Re: HP 42s display Message #4 Posted by Randy on 27 Feb 2008, 7:38 a.m., in response to message #3 by Bill (Smithville, NJ)
Quote: The early versions have a plastic window over the display - thus the dispay area is fairly flush with the adjacent calculator. The later versions do not have this plastic cover and thus the display is recessed into the calculator.
While there are two versions, one with and one without the plastic window, the LCD is in the same position depth wise in both models.
There are two differences between the models:
1) The early model with the plastic window covering the LCD has an anti-reflective coating, the same as was used on the Voyagers which preceded the Pioneers. The first version of the LCD had a high polish polarizer, again, same as the Voyagers which is perhaps why the window with the A/R coating was used.
2) With the second model, when they removed the window they went to a matte surface LCD polarizer.
It is my belief that this change came about due to several factors. One is that the windowed displays have a nasty habit of collecting dirt particles between the LCD and window. Two, when they designed the 48 series they realized they would have trouble with big windows in front of the LCD. So, with the 48's, they changed to a matte LCD finish to eliminate the window. This change then filtered back through the Pioneer product line with the 14B being the only model that didn't get the display rework.
FWIW, I too prefer the second version and while the contrast is many times less than perfect, one learns to live with it :^)
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