Fixing a HP34C

[John Garza (3665)]

The Spice series was the sure sign HP had 'jumped the shark'. Solder-less construction is not innovation it is regression to save money. Many many many years ago the ancient art of soldering was applied to electronic circuits to both join and eliminate any possible air gap in electrical connections. This avoids corrosion (even the very slight kind that may not be apparently visible) between connections that could develop if it was exposed to the atmosphere - with its oxygen and humidity.

Clean all corrosion before you start, use thin solder with a low temp. Go slow and take your time.

Even if you were to bring it up to factory spec - with solder-less connections again connecting properly - it's only a matter of time until it fails again. Of course, you could opt to keep the refurbed machine in a controlled environment or sealed in an airtight anti-static bag until you wanted to use it. Maybe OK for a collection unit, but not a daily driver. Soldering is the way to go if you intend to use it regularly.

-J