The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #1 Posted by jwhowa on 24 Jan 2011, 9:54 p.m.

I was in my local Staples tonight, and ran across an HP12C that had a rather large battery door, so I was curious. I opened it, and found that it took TWO CR2032 batteries, not one, so I then did a standard 30year mortgage TI calculation and to my great surprise, there was no Running, Running, Running... Just an instant answer.

This thing is WAY faster than my 1990 era 12c, and even faster than my Platinum edition from a few years ago.

Staples was out of stock on the calculator or I would have bought one on the spot.

I called HP to see if I buy one from their store will I get this one, and the guy on the support call basically told me I was an idiot, that no such thing existed. BUT I HAVE PICTURES! :)

So here is my question...

Has anyone else seen one of these, and do you know where I can get one?

Other than the batteries and the blazing speed, this thing looks exactly like my 1990's era 12c. It doesn't have the paren keys on the sto/rcl buttons that the Platinum calc does.

Any ideas?

Thanks! -Jim

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #2 Posted by Don Shepherd on 24 Jan 2011, 9:57 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

You saw what is informally known as the 12c+, based on the ARM processor. It's been around for the last two years and is identified by its large battery door, as you noted. Search the forum for "12c+" and you will find a bunch of info about it.

            
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #3 Posted by Eric Smith on 24 Jan 2011, 9:59 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Don Shepherd

And note that if you find a 12C Platinum with two coin cells, it is apparently not based on the ARM platform, and does not run faster than the single-cell 12C Platinum.

            
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #4 Posted by jwhowa on 24 Jan 2011, 10:11 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Don Shepherd

Any idea where to get ahold of one? Buying online, of course, tons of people sell the 12C but I can't find any seller marketing a 12C+. And of course, I can't see the battery door when I buy online. :)

To Tim, who said it might be a fake, I will be happy to post pictures I took of it if you like, I have the serial number and battery compartment of the demo unit on the shelf at Staples.

                  
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #5 Posted by Tim Wessman on 24 Jan 2011, 10:59 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by jwhowa

Nah, I was just pulling your leg. I actually work for HP and make calculators. :-)

It was more a comment on the usual reaction people on the internet tend to have on anything, regardless of how well documented it is.

OT - is there any way to have a signature in this forum added after each post?

TW

Edited: 24 Jan 2011, 11:02 p.m.

                        
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #6 Posted by John B. Smitherman on 24 Jan 2011, 11:16 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by Tim Wessman

Tim, I'm curious. Other than the user's postings at hpmuseum where is the new 12c documented?

John

                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #7 Posted by Tim Wessman on 25 Jan 2011, 1:12 a.m.,
in response to message #6 by John B. Smitherman

Nowhere really. The are identical part numbers as the old one (same product - transparent to the end user. . .) so according to HP it is still the same 12C.

The new manual has the testing information about the old test system removed from it since the old test system menu isn't there, but according to the marketing/ordering system, it is still the same 12c.

The 12c+ is an emulated version of the original 12c code. Provided nobody finds any more emulation issues, there is no difference between them except battery life being shorter. I think most people are ok with that since your calculations are 100-150 times faster.

TW

                                    
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #8 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 25 Jan 2011, 12:04 p.m.,
in response to message #7 by Tim Wessman

Quote:
old test system menu isn't there

Tim,

This is curious. Does that mean that the firmware that fixes the 4 power-on tests isn't in the distribution channel? It was fixed about 18 months ago and its history is all documented on this forum.

-Katie

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #9 Posted by Tim Wessman on 24 Jan 2011, 10:06 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

I think it was probably a fake. . .

Shopped?

TW

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #10 Posted by John B. Smitherman on 24 Jan 2011, 10:11 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

I believe that Eric from hpcalc.org can hook you up.

Regards,

John

            
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #11 Posted by jwhowa on 24 Jan 2011, 10:23 p.m.,
in response to message #10 by John B. Smitherman

Thank you John, I just bought one from there! :)

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #12 Posted by Allen on 24 Jan 2011, 10:12 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

I agree.. I LOVE the new 12c.. It's quality and speed match any other Financial Calc HP has ever made- IMHO.

