The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

15c logos for sale..
Message #1 Posted by uhmgawa on 10 Oct 2011, 12:32 a.m.

I hesitate to point this out for fear of encouraging it. But I suppose it had to happen sooner or later:

15c "LED" logo

Can't really tell from the picture but it appears to be an impression molded copy vs. CNC cut.

      
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #2 Posted by Michael de Estrada on 10 Oct 2011, 12:42 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by uhmgawa

Doesn't seem very profitable, since most HP 15C logos have not fallen off. Mine certainly hasn't. Also, unlike rubber feet and such, which work with all Voyagers, this only works with a 15C. By the time the logo falls off, the calc is so beat up, it isn't worth spending the money for a new logo.

            
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #3 Posted by Marcus von Cube, Germany on 10 Oct 2011, 2:20 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Michael de Estrada

Mine is in very good condition but the logo is lost. No big deal as it works like a charm but a collector might think different.

            
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #4 Posted by Les Wright on 10 Oct 2011, 2:31 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Michael de Estrada

I paid a little too much a few years ago for an 11C that was a bit more banged up than it appeared in the TAS pic. Works great, but I have been keen to make it look better to get the feeling, perhaps illusory, that I have gotten my money's worth. I have been able the flatten the dinged bezel a bit and approximate the brushed finish with a ScotchBrite pad, but the metallic finish of the logo is long worn off. I would happily pick up a replacement if an 11C version was available.

                  
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #5 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 10 Oct 2011, 3:42 a.m.,
in response to message #4 by Les Wright

That eBay seller also offers 11C logos in another auction;-)

                        
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #6 Posted by robert rozee on 10 Oct 2011, 7:30 a.m.,
in response to message #5 by Raymond Del Tondo

looking at these badges, it occurred to me that one could fairly easily produce a close approximation using PCB fabrication methods - i'm not saying that is how these ones are made, but they inspired the following idea.

many fab houses allow you to order PCBs with a variety of different solder mask colours - red, green, blue, BLACK. further, you can specify (within reason) pretty much any routing you like, that is slots cut in the board. i once worked on a project where the boards were circular (4" across) with a 1" hole in the middle.

seems you could create your "HP 15C" (or 11C or 16C) logo as a copper pattern, with the solder mask the exact reverse of this. the result would be a slightly raised metallic logo with a sunken black background. you could specify tinplate finish (silver), none (copper coloured) or gold plate. judicious routing cuts would leave the logos with perfectly cut corners and edges, just requiring a bit of filing in two spots and application of black marker around the edges.

from a 10cm x 10cm PCB, one might end up with 100 or more badges.

just an idea...

                              
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #7 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 10 Oct 2011, 9:14 a.m.,
in response to message #6 by robert rozee

Don't forget, there's a member of this forum that casts these from silver.

                                    
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #8 Posted by robert rozee on 10 Oct 2011, 10:04 a.m.,
in response to message #7 by Martin Pinckney

Quote:
Don't forget, there's a member of this forum that casts these from silver.
true, but the silver ones are quite expensive, being individually hand-made. a solution where 100 badges are yielded from a small PCB might only cost a dollar or so each + postage.

personally, i've got an 11C that is missing its badge. it's a 'working' calculator, so filling the gap would be nice but not essential. i've actually been looking out for a piece of scrap HP equipment (such as a printer) with a logo the right size that i could trim down to fit.

                                          
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #9 Posted by uhmgawa on 10 Oct 2011, 11:23 p.m.,
in response to message #8 by robert rozee

Quote:

true, but the silver ones are quite expensive, being individually hand-made. a solution where 100 badges are yielded from a small PCB might only cost a dollar or so each + postage.


I'm not sure the pcb approach will result in equivalent cosmetics without an elevation relief nor the 45* bevel cut periphery. I'm also unsure whether economical board houses will singulate a board of that size. But the last two points could be addressed if you chose to do the cutting. The black solder mask aligning exactly at the foil etch may be a challenge although I can't say I've ever tried to do so either.

My back burner voyager logo recreation project (if it ever materializes) would be to use black acrylic countertop material (marketed as Corian, Avonite, etc.. here in the US market) slabbed into thin blanks and epoxy laminated with a hard temper aluminumn sheet. Corian machines quite nicely with carbide tooling compared to say, ABS and can be had for cheap at your local kitchen counter fabricator. The tempered aluminum (flashing, beverage can) serving as the silver top surface should last longer abrasion-wise than the actual calculator to which it is attached, assuming unlike most of my 15c legacy voyagers it actually does remain attached.

                                                
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #10 Posted by Matt Fegenbush on 11 Oct 2011, 9:52 a.m.,
in response to message #9 by uhmgawa

If you use a similar high grade epoxy adhesive, you would have quite the time getting the logo off the calculator.

                                                
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #11 Posted by robert rozee on 11 Oct 2011, 11:38 a.m.,
in response to message #9 by uhmgawa

the idea is not to produce an exact identical replacement - that would be extremely hard, and i'd say even the silver ones are obviously different from the original when subjected to any more than a casual glance.

more of an idea to produce something attractive and clean to fill the gap. using thin PCB material there would be just a small protrusion, but (as you say) the edges would not be bevelled at 45 degrees, and the metal writing would be raised up just a fraction.

            
Re: 15c logos for sale..
Message #12 Posted by Derek on 10 Oct 2011, 12:28 p.m.,
in response to message #2 by Michael de Estrada

if it were $2, i'd probably do it for fun...but $12 is way too much if one is using their 15c and not worrying about appearance or retail value.

my circa 1984 15C is still going strong: it lost its logo in college (1988 or so), but the feet, while worn, are still in place.

it's been beat to death (i lost the case around that same time (bought a replacement a few years ago) and just threw it in the outside pouch of my backpack to get banged up with pens, pencils, and other things for several years) and used to death (i still use it almost every day*).

* i recently bought a 15C LE to potentially replace the 15C for every day use. i'm still getting used to the new tactile feedback and "sand blasted" key feel... (on a positive note, solving for a root of a polynomial the other day was lightening fast on the LE)


[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall