HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Everything about 41C 41CV and 41CX Hardware

HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Marsh » Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:17 pm

Hi,

just found two old HP calculators in a box with old stuff from my father.
a HP-25 and a HP-41C, both with original leathercases.

the HP-41C looks like it would still work with batteries (as soon as i find out what batteries it takes)

It has 2 Memory Modules labled HP 82106A
The s/n is 2041A01654 (possible to guess to production date from that?)

basicly i would like to know how to fully test it to see if the device and the memory units are working.

and of course whats the value of it if it's still working?
Marsh
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Re: HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Garth » Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:15 am

41C's seem to go for a little under $100 on eBay, with 41CV going for more, and 41CX going for a lot more. You can check for the memory modules too, but I got one for I think $10 just so I'd have the case to put something like a Clonix41 into if I decide to, but the 41cv and 41cx don't have any use for these memory modules since they already have them built in.

The batteries are 1.5V N cells, not to be confused with the very similarly sized 12V battery used by some lighters and pagers and remotes, which would do great damage to the 41. N cells have gotten ridiculously expensive (like $5 for two), so I got a bunch in bulk from a distributor a year or two ago for a lot less to keep my 41 supplied.
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Re: HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Marsh » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:37 am

thx
just paid 12€ for 4 batteries, and this thing still works :)

but i don't have a clue how to use it.
guess i have to read the manual. didn't even manage to make i calculate 1+2 ;)

how can i test if the memory modules are working?
Marsh
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Re: HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Garth » Fri Sep 16, 2011 11:35 pm

1 ENTER 2 +
Just remember it's stack-based. You put the numbers on the stack and then tell it what to do with them. (Do not press ENTER after the 2 though.)

I've only used the 41cx which has the main memory full even with its ports empty, so I'm not sure offhand if adding modules will initially increase program memory or data registers. Since you don't have any programs in it yet, executing <shift> GTO . . . (yes, press the decimal point three times) and then pressing PRGM should show "00 REG XX" where the "XX" is how many program registers are available. There are 7 bytes in a register. Press PRGM again to get out of program mode. Then executing SIZE? (press XEQ ALPHA S I Z E ? ALPHA) will tell how many data registers there are. The balance of program and data registers can be changed on the fly; but adding these two numbers together will give you the total number of main-memory registers. I think that on a 41c you'll get 64, and after adding a memory module you'll get 128, and after adding the second one you'll get 192. Don't plug in or unplug the modules when the calculator is on. Turn it off to do that.

Hopefully I'm not misleading you. I have a 41cx with other modules plugged in, including the ZENROM for synthetic programming, and sometimes I forget what was part of the mainframe and what's there because of the modules or even just native to the cx but not the c. There are others who know the insides of the machine far better than I, but I'm trying to help anyway since this forum gets so little traffic.
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Re: HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Marsh » Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:24 pm

hmm shift GTO ... doesn't work
after the 2. decimal point there is a (error?) message. but i vanishes to fast to read.
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Re: HP-41C, don't know what to do with it.

Postby Garth » Sun Sep 18, 2011 5:39 am

The message probably says "PACKING" which is fine. It goes through your programs and removes null instructions to make as much room as possible for new programs you may want to enter. After that, press PRGM and it should give the other message, 00 REG __ (showing the number of program registers left available). If it has to move stuff around a lot in the packing process, the PACKING message may stay there for several seconds while it works on it.
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