HP-41 Manuals and Quick Reference Card Revisions

[vervalin]

Ok, I've pondered this for quite some time and now I will ask the community.

I have lots and lots of HP-41 manuals and Quick Reference cards for 41CV, 41CX, Printer, Card Reader, etc.

Often these have a revision like Rev D or Rev A, etc printed on the back or inside the front cover.

So, like on some of the Quick Reference cards one will be Rev B and another Rev D but they are IDENTICAL in every way possible. So, the question is WHY? Why the different revisions? Are they just "different" printings?

Thanks!!

[rprosperi]

Sometimes, the differences between revisions of the same HP (and any other Mfr...) document are large and easy to see, other times they are very minor, including sometimes mere typos and/or spelling errors, and unrelated to the technical content itself. While not trying to refute your comment that they are identical, is it possible there are some, or maybe even only one, of these minor changes, conceivably even only cosmetic or color changes?

It costs money to update a document's revision level in a company as big as HP, so there is definitely some reason for them to have changed it.

Another possibility is the document was issued (from a configuration control perspective) only as a part of a larger document set, and other portions of that set were changed, and this one was changed along with it to keep all the documents within the set at the same revision level. As an example, perhaps an Application Pac came with a User's Manual and a QRG, and the manual required revision to correct an error or omission, and they chose to bump the Rev. # for both pieces, when only one of them changed.

hth

[vervalin]

Thanks Bob, Nice to be chatting with you again after our lengthy discussion on the PPC ROM last Fall. BTW, you purchased the Synthetic Programming Quick Reference card I sold on ebay at the end of 2022 :-) Hope you are enjoying it!!

Good information in your response.. Thanks..

For example though: Card Reader Quick Reference: Rev B, 11/79 and Rev C, 3/82
Are identical. I have spent WAY too much time comparing them - LOL. If there is a difference, then it is invisible (other than the actual Rev indicator).

Anyway, there are almost certainly differences in the more lengthy manuals but those differences would be hard to find I think. These Quick Reference cards are pretty easy to compare.

Thanks for the quick response!!

Regards,
Paul