Anything I should know before buying a 71B?

[Sylvain Cote]

(03-12-2021 03:37 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I know there are a couple of different ROM versions, but aside from the array redimensioning bug in 2CCCC, it sounds like there aren't many significant differences. Is that accurate?

Common ROM version are 1BBBB and 2CDCC. I personally use the 1BBBB version most of the time and I am quite happy with it.
Jean-François Garnier has a dedicated web page for HP-71B ROM Versions and Bugs.

For the HP-IL module, you should definitively buy a 1B version.

(03-12-2021 03:37 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  The base 17.5 KB of user RAM sounds like it would be plenty for starters (that's like 8 times as much as a 41's main memory!), but are there options for increasing it more than the paltry 4 KB RAM modules that I see?

Unfortunately, you just missed Hans Brueggemann FRAM71B production run (holy grail RAM card reader module).
Fortunately, Mark Fleming just released his HP-71B MultiMod ROM Emulator.

RAM module options are ...

• Front port RAM module from HP: 4K
• Front port RAM modules from CMT: 32K & 64K
• Card reader port RAM modules from HHP: 32K, 64K, 96K & 128K
• Card reader port RAM modules from CMT: 32K, 64K, 96K, 128K & 160K
• Card reader port FRAM modules from Hans: 512K & 1024K
  

EPROM/Flash module options are ...

• Front port EPROM modules from CMT: 32K & 64K (needs CMT EPROM Programmer, very rare)
• Card reader port EPROM module from HHP: 32K
• Card reader port EPROM module from CMT: 32K
• Card reader port Flash module from Mark: 128K (112K available)
  

... and has Daniel mentioned the HP-71B Compendium (PDF version)

(03-12-2021 05:08 PM)twoweims Wrote:  https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-5286.html

Sylvain