The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

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My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #1 Posted by ClausB on 29 Jan 2011, 2:43 p.m.

A little history of my involvement with 70's calculators and computers.

I just got a Bowmar MX140 like I had in high school. Cleaned it up today but haven't powered it yet. Posted on the above site.

Any other Bowmar collectors here?

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #2 Posted by Don Shepherd on 29 Jan 2011, 3:53 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Nice collection Claus. Do you actually have that teletype in the picture?

            
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #3 Posted by ClausB on 29 Jan 2011, 4:02 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Don Shepherd

Thanks. No, I only own the stuff listed on the Collections page. The other pictures I found via Google Images. I do still have some paper tape and listings of my BASIC programs from that teletype!

                  
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #4 Posted by Allen on 29 Jan 2011, 5:02 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by ClausB

Quote:
The other pictures I found via Google Images.

Very nice site!!

May I politely recommend against using pictures from Google images? Several of those photos are copyrighted by http://www.datamath.org/ among others- I'm not sure it's polite to re-host them without the owner's permission.

Others may disagree, but I feel that building a website from Google image searches is like building a house by sealing your neighbor's nails and wood.

                        
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #5 Posted by ClausB on 29 Jan 2011, 7:14 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by Allen

Quote:
May I politely recommend against using pictures from Google images? Several of those photos are copyrighted by http://www.datamath.org/ among others- I'm not sure it's polite to re-host them without the owner's permission.
You are right, and I did get Joerg's permission for the TI images. The others, well, not so much. They are placeholders for photos I plan to take of my collection.
                              
Re: Images from the Datamath Calculator Museum
Message #6 Posted by Joerg Woerner on 29 Jan 2011, 9:44 p.m.,
in response to message #5 by ClausB

I just want to confirm that Claus contacted me BEFORE using my images.

Unfortunately do I find my "blue backgrounded" Datamath Calculator Museum images pretty often on eBay auctions from other sellers - while I use for my own auctions usually a yellow'ish background.

I prefer as a bidder to see on eBay what I really buy - not how nice a well cleaned calculator could look in a calculator Museum ;-))

Regards, Joerg

                                    
Re: Images from the Datamath Calculator Museum
Message #7 Posted by Allen on 29 Jan 2011, 10:36 p.m.,
in response to message #6 by Joerg Woerner

Outstanding! The datamath museum photos are outstanding and a good choice for the site. It might make sense to add something to the pages like:

"Photos used with permission of datamath.. "

That way there is no assumptions.

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #8 Posted by Gerardo Rincon on 29 Jan 2011, 4:04 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Great website! I really like the stories on each link.

Nicely done!

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #9 Posted by ClausB on 29 Jan 2011, 4:05 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Quote:
Any other Bowmar collectors here?
I see Katie's name all over the Google search for Bowmar MX140. Katie, do you still have one?
            
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #10 Posted by Katie Wasserman on 29 Jan 2011, 5:14 p.m.,
in response to message #9 by ClausB

Quote:
Katie, do you still have one?

I sure do. It's quite a nice scientific calculator for the time. I especially like the 2-digit raised exponent on the LED display.

Nice site! Do you still have a working ZX81, that was a fun machine to play with.

Edited: 29 Jan 2011, 5:18 p.m.

                  
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #11 Posted by ClausB on 29 Jan 2011, 7:17 p.m.,
in response to message #10 by Katie Wasserman

Quote:
Nice site! Do you still have a working ZX81, that was a fun machine to play with.
Thanks! The ZX81 PCB on the site is mine. Last time I opened it the keyboard flex cable broke, so it's inop right now. I recently got a Sinclair Cambridge Programmable calculator. As with the ZX81, they cleverly squeezed a lot of functionality into a small package. Perhaps they squeezed too hard, as accuracy does suffer.

And thank you for scanning and posting the Bowmar manual. Mine did not come with one.

Edited: 30 Jan 2011, 8:51 a.m.

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including HP)
Message #12 Posted by ClausB on 30 Jan 2011, 8:54 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

I added a bit on the HP 65.

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #13 Posted by Mike Morrow on 30 Jan 2011, 11:48 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Quote:
Any other Bowmar collectors here?

I'm not a Bomar collector, but my first calculator was a Bomar 901B (four-function) purchased new in October 1972 for a 2010 equivalent of about $750. I've still got it.

      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #14 Posted by ClausB on 30 Jan 2011, 11:50 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Quote:
I just got a Bowmar MX140 like I had in high school.
Powered it up today, got good news and bad news. Keyboard and logic work, some LED segments do not. High power inspection revealed crystal growth inside the LED stick. Lot more work ahead to restore this one.
      
Re: My New Geeksite (including Bowmar)
Message #15 Posted by Palmer O. Hanson, Jr. on 30 Jan 2011, 11:14 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by ClausB

Quote:
Any other Bowmar collectors here?
I have seven: An MX-25, two MX-50's, two MX-55's, and two MX75's.

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