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HP Forum Archive 17

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Failing ports on HP-41
Message #1 Posted by Geir Isene on 9 Nov 2007, 11:51 a.m.

Are the port connectors in the back of the HP-41 known to be a failing commodity?

I have two HP-41CX's that have such failing port connectors (the orange connectors inside the ports).

I first noticed the HP-41's going nuts with strange symbols scrolling on the display, frozen display, no response to any key strokes (not even ON+CLX), etc.

I tried various combinations with the modules I had plugged in and concluded that it must be the connectors that are failing - on ports 1 and 3 on one of the calcs and port 2 and 4 on the other calc.

Not that I think it matters, but I have the following modules in the calc(s): Double XM, AECrom and NoV-32 (with CCD OS/X and Ext IO).

Why do the connectors fail?

      
Re: Failing ports on HP-41
Message #2 Posted by Gerry Schultz on 9 Nov 2007, 2:32 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Geir Isene

Gene:

I have a tall-key 41C that also had problems with port and battery connections. I met a guy named Richard Anthony on-line at eBay who repaired my 41 card reader. I sent my 41C to him and bought a used, replacement port connector/battery terminal assembly from eBay. Richard re-platted the connections since there was some wear on the replacement port connector and now the 41C works great. If you want to contact Richard, let me know and I can send you his email address. My email address is gerald dot schultz at fox dot com.

Gerry

      
Re: Failing ports on HP-41
Message #3 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 9 Nov 2007, 7:21 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Geir Isene

Hello,

as Gerry noted, the connectors can suffer from wearing out.
Another option is dirt or dust on the contact areas.
You could carefully try to clean the surfaces with a Q-Tip.
If that doesn't help, there's a chance that the main connector,
which connects to the keyboard backplane, has some corrosion.
Depending on the state of the corrosion, you can clean it yourself,
or have the connctor replaced.
Another cause of malfunction is the famous zebra-stripe connector,
which sits between the CPU board and the keyboard backplane.

OT: Thanks for using the CCD OS/X :-)
I made a new version recently, with a fully implemented CCD CAT 4,
and a small function to adjust the LCD contrast on halfnut calcs.

SAVEROM/GETROM had to be removed to make room for the full version of CAT 4,
but I made another extension ROM called CCD IL/X,
which is a 'best of' of the Extended IO and Extended IL modules.
This includes MCPRP/MCLIST as well as SNEWM and MCOPY and many other IL-related functions,
and the IL/X also contains the SAVEROM/GETROM functions from the older CCD OS/X.

The new versions are not on TOS yet, but will be soon.

HTH

Raymond

            
Re: Failing ports on HP-41
Message #4 Posted by Geir Isene on 10 Nov 2007, 3:57 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by Raymond Del Tondo

Thanks for the pointers.

Quote:
OT: Thanks for using the CCD OS/X :-)
I made a new version recently, with a fully implemented CCD CAT 4,
and a small function to adjust the LCD contrast on halfnut calcs.

Very cool, I'll be upgrading as soon as it is on TOS.

Quote:
...but I made another extension ROM called CCD IL/X,
which is a 'best of' of the Extended IO and Extended IL modules.
This includes MCPRP/MCLIST as well as SNEWM and MCOPY and many other IL-related functions,
and the IL/X also contains the SAVEROM/GETROM functions from the older CCD OS/X.

So the new CCD OS/X + the CCD IL/X would be the perfect combo for me :)

I wish there was room also for the SORTFL in one of them.


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