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ijabbott · (This post was last modified: 06-06-2019 08:31 PM by ijabbott.)

(06-06-2019 06:54 PM)cdmackay Wrote:
(06-06-2019 04:20 PM)ijabbott Wrote: They also dropped the bitwise logic operations (but kept the BIN/OCT/HEX/DEC arithmetic) between the fx-3400P and fx-3600P, added them back in for the fx-3600Pv (another one for you to seek out), and removed them again for the fx-3800P. (EDIT: There also seems to be a fx-3600PV (with a capital V) that doesn't have the bitwise operations, just to confuse things further! EDIT 2: That one seems to be a fake Casio according to this.) Somewhat annoyingly, I bought a fx-3800P from a major UK stationers back in the day and didn't discover the lack of bitwise operations until it was too late.

sigh; I'd not really looked into the Pv models, assuming them to be non-UK, on which I was concentrating. But now I think I will have to!

I think the fx-3600Pv (the real one, that is) probably was non-UK although the user manual was printed in at least English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Korean, and Indonesian. Some of the images of the (real) calculator I have seen have "H.K.E.A. APPROVED" printed on them (and so do pictures of the fake one), suggesting it was sold like that in Hong Kong.

cdmackay · 06-06-2019, 11:26 PM

Indeed; I've always thought the Pv models look a bit garish, with all that "SUPER FX" etc, compared to the more restrained design of models sold in the UK (at least, the ones I was used to).

That said the 3400P looks a bit different, too. And those rubber buttons, sigh.

Dan C · (This post was last modified: 10-24-2021 04:56 PM by Dan C.)

I have a FX-4000P that have the problem with a partly loose front bezel.
How do i fix this? Is the front bezel just glued on or?

ijabbott · 10-24-2021, 09:55 PM

(10-24-2021 04:55 PM)Dan C Wrote: I have a FX-4000P that have the problem with a partly loose front bezel.
How do i fix this? Is the front bezel just glued on or?

They would probably use double-sided adhesive tape (or a sheet cut to a template). Liquid glue would be too messy for manufacture.

Dan C · 10-25-2021, 05:47 PM

(10-24-2021 09:55 PM)ijabbott Wrote:
(10-24-2021 04:55 PM)Dan C Wrote: I have a FX-4000P that have the problem with a partly loose front bezel.
How do i fix this? Is the front bezel just glued on or?

They would probably use double-sided adhesive tape (or a sheet cut to a template). Liquid glue would be too messy for manufacture.

Thank you for the info! I will try with some double sided tape then!

Dan C · (This post was last modified: 07-14-2022 05:45 PM by Dan C.)

(12-05-2015 03:25 PM)jebem Wrote: And as expected, I had to dismantle the machine for cleaning and checking.

This specimen had poor LCD contrast.
The issue was fixed after cleaning the battery holder connection pads on the PCA.

I know this was a while ago, but i must thank you very much for the great pictures of the FX-4000P
internals!
It helped me a lot now when i needed to take it apart, and then to get it back again!

edit: hmm, why do i always type FX-4000P, when its fx-4000P ? Smile

Dave Britten · 07-15-2022, 02:59 PM

(12-05-2015 03:25 PM)jebem Wrote: This specimen had poor LCD contrast.
The issue was fixed after cleaning the battery holder connection pads on the PCA.

Thanks for the tip, I've got a Radio Shack version of the fx-4000P (EC-4020), and it had flickery contrast. Cleaning these two contact pads fixed it right up. I had been assuming it was an issue with the contrast pot. I think I've got at least one FC-200 that could use the same treatment.

Dan C · (This post was last modified: 07-18-2022 05:56 PM by Dan C.)

(10-25-2021 05:47 PM)Dan C Wrote:
(10-24-2021 09:55 PM)ijabbott Wrote: They would probably use double-sided adhesive tape (or a sheet cut to a template). Liquid glue would be too messy for manufacture.

Thank you for the info! I will try with some double sided tape then!

Update: I used 2mm wide double sided adhesive tape for reparing Smartphones, Iphones etc. Worked out very well!
(to fix the front panel that had come loose)

amalahama · 07-19-2022, 07:52 AM

Question: How does the 4000p compare with, let's say, the 32sII?

