HP Forum Archive 17

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Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #1 Posted by Gene Wright on 11 Oct 2007, 11:32 a.m. I have one, but a friend of mine would like to track one down. Any leads? Gene

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #2 Posted by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr. on 11 Oct 2007, 1:24 p.m., in response to message #1 by Gene Wright I know what a Platinum is, but what is a Prestige?

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #3 Posted by Matt Kernal on 11 Oct 2007, 1:41 p.m., in response to message #2 by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr. Prstige = 12CP only sold in Brazil (Brasil).

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #4 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 11 Oct 2007, 1:55 p.m., in response to message #3 by Matt Kernal Essentially the same HP12C Platinun 25th. anniversary with a different look (more like light brass finishment). I do not like the reading, one needs to search for the best angle to properly read the [f]-function printings in the brass-like background. In a sense, it is a collector piece if you already have a new Platinum or a 25th. anniversary edition. Cheers. Luiz (Brazil) Edited: 11 Oct 2007, 1:57 p.m.

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #5 Posted by Gene Wright on 11 Oct 2007, 1:42 p.m., in response to message #2 by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr. A special version of the 12c platinum sold only in Brazil. Gene

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #6 Posted by Bruce Bergman on 11 Oct 2007, 3:10 p.m., in response to message #5 by Gene Wright Is it just me, or does it seem like putting orange lettering on a brass-colored surface seems...silly? I mean, seriously. Is the picture just a poor representation of the real machine, and it's actually easier to read? Or is it truly what it seems above? thanks, bruce

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #7 Posted by Gene Wright on 11 Oct 2007, 3:12 p.m., in response to message #6 by Bruce Bergman Nope, that's the real machine alright. And, yes, it is every bit as difficult to read the orange shift functions on that gold background as you might imagine. Bizarre indeed! P.S. I believe the color scheme of the Prestige predates the current HP design group. Much better results from our current group of friends than things like this guy...

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #8 Posted by Pal G. on 11 Oct 2007, 3:57 p.m., in response to message #7 by Gene Wright Sorry to shift gears, but why doesn't the current calc group re-label the hp 12c into an hp 15c and an hp 16c? Wouldn't that have saved millions of dollars of tooling cost which were spent on the hp 35s? In more recent times, HP was capable of adding many functions and speed-ups to the hp 12c anniversary edition. Is the hardware inside the current hp 12c anniversary not capable of the 15c/16c maths with [a lot | a little] bit of programming? Whenever I go to an office supply store I see hp 12c's hanging next to the other financial calcs. If me or anyone walked by and saw two other, slightly different looking landscape calcs, our hearts might stop and our wallets would fall out. Whereas the 35s kinda blends in with a few of the others (not for lack of marketing). Regards, Pal ps - Wasn't there a discussion here, before the hp 35s arrived, discussing what kind of investment a brand new calc, like the hp 35s, would cost, versus re-labeling and re-engineering the software of the hp 12c? I wonder who won that argument.. Edited: 11 Oct 2007, 3:58 p.m.

12c to 15/16c? WAS: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #9 Posted by Ren on 12 Oct 2007, 11:34 a.m., in response to message #8 by Pal G. How much WOULD it take to convert the modern 12c platform to a 10c, 11c, 15c or 16c? By platform, I guess I mean the circuit board and processor, I can understand the need for button changes and bezel repaint. maybe the LCD would need new annunciators. Could it be just a new write of firmware? (Is the modern 12c firmware masked onto the chip?) Not that I'm downplaying how much work it would take to write firmware to emulate the either the 15c or 16c... This forum seems to have enough skilled people who'd be willing to help HP write and debug the code (if HP would only ask). (That could appreciably reduce development costs). Ren dona nobis pacem

