HP 41 Keyboard Overlays available finally!

[aurelio]

I ordered and received mine since a lot o time and forgot to leave my feedback, so sorry for that

compliments for your great and useful job!!!

[emece67]

Received 4 mine a few days ago. Really nice work! Thanks.

[Klaus Sieber]

I´ve get my overlays today. A great work! Thank you very much.

Klaus

[Vingelli Fidèle]

Is it possible you to have conventional overlay (the white), the clock module and the advantage module?

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Hello Vingelli,

theoretically it's possible to print these overlays as well.
But we didn't make the design for these so far, so the effort for us would be the same as designing any other custom overlay. See prices above: You'd have to pay $ 50.- once for creation of your individual design, plus the costs for printing of the overlays, of course.

Since these overlays ( standard, time-module, advantage pac ) are so common, it should be much cheaper for you to buy them from other collectors ( you may submit a request at the "Classifieds" - section in this forum ). Besides you would receive original overlays, which are more perfect.
On the other hand, if there are several users who have got the advantage module but not the overlay, for example, it would make sense to organize a collective order; then it might become worthwhile.

By the way: So far no one made use of my offer to design a custom overlay, apart from Angel, of course.

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Angel Martin and Greg McClure donated us the great 16C Emulator module recently.
I forgot to announce the availability of the corresponding overlay.
It looks like this ( can't upload a photo of the real thing at the moment, all overlays of the first batch are gone) :
16C_Emulator_Angel_McClure
So feel free to order, the conditions did not change ( see first post of this thread ).

By the way, many 41CL - owners might not have realized that there is an enhanced PowerCL - overlay, suitable for use with the PowerCL Extreme module:
PowerCL_Extreme

[rprosperi]

(10-24-2015 11:53 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Angel Martin and Greg McClure donated us the great 16C Emulator module recently.
I forgot to announce the availability of the corresponding overlay.
It looks like this ( can't upload a photo of the real thing at the moment, all overlays of the first batch are gone) :
16C_Emulator_Angel_McClure
So feel free to order, the conditions did not change ( see first post of this thread ).

By the way, many 41CL - owners might not have realized that there is an enhanced PowerCL - overlay, suitable for use with the PowerCL Extreme module:
PowerCL_Extreme

I have both of these, they are excellent. I've yet to find time to learn the 16C ROM module, but it's clear one could not use it effectively without the overlay.

I do use the Enhanced PowerCL module and can attest to how much easier this overlay makes using these features. This one is mounted on my 41CL most of the time.

Both are recommended.

[Ángel Martin]

(08-23-2015 05:41 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  On the other hand, if there are several users who have got the advantage module but not the overlay, for example, it would make sense to organize a collective order; then it might become worthwhile.

Was it ever an overlay from HP for the Advantage Pac? If it was I surely missed altogether... never seen such a thing!

[Michael Fehlhammer]

you are right, Angel, there is no such thing, I just guessed wrong. So please replace my bad example with "time module", e.g. .

[HP-Collection]

@ Michael: Is it be possible to get your template file for the HP-41 overlays and/or the name of the manufactor (& type of material) for the public? Maybe there is some interest in HP-71B or even HP-75C/D overlays as the cals become more public in the last month.

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Whenever a new overlay was added to our collection, I had a student create an eps - File from a picture of the overlay, using a desktop publishing program. This eps-File can be handled by any print-studio.
Here you find an example:
Assembler_Keyboard_EPS

But I doubt that anyone will find a print studio that does the work better or cheaper.
I had to invest a lot of money in many (unsuccessful) attempts to cut the overlay material, for example. Even the final solution is far from perfect. Lately we encountered a problem with the latest batch of blank overlays concerning the quality of color ( brightness). The process of creation is very cumbersome: Each blank overlay has to be positioned individually by hand to a precision of one tenth of a millimeter - otherwise letters would be unreadable or lost.
But please, you can try to find someone, from my side there are no secrets about it, and I would be happy to get rid of the work to accept orders and forward them - even though there weren't much orders recently. But take into account that you have to invest more than thousand $ for testing. I doubt that "my" print studio owner ( who likely doesn't speak English) will explain all the details he learned about the printing process, including the final source of the material. Regarding the material I know that he found out that laser-cut overlays won't do the job; the surface would be contaminated by residues of the burned plastic which doesn't accept the paint. He now uses water-jet cut overlays.

