I saw a HP-48SX at flea market and I couldn't resist.

[jebem]

This morning I saw a HP-48SX at a flea market in Lisbon with a asking price of 15 Euro. The owner claimed it was "working fine" but it had a "small display problem, nothing serious".
No batteries to test it, but I could not resist and took it home.

It came complete with English Owner's Manual (Volumes I and II, Edition 4 July 1990, printed in Canada) in good shape, the English Quick Reference Guide (5/90, printed in Canada) and the original HP soft case in normal used condition.

The calculator itself has got the s/n: 3039A00546, so made in USA and assembled just right in the middle of those batches that resulted in defective displays (3013AXXXXX through 3044AXXXXX) according to Han Duong (Thank you for sharing that info!).
And yes, the "small display problem" is that it misses the vertical lines 5,7 and 9.
So here I am with a nice HP-48SX that most probably has a defective display driver, but otherwise it passes all tests and it appears to work just fine.
But for the money I paid it is good value for me, and it will join my other HP-48G+ in my modest calculator's collection.

[HP67]

Great news. The printed doc is worth the price you paid. If the display doesn't work maybe it can be saved from another donor unit. Maybe you can even upgrade and make a "Reverse Del Tondo" SX with a GX LCD

At least for that price you don't have to be afraid to open it and try some surgery. Good luck and thanks for sharing your news.

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 12:36 PM)HP67 Wrote:  Great news. The printed doc is worth the price you paid. If the display doesn't work maybe it can be saved from another donor unit. Maybe you can even upgrade and make a "Reverse Del Tondo" SX with a GX LCD

That's what I thought about the value of the printed Owner's Guide, and on top of that the calculator looks like new!
The original owner was male, Portuguese. Why do I know this? Because he has signed all three books in the inside front cover (signed and dated as of Dec-1990).

I just found another small pencil annotation like this: "315usd x 130$00 = 41000$00 [Dez 990]" on the second page.
So apparently this calculator was bought in the USA and the cost was 315 USD in 1990 (equivalent to 41000 Escudos in the old Portuguese currency used before the Euro took over). Could it be right?

[HP67]

That sounds right from what I have read. I do not remember prices at the time they came out because my trusty 67 was still fine and I didn't want an LCD model and was not in the market for anything. The 41 had just come out when I bought my 67 and I had no interest in it although the guy in the store pushed it very hard.

I do not regret buying the 67 over the 41. I just regret not also buying the 41. But I did not have the money for both.

It is a mixed blessing your SX is in perfect cosmetic condition. That will make you less willing to butcher it. Although if you can convince Han he can probably fix it and return it in perfect condition.

[walter b]

(05-21-2014 02:20 PM)jebem Wrote:  I just found another small pencil annotation like this: "315usd x 130$00 = 41000$00 [Dez 990]" on the second page.
So apparently this calculator was bought in the USA and the cost was 315 USD in 1990 (equivalent to 41000 Escudos in the old Portuguese currency used before the Euro took over). Could it be right?

Please look here (remember this forum is located in a museum).

It may be possible to guess the profession of the previous owner of your calculator since his calculation is neither precise nor are the units correct.

d:-)

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-21-2014 03:00 PM)walter b Wrote:  

(05-21-2014 02:20 PM)jebem Wrote:  I just found another small pencil annotation like this: "315usd x 130$00 = 41000$00 [Dez 990]" on the second page.
So apparently this calculator was bought in the USA and the cost was 315 USD in 1990 (equivalent to 41000 Escudos in the old Portuguese currency used before the Euro took over). Could it be right?

Please look here (remember this forum is located in a museum).

It may be possible to guess the profession of the previous owner of your calculator since his calculation is neither precise nor are the units correct.

d:-)

Here the mean 1990 exchange rate PTE/USD is given as 142.555

[HP67]

(05-21-2014 03:00 PM)walter b Wrote:  It may be possible to guess the profession of the previous owner of your calculator since his calculation is neither precise nor are the units correct.

Space shuttle designer?

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 03:00 PM)walter b Wrote:  

(05-21-2014 02:20 PM)jebem Wrote:  I just found another small pencil annotation like this: "315usd x 130$00 = 41000$00 [Dez 990]" on the second page.
So apparently this calculator was bought in the USA and the cost was 315 USD in 1990 (equivalent to 41000 Escudos in the old Portuguese currency used before the Euro took over). Could it be right?

Please look here (remember this forum is located in a museum).

It may be possible to guess the profession of the previous owner of your calculator since his calculation is neither precise nor are the units correct.

d:-)

Oops! I checked that MoHPC link so many times and have overlooked the small detail at end concerning the price... So yes, the price seems to be about right: HP-48SX $350 according to MoHPC!

Walter, I wouldn't expose the name of the previous owner, but after the OP, I did some Google research and voila, he is a IT Teacher in one of the Portuguese Schools...apparently he did survive the 48SX experience!

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 04:16 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  Here the mean 1990 exchange rate PTE/USD is given as 142.555

Apparently it shows a large deviation from what the original owner has paid in PTE.
Because I use to travel quite a lot to outside the Euro zone, I use this currency converter site that also allows historical search.
It came out with a closer value of 131.764 for Dec 3, 1990, which is a closer match, assuming that the calculator was acquired in the beginning of December, that is.