Dan C · (This post was last modified: 07-19-2022 06:39 PM by Dan C.)

(07-19-2022 07:52 AM)amalahama Wrote: Question: How does the 4000p compare with, let's say, the 32sII?

I think the 32sII has more Mathematical power, but the thing with fx-4000p for me is the great look and the near basic-style programming mode. Has there ever been
a more handsome looking machine??

gning · 08-19-2022, 11:48 PM

I still have an FX-4000P, though I haven't put fresh batteries in it for years. I used it a lot back in the eighties... and I even coded games on it.

The first game I coded was just a proof of concept to see how far I could push it. I taught it to play tic tac toe. I had routines to evaluate moves, and it had a strategy to counter the human move with a tree lookahead. A fully exhaustive tree lookahead. When you put in your opening move, it took about eight hours to respond! But the second response was only like one hour, and the third and fourth were quick. It filled the program space with just a few bytes to spare.

The second one I coded was Lunar Lander. I had parameters so you could play on the moon, or Mars, or Earth, but they had to be hardcoded in. There was some room to spare so I added different texts to indicate the severity of how hard you hit the ground, like "(bump)" or ">thump<" or "Thud!" or "*CRUNCH*" or ">>CRASH!<<". It was actually kind of fun to play, but certainly a pain to manually enter all the keystrokes.

I also did things like plot graph values for the response curves of theoretical loudspeakers. That required faking complex arithmetic.

If I dig enough I might still be able to find a notebook with those programs.

gning · 08-19-2022, 11:50 PM

I wonder if anyone has ever written a software emulation of this thing. Maybe with something like that the tictactoe game would run at playable speed.

gning · 08-21-2022, 07:50 PM

I did once own an HP with RPN, but only the 21, which had no programmability, and which used crappy NiCd batteries that essentially nullified the permanence and durability of all the other parts. I think I went through three packs before giving up.

The Casio was a big improvement despite its mushy buttons and low-contrast display. I still have the vinyl case, cheat card, and manual.

And hey, I found one of my old fx-4000P programs in a notebook.

[Image: Casio%20fx-4000P%20program.jpg]

Dan C · 08-25-2022, 09:18 AM

(08-19-2022 11:48 PM)gning Wrote: The second one I coded was Lunar Lander. I had parameters so you could play on the moon, or Mars, or Earth, but they had to be hardcoded in. There was some room to spare so I added different texts to indicate the severity of how hard you hit the ground, like "(bump)" or ">thump<" or "Thud!" or "*CRUNCH*" or ">>CRASH!<<". It was actually kind of fun to play, but certainly a pain to manually enter all the keystrokes.

Do you have the Lunar Lander program? I like to try that one on my fx-4000P !

johanw · 08-26-2022, 02:33 PM

(08-19-2022 11:50 PM)gning Wrote: I wonder if anyone has ever written a software emulation of this thing. Maybe with something like that the tictactoe game would run at playable speed.

I don't know about the 4000P, but PockEmul has a free FX-8000G option that has the same programming model (plus extensions).

gning · 08-29-2022, 05:01 AM

PockEmul! Thanks.

No promises on when or if I manage to find the lunar lander program.

Dan C · 08-29-2022, 06:00 AM

(08-29-2022 05:01 AM)gning Wrote: No promises on when or if I manage to find the lunar lander program.

grrrrrrrrrr Smile

ijabbott · 08-29-2022, 09:40 AM

Does it bug people that about half the available programming steps for this calculator (and others that use the same programming model) are wasted on entering colons? The older series terminating with the somewhat unobtainable FX-603P were far more efficient.

johanw · 08-29-2022, 09:48 AM

(08-29-2022 09:40 AM)ijabbott Wrote: Does it bug people that about half the available programming steps for this calculator (and others that use the same programming model) are wasted on entering colons? The older series terminating with the somewhat unobtainable FX-603P were far more efficient.

Do they actually take up storage space or are they just shown between instructions?

Dan C · 08-29-2022, 10:07 AM

(08-29-2022 09:40 AM)ijabbott Wrote: Does it bug people that about half the available programming steps for this calculator (and others that use the same programming model) are wasted on entering colons? The older series terminating with the somewhat unobtainable FX-603P were far more efficient.

Well, i doesnt bug me, but i really wished fx-4000P had more program steps than 550!