Over the years I sold about 200 overlays only. Since
1. the community for the HP 71b and 75C is smaller
2. compared to the 41 there are only very few original overlays
3. there is no programmer-wizzard like Angel Martin for the other calculators who could create demand for new overlays as Angel did for the 41

you can easily imagine that a realistic estimation of the quantity of ordered HP 71b overlays will be below 50.
Unless you set a price per overlay at about $ 50,-, you probably will have to be ready to make big donations to the community. :-)
But if Bill Gates should come around the corner and say: "I'd like to have some overlays for the 71b/75C, price is not an issue", than I'll gladly have my student make the template and the print studio make some testing with the larger overlay format. :-)

[HP-Collection]

(07-10-2017 06:03 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Whenever a new overlay was added to our collection, I had a student create an eps - File from a picture of the overlay, using a desktop publishing program. This eps-File can be handled by any print-studio.
Here you find an example:
Assembler_Keyboard_EPS

But I doubt that anyone will find a print studio that does the work better or cheaper.
I had to invest a lot of money in many (unsuccessful) attempts to cut the overlay material, for example. Even the final solution is far from perfect. Lately we encountered a problem with the latest batch of blank overlays concerning the quality of color ( brightness). The process of creation is very cumbersome: Each blank overlay has to be positioned individually by hand to a precision of one tenth of a millimeter - otherwise letters would be unreadable or lost.
But please, you can try to find someone, from my side there are no secrets about it, and I would be happy to get rid of the work to accept orders and forward them - even though there weren't much orders recently. But take into account that you have to invest more than thousand $ for testing. I doubt that "my" print studio owner ( who likely doesn't speak English) will explain all the details he learned about the printing process, including the final source of the material. Regarding the material I know that he found out that laser-cut overlays won't do the job; the surface would be contaminated by residues of the burned plastic which doesn't accept the paint. He now uses water-jet cut overlays.

Over the years I sold about 200 overlays only. Since
1. the community for the HP 71b and 75C is smaller
2. compared to the 41 there are only very few original overlays
3. there is no programmer-wizzard like Angel Martin for the other calculators who could create demand for new overlays as Angel did for the 41

you can easily imagine that a realistic estimation of the quantity of ordered HP 71b overlays will be below 50.
Unless you set a price per overlay at about $ 50,-, you probably will have to be ready to make big donations to the community. :-)
But if Bill Gates should come around the corner and say: "I'd like to have some overlays for the 71b/75C, price is not an issue", than I'll gladly have my student make the template and the print studio make some testing with the larger overlay format. :-)

Wow, that's a long (and honest) reply. Thanks. Ok, I really guessed a A4 sheet could be printed for maybe 30-40€, but so I failed
The effort for the eps-file is hugh enought.
Thanks for clarifying

[PANAMATIK]

(07-11-2017 02:18 AM)HP-Collection Wrote:  Wow, that's a long (and honest) reply. Thanks. Ok, I really guessed a A4 sheet could be printed for maybe 30-40€, but so I failed
The effort for the eps-file is hugh enough.
Thanks for clarifying

The same story I can tell for the HP-29E, HP-34E, HP-67E vinyl overlays. In this case it was not a student, but a good friend, who created the overlay files for me and the community, with highly skilled artistic talent. As an example, the letters and the writing "Continuous Memory" are vectorized outlines, not bitmaps. And I was very lucky that the second layout already was perfect.

If you get a good offer, a single A3 sheet would cost you 120€ - if you don't have to pay for the .eps file.

Nevertheless new HP-25C and HP-67 (for the real HP-67 calculator) overlays are ordered yesterday and will be available soon if all goes well with the first print.

Bernhard

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Hello dear HP 41 enthusiasts,

six new overlays are available now, all made for Angel Martins great modules and therefore mainly of interest for 41CL owners (but apart from the PowerCL Launchers, these modules can be used also in Diego Diaz' Clonix and NOV64 modules, or in the Meindert Kuiper's MLDL 2000 box, for example, as you certainly know).
Two overlays are just special editions of the "classic" PowerCL and PowerCL extreme overlays, but feature a light (white) background instead of a dark one. Maybe nice to have for power users who have got a second CL and want to be able to tell them apart at one glance.