If you're looking for a dual battery model, avoid the big-box online stores like Amazon, Tiger Direct, etc, unless you can buy one you can actually put your hands on. Auction sites might be an option. Regretably, few of the sellers know the difference- especially if HP does not, and HP has the nasty habit lately of issuing several completely different calculators under the same ABA part number.

Watch for one packaged thusly with the blue book behind the calculator in a black package:

            
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #13 Posted by Mike Morrow on 25 Jan 2011, 12:29 a.m.,
in response to message #12 by Allen

Quote:
I LOVE the new 12c.. It's quality and speed match any other Financial Calc HP has ever made- IMHO.

I doubt that.

The recent HP 30b is the speed king of *all* handhelds...ever. It is a financial machine, but with far better scientific support than any of these never-ending re-issues of the tired old HP-12C. In that respect, the HP 30b performs the Savage Benchmark ten times faster than even the HP 50G. It also does NOT have the pointlessly awkward landscape layout of the HP-12C series, a great plus in and of itself alone. It's also a lot less expensive for a lot more features.

(Yes...I own several HP-12C varieties, my first I purchased back when it was still being made in the USA, more than 25 years ago.)

                  
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #14 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 25 Jan 2011, 12:14 p.m.,
in response to message #13 by Mike Morrow

Quote:
Quote:
I LOVE the new 12c.. It's quality and speed match any other Financial Calc HP has ever made- IMHO.
I doubt that.

I agree with Allen completely.

The 12C+ is in fact faster than the 30b at some things, using the cash-flow memory in particular is about twice as fast. For simple loops the 30b is the faster machine by about the same margin. (Look around this forum for more comments and testing on this.)

-Katie

                        
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #15 Posted by Mike Morrow on 27 Jan 2011, 12:32 p.m.,
in response to message #14 by Katie Wasserman

But how fast does the HP 12C+ do the old 2500-loop Savage Benchmark?

Whoops...that's right...the HP-12 series isn't very good at things requiring trignonometric calculations. :-)

My serious question is really one that, due to my not being especially oriented to financial calculations, I'm not skilled well enough to know the answer even though I have some HP-12Cs and one HP 30b:

What number-processing advantage does the HP 12C have over the HP 30b, even when the discussion is limited to areas that are strictly financial? In other words, what things financial can the HP 12C handle that the HP 30b can't? It appears to me that the features of the HP 30b exceed those of the HP-12C, include much better scientific function support, added to the HP 30b being much less expensive ($50 vs. $95 at Office Depot stores). In short, why would one choose any HP 12C now that the HP 30b is available?

Edited: 27 Jan 2011, 12:33 p.m.

                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #16 Posted by Tim Wessman on 27 Jan 2011, 12:45 p.m.,
in response to message #15 by Mike Morrow

>In short, why would one choose any HP 12C now that the HP 30b is available?

Because it is a 12c?

TW

                                    
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #17 Posted by Paul Gaster on 27 Jan 2011, 2:21 p.m.,
in response to message #16 by Tim Wessman

Yes, there are still some CFA, actuary, etc tests that only allow certain calculators.

                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #18 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 27 Jan 2011, 2:47 p.m.,
in response to message #15 by Mike Morrow

This is indeed a good question. Tim's answer implies that the reason is either reputation, recognition, tradition, or a combination thereof. The HP website has changed, but if I remember correctly, the 12c used to be touted as more "advanced" than the 30b. At least they do charge more for the 12c.

Interestingly, the 20b seems to have been dropped.

                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #19 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 27 Jan 2011, 4:28 p.m.,
in response to message #15 by Mike Morrow

Quote:
What number-processing advantage does the HP 12C have over the HP 30b, even when the discussion is limited to areas that are strictly financial?

Some of the TVM function are faster on the 12C+ but they are unlikely to be used in a program loop. More to the point, you'll find almost any program that needs arrays is faster on the 12C+ than on the 30b. In both machines arrays are only possible using the cash flow registers (or data registers on the 30b which are just another name for the shared memory structure).