Period Average 131.760
Period High 135.871
Period Low 130.115

Dec 24, 1990 - Dec 30, 1990 135.871
Dec 17, 1990 - Dec 23, 1990 132.808
Dec 10, 1990 - Dec 16, 1990 130.464
Dec 3, 1990 - Dec 9, 1990 131.764
Nov 26, 1990 - Dec 2, 1990 131.380
Nov 19, 1990 - Nov 25, 1990 130.115
Nov 12, 1990 - Nov 18, 1990 130.431
Nov 5, 1990 - Nov 11, 1990 131.244

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-21-2014 05:45 PM)jebem Wrote:  

(05-21-2014 04:16 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  Here the mean 1990 exchange rate PTE/USD is given as 142.555

Apparently it shows a large deviation from what the original owner has paid in PTE.
Because I use to travel quite a lot to outside the Euro zone, I use this currency converter site that also allows historical search.
It came out with a closer value of 131.764 for Dec 3, 1990, which is a closer match, assuming that the calculator was acquired in the beginning of December, that is.

Period Average 131.760
Period High 135.871
Period Low 130.115

Dec 24, 1990 - Dec 30, 1990 135.871
Dec 17, 1990 - Dec 23, 1990 132.808
Dec 10, 1990 - Dec 16, 1990 130.464
Dec 3, 1990 - Dec 9, 1990 131.764
Nov 26, 1990 - Dec 2, 1990 131.380
Nov 19, 1990 - Nov 25, 1990 130.115
Nov 12, 1990 - Nov 18, 1990 130.431
Nov 5, 1990 - Nov 11, 1990 131.244

I often use this for currency conversion site. I remember it had historical series too but wasn't able to find them for PTE...

Edit: Oh well, here they are but not available for dates before 1995-11-16.

[HP67]

Pfffft! Come on guys, download the exchange rates over a serial cable and create your own currency conversion libs!

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-21-2014 06:53 PM)HP67 Wrote:  Pfffft! Come on guys, download the exchange rates over a serial cable and create your own currency conversion libs!

Baah! For what purpose?
Not my business: you only have to find who did the hard work for you... :)

[walter b]

(05-21-2014 05:28 PM)jebem Wrote:  I wouldn't expose the name of the previous owner, but after the OP, I did some Google research and voila, he is a IT Teacher in one of the Portuguese Schools...apparently he did survive the 48SX experience!

I just wonder how he paid 41 000 Escudos × Dollars - seems he needed UNITS desparately

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 08:21 PM)walter b Wrote:  I just wonder how he paid 41 000 Escudos × Dollars - seems he needed UNITS desparately

Probably those 50 Escudos were use to round the price and to celebrate the acquisition with a couple of "Imperiais" ("Imperial" is the Lisbon name for a 200ml 'draft' beer in a glass)

[walter b]

(05-21-2014 08:56 PM)jebem Wrote:  

(05-21-2014 08:21 PM)walter b Wrote:  I just wonder how he paid 41 000 Escudos × Dollars - seems he needed UNITS desparately

Probably those 50 Escudos were use to round the price and to celebrate the acquisition with a couple of "Imperiais" ("Imperial" is the Lisbon name for a 200ml 'draft' beer in a glass)

50$00 por algunos Imperiais? En 1990? Admiravel ...

[Gerson W. Barbosa]

Those were the days, those were the price tags...



https://www.dropbox.com/s/uun8se3ifqd5m6...son_01.png

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ubbpwhz6s830bo...son_02.png

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2z591d0alp4fiu4/Madison_3.png

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 09:09 PM)walter b Wrote:  [quote='jebem' pid='11856' dateline='1400705793']

50$00 por algunos Imperiais? En 1990? Admiravel ...

Yap, that were the good old days before the Euro kicked in to save our sorry a**es from yet another bankrupt... the prices more than doubled in less than 6 months after the introduction of the Euro in Portugal...

For instance, a espresso coffee (small cup of strong black coffee that in Lisbon city is known as "bica" and in Porto city as "cimbalino") had a stable price of 50 Escudos (about 0,25 Euro) in 2001. With the move to the Euro, the price was raised to 0,50 Euro in a matter of months.

I believe you are ready to travel to Portugal, as your Portuguese is improving, contrary to my German... Just a small improvement:
Instead of using "50$00 por algunos Imperiais? En 1990? Admiravel ... "
You may use: "50$00 por algumas Imperiais? Em 1990? Admirável ...
"algunos" and "En" are acceptable if you speak Spanish, but any Portuguese will understand it

[jebem]

(05-21-2014 09:28 PM)Gerson W. Barbosa Wrote:  Those were the days, those were the price tags...

Hi, Gerson,
Thanks for sharing those nice adverts from HP written in the language of Camões, Erico Verissimo, Paulo Coelho and so many others to name here.

Aquele Abraço daqui de Portugal!

Edit:
P.S. - From the prices hand written in the adverts, I assume it were related to the Cruzado currency, right?


Cheers,
Jose

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-22-2014 01:04 PM)jebem Wrote:  For instance, a espresso coffee (small cup of strong black coffee that in Lisbon city is known as "bica" and in Porto city as "cimbalino")

Probably from "La Cimbali", an italian espresso machine maker...

[walter b]

(05-22-2014 01:04 PM)jebem Wrote:  You may use: "50$00 por algumas Imperiais? Em 1990? Admirável ...

I stand corrected. Obrigado. Sometimes I'm guessing a bit, and genders in Portuguese ... And Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese show quite some overlap which is no wonder looking at their histories.

d:-)