when is a red dot a dot, and when not? and if not, then what? Message #1 Posted by robert rozee on 10 Oct 2011, 11:30 a.m.
the discussion of "red dot" HP35's recurs again and again, with a great deal of speculation and hand waving around the authenticity of said dot. it seems that anyone can take ANY HP35 and drill a hole in the front of it to turn it into the elusive "red dot" variant. so i pose these questions:
1. what, if any, difference is there between a front casing that has been moulded with a 'red dot' hole in it, and one that has had the hole drilled later?
2. what, if any, difference is there (beyond a dot of paint) between the power switch in a "red dot" HP35 and the power switch in a later (non-dot) 35? were 'red dot' switches ever fitted (with dot not visible) to later 35's?
3. did HP ever drill "red dot" holes when carrying out repairs that required replacing a damaged front casing on an early 35?
given the large number of 35's that were reworked, outside labelling doesn't appear to be any reliable indicator of a given 35's true heritage. and if a "red dot" is so easy to 'fake', is it even a worthwhile point to base a premium price/value upon? surely the presence of the ln(2.02) bug burnt into the ROMs is a better point of distinction?
comments?
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