batteries and will protect the machine from static problems. "

NO IT DOES NOT.

I have the museum pdf, my old spiral bound paper copy, and a photocopy all three in front of me and they ALL say:

"Now turn the calculator back on. If it does not function, you might have taken too long to change the batteries or inadvertently turned the calculator on while the batteries were out. <i>Remove the batteries</i> again and lightly press a coin against both battery contacts in the calculator <i>for a few seconds</i>...."

I've been through this a few times now, and each time I go back and check, and each time, my manuals say to REMOVE the batteries.

Not saying that you will certainly cause damage to the 42S by leaving the batteries in, but the manual is really very clear.

-Christof

                        
Re: hp42s defect beeeeep
Message #6 Posted by David Smith on 26 Sept 2003, 7:30 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by christof (NoVA USA)

I checked my manuals and the HP11/12/15 manuals all say to short the batteries.

My only 42S manual is a late version that says to remove the cells. I think the earliest 42S manual wanted the batteries in (I was fixing a balky 42S when I first read about shorting the batteries), but I no longer have that manual. I have used the technique on a couple of 42S machines and it worked just fine.


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