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HP Prime's USB Cable
01-20-2014, 10:18 AM
Post: #1
HP Prime's USB Cable
Hi all,

It seems that I have recently lost/misplaced by HP Prime's USB cable. Is it possible to purchase the cable as a stand-alone item from HP or elsewhere?

Thanks,

Michael
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01-20-2014, 10:46 AM
Post: #2
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
It's a standard USB 2 "A" to "Micro-B" cable, available everywhere. It looks like this:

[Image: usbmicrob.jpg]

Bonus factoid: The calculator-to-calculator cable which was included with the HP 39gII works for Prime-to-Prime transfer (at this time, but future upgrades might remove this functionality). It's a standard USB 2 "Micro-A" to "Micro-B" cable:

[Image: microatomicrob.jpg]

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01-20-2014, 10:54 AM
Post: #3
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
Thanks Joe.

Cheers,

Michael
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02-04-2014, 02:27 AM
Post: #4
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
Your friendly neighborhood electronics store may even have USB adapter kits that have interchangeable USB type ends that connect in almost any combination (for now and future needs). [note: don't get me started on these many USB flavors - so much for "standard" interfaces!]

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02-04-2014, 05:06 PM
Post: #5
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(01-20-2014 10:46 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  ...
Bonus factoid: The calculator-to-calculator cable which was included with the HP 39gII works for Prime-to-Prime transfer (at this time, but future upgrades might remove this functionality). It's a standard USB 2 "Micro-A" to "Micro-B" cable:
...

So finally I got a possible explanation for why HP chose to make the USB socket symmetric.
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02-05-2014, 10:12 PM (This post was last modified: 02-05-2014 10:13 PM by Joe Horn.)
Post: #6
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(02-04-2014 05:06 PM)Snorre Wrote:  So finally I got a possible explanation for why HP chose to make the USB socket symmetric.

If you mean that it's possible to accidentally plug in the cable upside down, don't worry; it's not. Neither the socket nor the plug are vertically symmetrical: the hole in the plug is not in the middle. HP used a standard micro-A/B socket. Nothing unusual here.

But if you mean that it seems odd that the socket looks rectangular instead of trapezoidal... yes, this is why.

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02-06-2014, 03:09 AM
Post: #7
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(01-20-2014 10:46 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Bonus factoid: The calculator-to-calculator cable which was included with the HP 39gII works for Prime-to-Prime transfer (at this time, but future upgrades might remove this functionality). It's a standard USB 2 "Micro-A" to "Micro-B" cable:

Standard maybe, but not very easy to find.
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02-06-2014, 04:29 AM
Post: #8
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
Look here
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03-24-2014, 01:25 AM
Post: #9
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(02-06-2014 04:29 AM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Look here

Thanks!
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03-24-2014, 04:24 PM
Post: #10
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
Reminder: unit-to-unit transfer functionality is NOT guaranteed to be present in future firmware versions. Murphy's Law says that it'll be removed the day after you buy a unit-to-unit cable.

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03-24-2014, 05:56 PM
Post: #11
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 04:24 PM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Reminder: unit-to-unit transfer functionality is NOT guaranteed to be present in future firmware versions. Murphy's Law says that it'll be removed the day after you buy a unit-to-unit cable.

I will buy the cable today, then. That way, we will have the new firmware tomorrow!!! :-)

Wishful thinking....
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03-24-2014, 06:02 PM
Post: #12
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 05:56 PM)Miguel Toro Wrote:  
(03-24-2014 04:24 PM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Reminder: unit-to-unit transfer functionality is NOT guaranteed to be present in future firmware versions. Murphy's Law says that it'll be removed the day after you buy a unit-to-unit cable.

I will buy the cable today, then. That way, we will have the new firmware tomorrow!!! :-)

Wishful thinking....

If only $2.09 was all it took to get the next firmware released :-)

Graph 3D | QPI | SolveSys
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03-24-2014, 07:01 PM
Post: #13
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 06:02 PM)Han Wrote:  
(03-24-2014 05:56 PM)Miguel Toro Wrote:  I will buy the cable today, then. That way, we will have the new firmware tomorrow!!! :-)

Wishful thinking....

If only $2.09 was all it took to get the next firmware released :-)

OK, what IF all of us here BUYS a second HP-Prime machine to add to our nice HP calculators collection AND one extra cable, THEN maybe HP will notice a sudden increase in sales and give instructions to release new firmware...? Smile

Seriously, I see so many people talking and posting everywhere about the Prime, and I wonder how many of them really care to spend the money and get one of these excellent calculators, instead of just downloading the free Windows calculator program and jumping to conclusions.
There are too much noise, sometimes...
And the Prime price seems to be right to me, considering the huge amount of included features, specially when we look to the other models from HP and from the competition.
No sales, no new firmware...?

