HP-65 Standard Pac versions

[jgbackes]

Hi,

I have two different versions of cards 7 & 15 in the Standard Pac for the HP-65. Can someone point me to a description of the differences?

Also notice that the case the cards came in are different.

Thanks

jeff

[rprosperi]

(Note: Please correct the title to reflect HP-65)

The olive drab case is the older of the two, used in initial HP-65 production and eventually changed over to the clear style, though I've information when the change took place.

The cards were updated (A -> B) when bugs were found and fixed, on a running basis, and only the changed cards got new revision letters (so a set might have all "A" cards except maybe one or two "B" cards.

As for the exact changes, I've never seen any comparison that captures all the differences. Of course if your 65 card reader works, you can read them, step through the program and write the steps.

The manual at hpcalc.org (https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/973) from June '74 shows these as "A" programs, but I'm not sure they bothered to revise the manuals each time a card was revised.

Not all you're looking for, but that helps a little....

[John Garza (3665)]

Also, besides just big fixes, the entire program could be swapped out with another. The HP-65 Standard Pac program #1 started out as a personal finance program (STD-01A), to be later replaced with a day of the week program (STD-01B). And they did have to change the manual for that one.

-J

[rprosperi]

(08-07-2024 02:59 AM)John Garza (3665) Wrote:  Also, besides just big fixes, the entire program could be swapped out with another. The HP-65 Standard Pac program #1 started out as a personal finance program (STD-01A), to be later replaced with a day of the week program (STD-01B). And they did have to change the manual for that one.

-J

Thanks JOhn. I may have known that at some distant time in the past, but if so, have completely forgotten about it. And now, off to the closet to check my 65 stuff [whoosh...]

[carolinahomes]

(08-07-2024 02:59 AM)John Garza (3665) Wrote:  ..... And they did have to change the manual for that one.

-J

This is why I collect every version of manual I can reasonably find and not just the latest. I do happen to have both manual versions for the 65 standard pac, email me if you'd like a scan sent to you.

[rprosperi]

(08-07-2024 07:00 PM)carolinahomes Wrote:  

(08-07-2024 02:59 AM)John Garza (3665) Wrote:  ..... And they did have to change the manual for that one.

-J

This is why I collect every version of manual I can reasonably find and not just the latest. I do happen to have both manual versions for the 65 standard pac, email me if you'd like a scan sent to you.

Can you please contact Eric Rechlin to (lend/loan/etc.) him the copy which is not the same as the one currently in his HP literature site (which is here: https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/973) so it can be added there, and then everyone will be able to get a copy, even if they don't see this thread?

[jgbackes]

This group is awesome!

[carolinahomes]

(08-07-2024 09:29 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Can you please contact Eric

I've already spoken with him about this and last I heard, he said he doesn't have time for posting multiple editions and doesn't know how best to keep it simple and organized on the site... I wholeheartedly agree that it is a tedious chore. I've never been provided or seen guidelines with what constitutes a proper scan job, so I do them on an as-called-for basis when I have a more advanced scanning device available as I had at my prior job with its super duper Xerox. Currently I only have a Brother dcp8065dn at the ready.

[rprosperi]

(08-08-2024 07:25 PM)carolinahomes Wrote:  

(08-07-2024 09:29 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Can you please contact Eric

I've already spoken with him about this and last I heard, he said he doesn't have time for posting multiple editions and doesn't know how best to keep it simple and organized on the site... I wholeheartedly agree that it is a tedious chore. I've never been provided or seen guidelines with what constitutes a proper scan job, so I do them on an as-called-for basis when I have a more advanced scanning device available as I had at my prior job with its super duper Xerox. Currently I only have a Brother dcp8065dn at the ready.

In general that's true for when a manual has 3 or 4 (or more) different versions, essentially only differentiated by typos in the text or possible key glyphs, etc. but in this case, the manuals are wholly different, for that one Card/Function, so worthy of special case treatment. Other precedents exist, for example there are at least 3 HP-35 Owner's Manual versions, exactly because these versions' content differed so much.

If you'd rather scan it than lend it, I think Eric prefers 600x600 .jpg or better yet, .png scans of each page, then he can put them through his normal cleanup/assembly process to produce the excellent PDF's with Index and OCR that you see for most manuals added in the past few years. And that process is tedious, producing hundreds of large files and an overall PITA, which is why I started right off suggesting sending them. I'll ping Eric to pop in here and comment on wanting both versions (maybe I'm wrong?) and to clarify the preferred scanning specs, then it'll be easier to decide what to do.

Thanks for confirming these differences and being willing to help out, if warranted.

[Eric Rechlin]

(08-08-2024 09:22 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  

(08-08-2024 07:25 PM)carolinahomes Wrote:  I've already spoken with him about this and last I heard, he said he doesn't have time for posting multiple editions and doesn't know how best to keep it simple and organized on the site... I wholeheartedly agree that it is a tedious chore. I've never been provided or seen guidelines with what constitutes a proper scan job, so I do them on an as-called-for basis when I have a more advanced scanning device available as I had at my prior job with its super duper Xerox. Currently I only have a Brother dcp8065dn at the ready.

In general that's true for when a manual has 3 or 4 (or more) different versions, essentially only differentiated by typos in the text or possible key glyphs, etc. but in this case, the manuals are wholly different, for that one Card/Function, so worthy of special case treatment. Other precedents exist, for example there are at least 3 HP-35 Owner's Manual versions, exactly because these versions' content differed so much.

If you'd rather scan it than lend it, I think Eric prefers 600x600 .jpg or better yet, .png scans of each page, then he can put them through his normal cleanup/assembly process to produce the excellent PDF's with Index and OCR that you see for most manuals added in the past few years. And that process is tedious, producing hundreds of large files and an overall PITA, which is why I started right off suggesting sending them. I'll pink Eric to pop in here and comment on wanting both versions (maybe I'm wrong?) and to clarify the preferred scanning specs, then it'll be easier to decide what to do.

Thanks for confirming these differences and being willing to help out, if warranted.

I had not realized there was such a substantial difference between the different revisions. Normally it's just minor corrections, so I just scan the latest version I can get. However, in the case of when major changes were made to the manuals, I have scanned and posted multiple revisions, listed as separate books on the site.

Because it sounds like there were indeed some major changes, like totally different programs, I do see the value in scanning Revision B of the 65 Standard Pack. I cannot find the previous discussion of this book, so I can't recall if it was an offer to lend me the book to scan or to scan it for me, but I'd be happy with either. As Bob said, 600 dpi color is ideal for scans, with as little compression (as large a file size) as feasible. Thanks!

[carolinahomes]

(08-09-2024 08:15 PM)Eric Rechlin Wrote:  ... if it was an offer to lend me the book to scan or to scan it for me, but I'd be happy ...

Hi Eric, please email me your shipping address and I'll get this Version B manual and a pair of RAMSS manuals sent to you with return shipping included. carolinahomes@hotmail.com