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Do you believe this?
02-08-2019, 01:54 PM
Post: #1
Do you believe this?
Check image attached.

Cheers

JL


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02-08-2019, 02:06 PM
Post: #2
RE: Do you believe this?
That looks like be a creative spirit in action.
If you can't find 3 fresh batteries, just use 4 depleted ones to have your machine up and running...

Jose Mesquita
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02-08-2019, 02:48 PM
Post: #3
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 02:06 PM)jebem Wrote:  That looks like be a creative spirit in action.
If you can't find 3 fresh batteries, just use 4 depleted ones to have your machine up and running...

I would rather say: If you don't have batteries of the required type put in as many smaller ones as you can fit :-) I wonder if the extra 1.5V do any harm to the calculator?
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02-08-2019, 03:09 PM (This post was last modified: 02-08-2019 03:14 PM by Jlouis.)
Post: #4
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 02:48 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  
(02-08-2019 02:06 PM)jebem Wrote:  That looks like be a creative spirit in action.
If you can't find 3 fresh batteries, just use 4 depleted ones to have your machine up and running...

I would rather say: If you don't have batteries of the required type put in as many smaller ones as you can fit :-) I wonder if the extra 1.5V do any harm to the calculator?

Apparently, no.

This is a 32S that I was negotiating to buy. The display was very dark, although the calculator is mint. I asked the vendor some pictures and he sent me this. He made a video of the calculator on.
The batteries was LR43. I don't know if the lr43 is smaller, but looks like it is.

Is the display darker because of extra 1.5V? Was a capacitor or resistor damaged? Well, I can't answer these questions.

Edit: the vendor told me that they're fresh newly installed bateries
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02-08-2019, 03:17 PM (This post was last modified: 02-08-2019 03:25 PM by Didier Lachieze.)
Post: #5
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 03:09 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  The batteries was LR43. I don't know if the lr43 is smaller, but looks like it is.

Dimensions (dia. × h. in mm):
LR43 11.6 × 4.2
LR44 11.6 × 5.4

so the height of 4xLR43 is 16.8 mm vs. 16.2 mm for 3xLR44.
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02-08-2019, 03:34 PM
Post: #6
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 03:09 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  This is a 32S that I was negotiating to buy. The display was very dark, although the calculator is mint. I asked the vendor some pictures and he sent me this.
...
Edit: the vendor told me that they're fresh newly installed bateries

Email him back, pretending to be a newbie, and ask him if the "reverse D" patterns next to the battery compartment are where someone has scratched their initials into the case?

:-)
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02-08-2019, 07:05 PM
Post: #7
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 03:09 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  This is a 32S that I was negotiating to buy. The display was very dark, although the calculator is mint. I asked the vendor some pictures and he sent me this. He made a video of the calculator on.
The batteries was LR43. I don't know if the lr43 is smaller, but looks like it is.

Is the display darker because of extra 1.5V? Was a capacitor or resistor damaged? Well, I can't answer these questions.

Edit: the vendor told me that they're fresh newly installed bateries

To answer your questions:

1.- The calculator can stand to work at 6 VDC for a while, like a few seconds.

After that, the screen may go totally dark as the seller describes, even when adjusting the contrast that will look like nonoperational.

After entering this black screen situation, even using the correct 4.5VDC, the machine will stay apparently inoperative because the screen is black.


2.- Will the machine be destroyed by running it a 6VDC?

The voltage increase is not that large for a circuit running on very low current consumption to be able to cause hard failures.

At 4.6VDC the current consumption is 1.2mA avg when pressing keys, and 1.7mA when working at 6VDC. Not a problem for the electronics inside.

Capacitors failing? Well it can fail even when working at the nominal voltage.
Installed caps surely can stand and 1.5V increase without failure, unless there is a design flaw in first place, which I don't think exists on these machines.

To restore the normal operation, remove the batteries and connect a wire between the battery terminals for around a minute or so.
Then use the correct batteries running at 4.5VDC and you should see the memory clear message again.

Then use the contrast adjustment to set the preferred setting.


3.- I have used one of my 32SII to test the above, using a lab power supply.
I do not have a 32S, but I assume that the 32S model behavior may be similar.

To summarize, it looks like the issue can be fixed by just clearing the voltages inside the machine and then using the correct 4.5V.
The symptoms you describe matches what I have reproduced in my machine.
It would be really bad luck if your machine has more than one issue.

So to be safe, I would ask the seller to restore the machine operation by doing the above procedure.
Unless you want to take a chance and the asking price is really low...

Jose Mesquita
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02-08-2019, 11:22 PM
Post: #8
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 02:06 PM)jebem Wrote:  That looks like be a creative spirit in action.
If you can't find 3 fresh batteries, just use 4 depleted ones to have your machine up and running...

Why not just have 3 fresh batteries and a flat one wrapped in tin foil somewhere in the middle.

cheers

Tony
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02-08-2019, 11:59 PM (This post was last modified: 02-09-2019 12:00 AM by StephenG1CMZ.)
Post: #9
RE: Do you believe this?
(02-08-2019 11:22 PM)teenix Wrote:  
(02-08-2019 02:06 PM)jebem Wrote:  That looks like be a creative spirit in action.
If you can't find 3 fresh batteries, just use 4 depleted ones to have your machine up and running...

Why not just have 3 fresh batteries and a flat one wrapped in tin foil somewhere in the middle.

cheers

Tony

Wouldn't the tin foil connect the positive and negative terminals of the middle battery...
That does not seem like good idea, if it is not flat enough.

Stephen Lewkowicz (G1CMZ)
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