The other four new overlays are:
WarpCore, AutoComplete XEQ +, FormulaEval and a new version of the Polynomial Calculator, "PolynROM". If I understood correctly, the WarpCore and the AutoComplete XEQ+ overlays are both for use with the Warp Core module, Formula Eval is a standalone module and the new PolynROM is integrated in the latest versions of the famous SandMath module ( the main two overlays of this ROM haven't changed).
Please ask Angel for more details about usage and the latest versions of his modules!

You can find photos of the new overlays in the opening post of this thread at the end of the list under "pictures".

If you would like to order overlays, please read the update above in chapter "shipping"! This is really becoming a problem, please let me know your thoughts about that!

[Dave Britten]

Hey Michael,

Any chance you might eventually make overlays that fit the SwissMicros DM41X? Would be great to get a bundle of the overlays for standard stuff like Math, Stat, Finance, stopwatch, text editor, etc.

[mfleming]

The links for WarpCore, PolynROM, and PowerCL_Launcher_White appear to be broken. I agree, shipping in general and international shipping in particular has become most unreasonable. A consequence of email, no doubt...

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(10-26-2020 02:58 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Hey Michael,

Any chance you might eventually make overlays that fit the SwissMicros DM41X? Would be great to get a bundle of the overlays for standard stuff like Math, Stat, Finance, stopwatch, text editor, etc.

I second this!

[hth]

I have a Ladybug module that perhaps would benefit from having an overlay. I have no idea if anyone is using it apart from me. I have some TikZ generated images of the look of the calculator that are put together by the web browser (Elm program). Obviously it cannot be used as is, as I also alter the key tops, but gives the idea.

What is the procedure to have a proper overlay created? I can order 3 or 4 myself.

   

[Monte Dalrymple]

(10-26-2020 01:33 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Hello dear HP 41 enthusiasts,

six new overlays are available now, all made for Angel Martins great modules and therefore mainly of interest for 41CL owners (but apart from the PowerCL Launchers, these modules can be used also in Diego Diaz' Clonix and NOV64 modules, or in the Meindert Kuiper's MLDL 2000 box, for example, as you certainly know).
Two overlays are just special editions of the "classic" PowerCL and PowerCL extreme overlays, but feature a light (white) background instead of a dark one. Maybe nice to have for power users who have got a second CL and want to be able to tell them apart at one glance.

The other four new overlays are:
WarpCore, AutoComplete XEQ +, FormulaEval and a new version of the Polynomial Calculator, "PolynROM". If I understood correctly, the WarpCore and the AutoComplete XEQ+ overlays are both for use with the Warp Core module, Formula Eval is a standalone module and the new PolynROM is integrated in the latest versions of the famous SandMath module ( the main two overlays of this ROM haven't changed).
Please ask Angel for more details about usage and the latest versions of his modules!

You can find photos of the new overlays in the opening post of this thread at the end of the list under "pictures".

If you would like to order overlays, please read the update above in chapter "shipping"! This is really becoming a problem, please let me know your thoughts about that!

I am okay with acting as a distribution point for US customers. So, if Michael wants to accumulate a bunch of US orders and then ship them all in one package to me, I can do the individual shipments to people. Shouldn't be more than a dollar or so to ship first class within the US.

[Michael Fehlhammer]

(10-26-2020 04:44 PM)Monte Dalrymple Wrote:  I am okay with acting as a distribution point for US customers. So, if Michael wants to accumulate a bunch of US orders and then ship them all in one package to me, I can do the individual shipments to people. Shouldn't be more than a dollar or so to ship first class within the US.

Thank you very much for that offer, Monte!
I think this is the best way to go, especially for people who want just 3 or 4 overlays.

Regarding overlays for other calculators, like DM41X, or HP 71b:
Sorry, but I won't produce these. It took a long time and many expensive test prints until we ( the print studio I found that accepted the challenge, after many refusals from other studios) had the blanks that exactly fit and knew how to position them for printing etc.. It is a loss-making business (of course it was never meant to become a business, but still the losses are quite high), and I doubt that order quantities for overlays for other calculators would exceed those for the HP 41.
By the way, it seems there is no mechanism that firmly holds overlays in place on a DM41X (holes, spring - clip), probably this calculator wasn't intended to be used with overlays?