Re: 12c to 15/16c? WAS: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #10 Posted by Eric Smith on 12 Oct 2007, 2:27 p.m., in response to message #9 by Ren With the current 12C (not 12c Platinum) hardware, converting to a different Voyager model would require removing the IC and replacing it with a tiny daughterboard. Some people proposed using a TI MSP430 microcontroller for that; there are other possibilities such as the Atmel ATmega AVR. There is enough room in the 12C to replace the chip with a thin PCB bearing a microcontroller in a thin package (e.g., TQFP). To attach it, it would be best if the PCB either fit entirely within the footprint of the original chip (difficult but not impossible), or if it surrounded the original footprint. I think the current 12C still has all of the necessary display annunciators; I'm not sure whether 12c Platinum does. The bigger problem with the Platinum is CoB assembly: the bare die is bonded to the PCB and encapsulated in a blob of epoxy, so there is no practical way to replace it. On the other hand, if you're going to make new buttons, you'll have to drill out the heat stakes and remove the PCB, so you could simply replace the whole PCB with a new one.

Re: 12c to 15/16c? WAS: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #11 Posted by DaveJ on 12 Oct 2007, 6:35 p.m., in response to message #10 by Eric Smith Quote: With the current 12C (not 12c Platinum) hardware, converting to a different Voyager model would require removing the IC and replacing it with a tiny daughterboard. Some people proposed using a TI MSP430 microcontroller for that; there are other possibilities such as the Atmel ATmega AVR. There is enough room in the 12C to replace the chip with a thin PCB bearing a microcontroller in a thin package (e.g., TQFP). To attach it, it would be best if the PCB either fit entirely within the footprint of the original chip (difficult but not impossible), or if it surrounded the original footprint. I think the current 12C still has all of the necessary display annunciators; I'm not sure whether 12c Platinum does. The bigger problem with the Platinum is CoB assembly: the bare die is bonded to the PCB and encapsulated in a blob of epoxy, so there is no practical way to replace it. On the other hand, if you're going to make new buttons, you'll have to drill out the heat stakes and remove the PCB, so you could simply replace the whole PCB with a new one. Making a whole new board would be the best way to go. Designing a new PCB is not hard, only a few days work. Prototype costs are small (less than a new 12C), news key would be the expensive and more aspect I suspect. How does the LCD connect to the PCB?, and will that be an issue? I think the problem with the 12C is the very restrictive 10 digit display. That has always bugged me about the Voyager series. Doesn't leave much space when you display a negative exponent. Fine for a business calc that only deals with currency, but very annoying for engineering use. Voyager fans can flame away! :-> I don't know about the internal construction of the Voyagers, but is there room for a new LCD too perhaps? Dave.

Re: 12c to 15/16c? WAS: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #12 Posted by Pal G. on 12 Oct 2007, 9:23 p.m., in response to message #11 by DaveJ Quote: I think the problem with the 12C is the very restrictive 10 digit display. That has always bugged me about the Voyager series. This is the reason I gave up on this thread and went back to hanging out in the "hp 45s prototype" thread :) The 12c/15c/16c display is limited. I prefer the screen on the hp 50g; it's packed with information (and history). I'm still trying to get used to the hp 35s, being relatively new to HP calcs. I guess here I was batting for all the 15c die hards, and I wouldn't complain if I had a 16c. I will not waste time on ebay, but I would purchase a 15c or 16c if HP started making them again. :) Pal Edited: 12 Oct 2007, 10:51 p.m.

Re: Where to get an HP 12c prestige? for a friend... Message #13 Posted by Vieira, Luiz C. (Brazil) on 11 Oct 2007, 1:45 p.m., in response to message #1 by Gene Wright Hi, Gene; it's been more than a month (maybe more than two) we cannot find any HP12C Prestige around here. I tried São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro: nothing so far. Expectations point to a month or so from now. It seems to me the second semester caused an unexpected demand, and all available units were sold too quickly. About three weeks ago a lot of 500 Prestige was announced at local e-bay (a Brazilian equivalent e-auction service, cannot remember which one) and sold out in a matter of hours. As soon as I have any news I'll let you know. Best regards. Luiz (Brazil) Edited: 11 Oct 2007, 1:57 p.m.

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