NEW: HP 15C Collectors Edition

[Voldemar]

(11-17-2023 11:32 AM)Divasson Wrote:  I have come to the opinion that these are not caused at the factory, but during transport, by the constant contact of the box plastic with the bezel + some vibration. Just a 2mm deeper well for the calculator in the box would save most of the problems.

It could be. I have two. Both have small scratches on the bezel right where the bezel meets the transparent surface of the packaging box.
Thoughtless design for packing box?

[Eddie W. Shore]

(11-17-2023 10:29 AM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!

(11-17-2023 02:53 AM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  Where do you find the updated patch to download? Just want to be sure before I spend $40-$50 to get buy the cable needed?

As I understand it, after having read every single post in this thread of 34 pages (and growing!), you perform the patch yourself. With the aid of the cable you can download the firmware of your calculator to a computer. Once there, you use a HEX editor to alter the contents of three memory locations. Which ones and to what can be found in post #643.

The question is: How often and on how many calculators do you intend to perform this operation? At least one of the resellers of the HP-15C CE now offers a patching service which costs considerably less than the cable, basically the shipping fees. So if it is only for one calculator it will be cheaper and safer (one can actually brick the calculator with a failed update) to get it done.

Regards
Max

I'll need to find one that performs the service in the United States. Thanks, Max.

[linq2008]

There are problems with its packaging design, basically like this

(11-17-2023 01:15 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(11-17-2023 11:32 AM)Divasson Wrote:  I have come to the opinion that these are not caused at the factory, but during transport, by the constant contact of the box plastic with the bezel + some vibration. Just a 2mm deeper well for the calculator in the box would save most of the problems.

It could be. I have two. Both have small scratches on the bezel right where the bezel meets the transparent surface of the packaging box.
Thoughtless design for packing box?

[Eddie W. Shore]

I decided to buy the cable cord anyway. I probably won't adjust very many calculators but it can open the door for future "upgrades" to the 12C (I have a 30th Anniversary Edition) and 15C LE(?)/CE.

[Eric Rechlin]

(11-18-2023 03:13 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  I decided to buy the cable cord anyway. I probably won't adjust very many calculators but it can open the door for future "upgrades" to the 12C (I have a 30th Anniversary Edition) and 15C LE(?)/CE.

The 12c 30th Anniversary and the 15c LE both need the old cable, not the new one, so if you only have a new cable, you'd need an additional adapter (probably would have to be custom made -- DE-9 female on one end and USB-A jack on the other end, and an RS-232 level shifter chip in the middle) in order to make it work.

The new cable is only useful for post-2015 models -- in other words, the 15c CE, the newest production 12c, and the newest production 10bII+.

[Steve Simpkin]

(11-18-2023 03:13 PM)Eddie W. Shore Wrote:  I decided to buy the cable cord anyway. I probably won't adjust very many calculators but it can open the door for future "upgrades" to the 12C (I have a 30th Anniversary Edition) and 15C LE(?)/CE.

Aside from upgrading post 2015 HP-15C CE, HP-12C and HP 10bii+ models, the new cable could *potentially* be used to backup/restore the memory of a HP-15C CE. If Divasson is able to make this happen, it would be a huge feature upgrade.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-19...#pid179556

[Dave Frederickson]

(11-18-2023 03:30 PM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  The 12c 30th Anniversary and the 15c LE both need the old cable, not the new one, so if you only have a new cable, you'd need an additional adapter (probably would have to be custom made -- DE-9 female on one end and USB-A jack on the other end, and an RS-232 level shifter chip in the middle) in order to make it work.

The LE cable has an RS-232 DE-9 connector on the CPU end and a 6-pin POGO connector on the other. No USB. You can easily make a USB version of the LE cable, no RS-232, using one of Harald's boards.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap...ead=229916

[Eric Rechlin]

(11-19-2023 01:20 AM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  

(11-18-2023 03:30 PM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  The 12c 30th Anniversary and the 15c LE both need the old cable, not the new one, so if you only have a new cable, you'd need an additional adapter (probably would have to be custom made -- DE-9 female on one end and USB-A jack on the other end, and an RS-232 level shifter chip in the middle) in order to make it work.

The LE cable has an RS-232 DE-9 connector on the CPU end and a 6-pin POGO connector on the other. No USB. You can easily make a USB version of the LE cable, no RS-232, using one of Harald's boards.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap...ead=229916

Yeah, Harald's boards (if still available) would work too, but the professional pogo connector on José's cable is nicer, so I was describing a non-destructive way of modifying that cable.

[Harald]

(11-19-2023 03:52 AM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  Yeah, Harald's boards (if still available) would work too, but the professional pogo connector on José's cable is nicer, so I was describing a non-destructive way of modifying that cable.

I would have to check, but I think I have run out of these boards. Haven't had a request for one in very long time.
I decided to buy one of Jose's cables as well. I thought about modifying my orginal one (already converted to USB) with a switch to bypass the FDTI chip, but decided I didn't want to mess with it.

[Panchdara]

(11-02-2023 06:05 AM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  To flash the calculator, here are the directions I found worked best:

1. Install SAM-BA.

2. Remove the battery door from the calculator and plug in the 6-pin connector from the cable.

3. On the cable, hold down Erase, then press and release Reset, then release Erase. This just puts the calculator in USB linking mode. Unlike on the 20b/30b, this won't actually erase your firmware, so you can safely do this even if you fail to connect in the later steps.

4. Plug the USB connector from the cable to your PC.

5. Wait for it to detect as a USB Serial Device. Then check Device Manager for the COM number; usually I saw COM4 or COM5.