Try writing some programs and you'll discover why this is so.

-Katie

                  
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #20 Posted by Ernst Fueloep on 27 Jan 2011, 4:18 a.m.,
in response to message #13 by Mike Morrow

Are there two (or more?) versions of the HP-30B too? Like the HP-12C?

Or is every HP-30B a very fast one with two batteries?

Regards, Ernst

                        
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #21 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 27 Jan 2011, 10:46 a.m.,
in response to message #20 by Ernst Fueloep

There's only one version of the HP-30b, at least from a hardware perspective. I don't know if different firmware versions are out there or not. Even so, they are all likely to run at the same, very fast speed (unless some optimizations are added to a later firmware version).

Edited: 27 Jan 2011, 4:29 p.m.

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #22 Posted by Don Shepherd on 24 Jan 2011, 10:12 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

You can turn this model into a hex calculator.

      
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #23 Posted by Keith Midson on 25 Jan 2011, 1:15 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by jwhowa

Whoohooo! I just checked all my 12C's and i've got one too! I didn't even know. I have a collection of pretty much every 12C version (9 total: oldest 1982, newest 2011) and recently purchased a 12C Platinum from TAS without even noticing the dual batteries. I had assumed it was just a newer version of the 12C-platinum anniversary edition that I already had (which only has one battery).
I checked the speed against the older (and also the much older) 12C's and yes it's quick.
Cheers, Keith

            
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #24 Posted by Jeff O. on 25 Jan 2011, 7:53 a.m.,
in response to message #23 by Keith Midson

Keith,
Do you have a 12C with two 2032 batteries, or a 12C Platinum with two 2032 batteries? As Eric mentioned in this thread, the 12C Platinum with dual batteries does not have the arm processor and is no faster than the earlier 12C Platinum Anniversary Edition. It is faster than the old 12C.

Jeff

edited to reflect Walter's post below

Edited: 25 Jan 2011, 12:57 p.m. after one or more responses were posted

                  
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #25 Posted by Walter B on 25 Jan 2011, 12:31 p.m.,
in response to message #24 by Jeff O.

FYI, you find said post here d8-)

                  
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #26 Posted by Keith Midson on 25 Jan 2011, 5:08 p.m.,
in response to message #24 by Jeff O.

Oh ... it's a Platinum. So we live in a world where a 12C can be faster than a 12C-Platinum.
It does beg the question "where is the 15C+"? ...

                        
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #27 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 25 Jan 2011, 5:23 p.m.,
in response to message #26 by Keith Midson

Quote:
It does beg the question "where is the 15C+"? ...
Don't start that again!
                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #28 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 25 Jan 2011, 5:56 p.m.,
in response to message #27 by Martin Pinckney

Virtual sales rate of the 15C+ is about 150 units per month!

                                    
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #29 Posted by Walter B on 26 Jan 2011, 2:39 a.m.,
in response to message #28 by Katie Wasserman

Quote:
Virtual sales rate of the 15C+ is about 150 units per month!
That's selling virtual calcs for virtual dollars only :-/
As mentioned in another thread, AFAIK HP (whoever in particular) doesn't think the tech/scientific community will pay the effort. Throughput in business/finance is obviously higher - though it may contain lots of virtual dollars, but they seem to materialize in HP's pockets at least. Real tech/sci dollars can't do that trick :-(

Edited: 26 Jan 2011, 2:43 a.m.

                        
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #30 Posted by Alex Mark (Greece) on 26 Jan 2011, 3:25 a.m.,
in response to message #26 by Keith Midson

Quote:
Oh ... it's a Platinum. So we live in a world where a 12C can be faster than a 12C-Platinum.

And it is 10USD cheaper?!?

                              
Re: New HP12C that uses 2 batteries, and is blazing fast.
Message #31 Posted by Keith Midson on 26 Jan 2011, 4:19 a.m.,
in response to message #30 by Alex Mark (Greece)

Yes I know I just bought one of Eric at hpcalc.org! He said "here I go months without selling them, and now a bunch of people want them all of a sudden"! Must be this thread ...


[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall