HP Forum Archive 16

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NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #1 Posted by Han on 6 Dec 2006, 12:34 a.m. I was looking at this HP48GX "NIB" on eBay. However, it is my understanding that pretty much ANY new electronic equipment does not come with batteries installed (the listing mentions the low battery status yet claims the package was never opened). Did HP every ship their calculators with batteries installed?

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #2 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 6 Dec 2006, 2:07 a.m., in response to message #1 by Han I bought a NIB, sealed, 27S: I had to carefully cut the inner plastic foil, which retained the calculator etc. within, in order to take out the three button cells it had factory installed. Thankfully they were depleted but didn't leak after all those years... Greetings, Massimo Edited: 6 Dec 2006, 2:26 a.m.

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #3 Posted by Randy on 6 Dec 2006, 9:43 a.m., in response to message #1 by Han Yes, they've done so in the past and and continue to do so. The boxed 48's (the auction in question), the 38G and the 39G are units that I know personally came with batteries already installed.

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #4 Posted by James M. Prange (Michigan) on 6 Dec 2006, 12:18 p.m., in response to message #3 by Randy The 48 series has a very low power coma mode that stops the system clock, so the only power it needs is enough to preserve static RAM. Coma mode is started by holding down ON and pressing SPC, and then pressing ON again revives it. If I'm not mistaken, HP packaged the earlier units with the battery installed and in coma mode in the expectation that they'd be in use before the battery got too low. As far as I know, the 28 and 49 series don't have this coma mode. Regards, James Edited: 6 Dec 2006, 12:22 p.m.

Coma mode Message #5 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 6 Dec 2006, 12:31 p.m., in response to message #4 by James M. Prange (Michigan) Pioneers instead do have it, or at least the 42S has it: [ON] + [XEQ] + [+] (bottom left, upper right, bottom right keys) activates deep sleep mode. Greetings, Massimo

Re: Coma mode Message #6 Posted by Antonio Maschio (Italy) on 7 Dec 2006, 4:11 a.m., in response to message #5 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) My HP-32SII has not a coma mode (no timing nor clock). -- Antonio

Re: Pioneer "coma" mode Message #7 Posted by Karl Schneider on 8 Dec 2006, 2:37 a.m., in response to message #5 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) Quote: Pioneers instead do have it, or at least the 42S has it: [ON] + [XEQ] + [+] (bottom left, upper right, bottom right keys) activates deep sleep mode. Greetings, Massimo -- Thank you for the tip! It corrected the erroneous info I recently provided "jacksonconsult" (in which I stated that the clock on the HP-27S, HP-17B, and HP-17BII could not be stopped if they had battery power). Recently, I turned on my specimens of these three models, found the batteries dead on two of them, and replaced six cells. I knew from experience that the clock discharged them. Now, I'll put at least two of them to "sleep" with cells in. -- KS

Re: Pioneer "coma" mode Message #8 Posted by Ken Shaw on 12 Dec 2006, 1:05 p.m., in response to message #7 by Karl Schneider My HP17BII came with batteries installed. I have also had very poor battery life with this calculator (about 2 years max.). I was not aware that the clock could be made to sleep. Since the 17BII does not have an XEQ key, could you tell me what key combination will invoke coma mode in the 17BII? Thanks.

Re: Pioneer "coma" mode Message #9 Posted by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) on 12 Dec 2006, 1:18 p.m., in response to message #8 by Ken Shaw Hi, did you try the original key sequence reported (bottom left, upper right, bottom right keys)? In your case they transalate to [CLR], rightmost [^] and [+]. I tried right now on a 17BII and it works. Greetings, Massimo Edited: 12 Dec 2006, 1:21 p.m.

Re: Pioneer "coma" mode Message #10 Posted by Ken Shaw on 12 Dec 2006, 2:18 p.m., in response to message #9 by Massimo Gnerucci (Italy) I must have read the instructions wrong the first time. Yes, this turns off the calculator. When I power it back on, I get a Machine Reset, and the clock is running again, but it has lost time equal to the period it was turned off. The Reset is a bit annoying because I have to reset the display contrast, and maybe some other things, but it definitely works. Thanks a lot!

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #11 Posted by Maximilian Hohmann on 6 Dec 2006, 3:16 p.m., in response to message #3 by Randy Hello! Quote: Yes, they've done so in the past and and continue to do so. The boxed 48's (the auction in question), the 38G and the 39G are units that I know personally came with batteries already installed. But there are exceptions too (at least one that I know): The 40G had the batteries packaged separately. Greetings, Max

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #12 Posted by patrick r on 14 Dec 2006, 4:16 a.m., in response to message #11 by Maximilian Hohmann Quote: But there are exceptions too (at least one that I know): The 40G had the batteries packaged separately. And this was a good idea! I have a 40G in an unopened blister package with a leaking AAA cell. If that cell had been fitted into the calculator ^...

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #13 Posted by Han on 6 Dec 2006, 8:12 p.m., in response to message #3 by Randy I see... I find it strange that they continue to do so, since installing batteries means they will eventually be drained (just from trying to maintain the RAM, even if nothing is actually stored in RAM). And as someone else already mentioned... what about corrosion?

Re: NIB yet batteries are installed? Message #14 Posted by James M. Prange (Michigan) on 7 Dec 2006, 7:26 p.m., in response to message #13 by Han To be sure, the cells will eventually go dead from self-discharge and start leaking, even without the load of maintaining RAM. I don't know how the additional load from maintaining static RAM compares with the self-discharge. With my made in Indonesia 48GX (ID952xxxxx), the AAA cells were in the package, but not installed. As far as I know, this was true of all 49 series too. My preference, for products that take commonly available cells like AAA, would be to package the product as "battery not included", and for products that take a special battery, to include the battery in the package but not installed. Yes, I know that there are some products that have a battery "hard-wired" in, but that strikes me as poor design, as even rechargeable batteries will eventually need replacement, if the rest of the product lasts long enough. Regards, James

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