Should I bother? HP-34C in rough shape

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hallo!

(04-18-2017 06:12 AM)Adam Vaughn Wrote:  Getting back to the battery issue, does anyone have any ideas about what would be the best way to remove the old battery pack without doing much damage?

The damage is already done, there is not much that you can make worse now. The crystalline stuff is mostly electrolyte which is more or less harmless, but as it may also contain some traces of cadmium it is better to be careful. Wear rubber gloves and do not inhale any dust.
I would carefully scratch away the crystals using a wooden toothpick or plastic stick until there is sufficient clearance to pull the battery out. If some parts of the calculator remain attached to the battery they were broken anyway.
After that disassemble the calculator and clean all plastic parts with normal water. With the innards of the calculator it depends how far the electrolyte has already "traveled" along the PCB. You can immerse the affected end in distilled water until the electrolyte is dissolved, rinse and dry it. After that it depends on the amount of damage how much of Geoff's repair instructions will be required...
If the electrolyte has already found it's way into the display it is probably not worth to attempt a repair however.

Good luck
Max