6. Start SAM-BA, make sure the right COM port is selected, and select at91sam4l-ek as the board type:

7. Click Connect. A new window will appear, where you must enter 0x04000 as the address, pick the ROM file to upload, and then click Send File:

8. After the file is done transferring (less than 10 seconds), press the Reset button on the cable (or use the reset hole on the calculator) and then turn the calculator on.

If you have a problem anywhere prior to the point where you click "Send File", pressing the Reset button will let you get back to the "Pr Error" display without losing the firmware. If a failure occurs after clicking "Send File", then your calculator may not operate until you can successfully load a new firmware.

Thank you very much for this detailed step procedure. One question: Is there a point where the HP15 needs to be ON? Or can this procedure be done without the calc being ON?

Thanks! I'll be trying soon.

[esm]

I just bought myself an HP-15C CE and I have the same problem with the scratched bezel that others have reported. It's disappointing, especially given the price tag. It's really noticeable to me and quite annoying. I've tried to capture a photo of it, but it's difficult to get the proper lighting.

[Voldemar]

(12-03-2023 12:22 PM)esm Wrote:  and I have the same problem with the scratched bezel that others have reported

Think of it as a "mark of quality".
Maybe sometime in the future the HP 15C CE will become popular, future releases will be in a different packaging, but the original packaging design, with the scratches it caused on the calculator bezel, will be value.

[twoweims]

40 years from now this mark will prove that your 15C CE was from the first batch.
You will be be able to sell it for a substantially higher price on eBay.

[lvt]

(12-04-2023 09:24 PM)twoweims Wrote:  40 years from now this mark will prove that your 15C CE was from the first batch.
You will be be able to sell it for a substantially higher price on eBay.

The you will have to find a specialist who can prove the authenticity of those marks ?

[Harald]

(12-04-2023 09:24 PM)twoweims Wrote:  40 years from now this mark will prove that your 15C CE was from the first batch.
You will be be able to sell it for a substantially higher price on eBay.

I want my money back! I don't have the mark on the bezel :-P

[ametts]

So I ordered my HP 15C CE from hpofficesupply.com (Royal Consumer Information Products), and I'm not particularly impressed with this vendor. There was no confirmation email when I placed the order, and no evidence that anything ever shipped. Credit card was charged. I sent email to info@hpofficesupply.com (posted on the site), and got no response.

The good news is that the 15C actually arrived today after only two business days. The bad news is that the bezel is blemished, and there's a protective film over the window in the presentation box that's all mangled -- not appropriate for a "Collector's edition". I called the toll-free number on the site, and it sounded I like I got someone out of bed in India -- who told me to email "hotline@royal.com". Which bounced.

So I'm back to the contact form and email posted on the web site... we'll see if I ever get a response. In the meantime, a question for you all: The unboxing video showed plastic protective film over the bezel, keyboard, and back -- mine seems to have none of these. Do recent US-based shipments ship with this protective film, or did I get a used/"refurbished" unit?

[Eddie W. Shore]

It would be a quick turnaround if people are getting HP 15CE CEs: it would also be a sign that this calculator is in trouble.

[Eric Rechlin]

(12-18-2023 09:04 PM)ametts Wrote:  The good news is that the 15C actually arrived today after only two business days. The bad news is that the bezel is blemished, and there's a protective film over the window in the presentation box that's all mangled -- not appropriate for a "Collector's edition".

This is all normal. Pretty much all of the ones I have looked at have faint blemishes on the bezel. And I am not entirely sure what you mean by "mangled", but it's pretty common for the protective film to be a bit wrinkled and not quite on right. Just remove it, it's not supposed to be kept on the box (and arguably wasn't supposed to be there in the first place).

(12-18-2023 09:04 PM)ametts Wrote:  The unboxing video showed plastic protective film over the bezel, keyboard, and back -- mine seems to have none of these.

Which unboxing video? I've not seen any that are sold in boxes that have that film; I think that's reserved for pre-production/prototype units.

[Divasson]

(12-20-2023 02:23 PM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  

(12-18-2023 09:04 PM)ametts Wrote:  The good news is that the 15C actually arrived today after only two business days. The bad news is that the bezel is blemished, and there's a protective film over the window in the presentation box that's all mangled -- not appropriate for a "Collector's edition".

This is all normal. Pretty much all of the ones I have looked at have faint blemishes on the bezel. And I am not entirely sure what you mean by "mangled", but it's pretty common for the protective film to be a bit wrinkled and not quite on right. Just remove it, it's not supposed to be kept on the box (and arguably wasn't supposed to be there in the first place).

(12-18-2023 09:04 PM)ametts Wrote:  The unboxing video showed plastic protective film over the bezel, keyboard, and back -- mine seems to have none of these.

Which unboxing video? I've not seen any that are sold in boxes that have that film; I think that's reserved for pre-production/prototype units.

Hi, the unboxing video was done on a prototype that had been sent to us - and these had the protective film. (Production is done with the protective film, which was removed just before shipping, during QC!)

[ametts]

Quote:Which unboxing video? I've not seen any that are sold in boxes that have that film

I've re-posted the link to the unboxing video below, and Divasson just mentioned that the production shipments no longer have the protective film. Given the blemish on mine (which is similar to others mentioned upthread), perhaps it would have been better to ship with the film in place.

Mine looks like it got rubbed raw in a small spot, so it's going back. This is not something I'm willing to accept in a brand new "Collector's Edition" product, as it's an obvious defect that would affect the value in a resale situation. I've also realized that I don't know what I'm supposed to do with the fancy presentation box sitting around, should I decide to keep the 15C and enjoy it.

Royal finally responded yesterday and issued me an RMA number, but they also promised me a UPS shipping label that hasn't shown up yet.

HP 15C CE Unboxing Video