Perfect calculator based on WP34S

[rprosperi]

(05-26-2018 02:53 PM)everett Wrote:  Hi All,

Only recently I have discovered the beauty of wp34s. I have been using HP 48G series for very long time and like them very much. I have also tried HP 35S. It is a nice calculator. But I was always been bothered by the fact that it has only 4 level stack. How do you guys keep track how many level of stacking are you using? Even though I like my WP34S very much, my handy work is not so good that I can't put all key prints nicely.

Anyway， I work in Dongguan city, close to Shenzhen. Most of the HP calculators are made by Kinpo electronics in Dongguan city. Since the
quality control in most current HP calculators are going down hill, I am
thinking to create high quality calculators with right keypads by designing
and ask Kinpo to manufactory for us. The circuit could be based on HP
30B with all goodies of WP35S such as crystal oscillators, USB, infrared etc. I hate the shape of the 20B and 30B, so the shape is something like HP 16S. Of course the calculator will be based on the firmware of WP34S. We might enhance both hardware (add more memory) or software capability (ask
wp34S team)

Do you think this proposal is doable?

Best regards,

Everett

It's a nice idea, but some key questions first....

A. Do you think Kinpo would realistically agree to manufacture a total of at most a few hundred units?

I say that because the 34S follow-on project, the 43S, is already well into planning (some years now) based on using the same hardware as SwissMicros uses for their DM42, with a huge LCD, lots of memory, excellent keyboard, etc.

Changing gears to a somewhat improved case/kbd for the current 34S design seems to be less ambitious and so I would expect most current 34S users would lean more towards the planned 43S, since it offers more.

Which is not to say there isn't interest, I think an improved 34S would appeal to some folks (more memory and better LCD and keyboard would help a lot) but I'm not sure there are enough to justify a new, dedicated hardware design.

B. What would you guestimate the cost of this new machine to be, assuming some s/w is developed by the community (so no s/w cost)?

Keep in mind the 20b and 30b machines could be purchased for as little as $20-$50, which is one reason (IMHO) that many of them were sold/made.

Of course the overlays, USB and IR enhancements added to the basic cost, but I'd guess probably less than 100 of those (usb) were made, probably more IR.

C. What software team were you thinking of? The 43S is not making much progress (absolutely no criticism meant here) because the prior developers have lives and jobs now taking most of their time; I certainly can't speak for them, but it seems unlikely they'd consider 2 projects.

I'd say you should research the latest planning for the 43S, and after understanding that, it may (or may not) seem less feasible.

In any case, if you do proceed and ultimately make one, I'll almost certainly buy one, so please don't take this as all negative.