HP41 C Display Instability

[Ignatz]

I just received an HP41 C that was described and shown as ‘functioning perfectly' in the listing, but, after popping in some fresh batteries, some of the segments on the display don't come on... is there anything that I could try? I’m absolutely gutted...

[grsbanks]

If the listing was on eBay then you can get your money back because the item clearly is not as described. Raise the issue with the seller first and if they're unwilling to take the calculator back or just refund it then get eBay buyer protection involved.

[Ignatz]

(12-10-2019 09:44 PM)grsbanks Wrote:  If the listing was on eBay then you can get your money back because the item clearly is not as described. Raise the issue with the seller first and if they're unwilling to take the calculator back or just refund it then get eBay buyer protection involved.

Thanks grs, I’ve sent him a message, but, it seems the longer I leave the calculator on, the better the display is becoming... some segments are still fainter, but maybe it was something to do with temperature? I've heard that LCDs (especially forty year-old ones) don’t like the cold, and this was left by the courier outside the house for who knows how long today, and it’s freezing here...

But, I can see the LCD elements redrawing themselves when I perform an operation... I don’t remember that from forty years ago!

[burkhard]

Yeah, unless the thing is really cold, that doesn't seem right. I'd contact the seller and send the picture. He might offer a refund, a discount or whatever. But at least let him know. Now that it is up to room temperature, how does it work?

If the display is only a little sketchy when cold, I guess it might depend on what you paid for it. If you got a crazy good deal, maybe you live with it. If you paid about the going rate for a 41C, maybe you ask for a refund. That's your call, though, based on your needs.

FWIW, I might be a little paranoid, but I never run (or even open the box!) newly-received electronics or optical stuff that has been left out in the cold. My reasoning is that if you introduce the gadget with all its ice-cold surfaces into a warm room, condensation could form on the circuitry and "do something bad". Instead, I bring it inside and leave it boxed up in the external packaging for some hours (usually overnight) until it's at normal room temperature. I'm probably being over-cautious, but I don't like to take a chance.

I hope it turns out well... it will make a nice 41CL. :-)

[Ignatz]

(12-12-2019 03:32 PM)burkhard Wrote:  Yeah, unless the thing is really cold, that doesn't seem right. I'd contact the seller and send the picture. He might offer a refund, a discount or whatever. But at least let him know. Now that it is up to room temperature, how does it work?

If the display is only a little sketchy when cold, I guess it might depend on what you paid for it. If you got a crazy good deal, maybe you live with it. If you paid about the going rate for a 41C, maybe you ask for a refund. That's your call, though, based on your needs.

FWIW, I might be a little paranoid, but I never run (or even open the box!) newly-received electronics or optical stuff that has been left out in the cold. My reasoning is that if you introduce the gadget with all its ice-cold surfaces into a warm room, condensation could form on the circuitry and "do something bad". Instead, I bring it inside and leave it boxed up in the external packaging for some hours (usually overnight) until it's at normal room temperature. I'm probably being over-cautious, but I don't like to take a chance.

I hope it turns out well... it will make a nice 41CL. :-)

Thankfully, after being run for a few hours and warming up, it’s now functioning perfectly ???. And I think I got it for a good price...