A replacement for the HP-41 zebra connector

[mfleming]

(03-26-2017 08:08 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  Hello Mark,

I have received the letter Friday afternoon.
I will install it somewhere this week.

Best regards,

Sylvain

I'm quite surprised how quickly the letters were received by others as well. I really expected at least ten days transit time. I can't complain though!

I do have an update regarding the cord material included for standoffs. The hollow core of the cord allows for compression, but it does not spring back very quickly after the case is opened. As a result, the flex connector seems to fail when the case is reclosed unless the cord is squeezed back to a round shape or replaced with fresh material. The cord will rebound to normal shape though after a couple of days. The photo below shows compressed gray cords that have returned to shape and a freshly removed black cord placed next to them for comparison.
   

Another member, Hans Brueggemann, suggested a solid silicone cord found here:

Quote: have a look at these, 3mm dia. should be way to go:
http://www.silex.co.uk/products/solid-silicone-cord/

I've found a large selection of such material from McMaster-Carr here in the U.S.
https://www.mcmaster.com/#silicone-o-rin...k/=16wtrk6

Just to test the limits of material hardness, I tried 16 gauge stranded copper wire with an insulation jacket, a round wire you might find in appliance wiring. With a bit of reluctance (garbled display, singing buzzer) the calculator actually started up after a couple of battery pulls and seems to work just fine. I definitely don't plan to leave it this way, but I will check on it daily for a week to see how the connector holds up.

More soon I hope,
~ Mark