Jose Mesquita
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03-24-2014, 07:43 PM (This post was last modified: 03-24-2014 07:48 PM by HP67.)
Post: #14
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 07:01 PM)jebem Wrote:  OK, what IF all of us here BUYS a second HP-Prime machine to add to our nice HP calculators collection AND one extra cable, THEN maybe HP will notice a sudden increase in sales and give instructions to release new firmware...? Smile

Seriously, I see so many people talking and posting everywhere about the Prime, and I wonder how many of them really care to spend the money and get one of these excellent calculators, instead of just downloading the free Windows calculator program and jumping to conclusions.
There are too much noise, sometimes...
And the Prime price seems to be right to me, considering the huge amount of included features, specially when we look to the other models from HP and from the competition.
No sales, no new firmware...?

Hmm, well, I bought 3 50gs this year and the latest firmware is still from 2009 so...!

I wonder when things will get to the point that they sell the emulators and give the calculators away for free Tongue

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03-24-2014, 07:47 PM
Post: #15
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 07:01 PM)jebem Wrote:  No sales, no new firmware...?

Pure speculation on my part, but I it may be more to do with cannibalization of one's own market share. If the plan is to eventually have the prime become the one calculator to rule them all, then there is really no business sense in spending development money and time on an older piece of hardware.

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03-24-2014, 08:28 PM
Post: #16
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 07:43 PM)HP67 Wrote:  Hmm, well, I bought 3 50gs this year and the latest firmware is still from 2009 so...!

I wonder when things will get to the point that they sell the emulators and give the calculators away for free Tongue

Ya, I have got a good share of these calculators as well, for very good prices here in Iberia region of our planet.
I believe the prices will rise in a few years, so I got myself one HP-50G new in the box, one HP-48GII 4 x AAA cells version (!) as new - box opened but never used, and one lightly used HP-49+, to join my small HP collection from the seventies.

Jose Mesquita
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03-24-2014, 08:36 PM
Post: #17
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 07:47 PM)Han Wrote:  
(03-24-2014 07:01 PM)jebem Wrote:  No sales, no new firmware...?

Pure speculation on my part, but I it may be more to do with cannibalization of one's own market share. If the plan is to eventually have the prime become the one calculator to rule them all, then there is really no business sense in spending development money and time on an older piece of hardware.

I see Your point, it makes sense to me...
Still, because I really enjoy this HP Prime, I want to believe that HP will eventually acknowledge and fix some of the more obvious issues and make this Prime the real number one. I can wait... Smile

Jose Mesquita
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03-24-2014, 09:10 PM
Post: #18
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
(03-24-2014 08:36 PM)jebem Wrote:  
(03-24-2014 07:47 PM)Han Wrote:  Pure speculation on my part, but I it may be more to do with cannibalization of one's own market share. If the plan is to eventually have the prime become the one calculator to rule them all, then there is really no business sense in spending development money and time on an older piece of hardware.

I see Your point, it makes sense to me...
Still, because I really enjoy this HP Prime, I want to believe that HP will eventually acknowledge and fix some of the more obvious issues and make this Prime the real number one. I can wait... Smile

The Prime has the right hardware (though an SD card "expandable" version would be welcome in future versions :-). We just need to let the software mature. Given that the developers participate and respond fairly regularly on the forums, I have pretty high hopes that eventually the Prime will be were we would like for it to be. One big group that HP listens to, but probably rarely participates on forums like these, are the educators and students to which the Prime is likely targeting. I imagine they (HP) are also listening to these user's comments, criticisms, and suggestions. At some point, the devs have to prioritize what comes first and what can be put off to later. I think some die-hard HP fans may have been slightly put off by this realization, but in the end I hope that time will eventually prove that the wait was (or will be) worth it.

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02-07-2018, 08:19 PM
Post: #19
Not a great connector choice
(02-05-2014 10:12 PM)Joe Horn Wrote:  If you mean that it's possible to accidentally plug in the cable upside down, don't worry; it's not.
...
The assumption has been proven wrong - to my benefit, actually. I bought my Prime for just $21.01 in very good condition because the charity auction had it listed as non-working. Apparently somebody forced a USB Micro charging cable in upside-down and bent the connector out of place. After I pried it back to the right position, I was able to charge the battery and it seems to have suffered no lasting ill efffects.

The fact that this Micro-USB connector is the only one of its type that most people will ever see has me thinking it was poorly planned.

Alan


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02-07-2018, 08:34 PM
Post: #20
RE: HP Prime's USB Cable
Well, you can always make SOMETHING fit a hole it wasn't designed for. Just need to use a big enough hammer... Big Grin

TW

Although I work for HP, the views and opinions I post here are my own.
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