Last 71B?

[mcquiggi]

(06-09-2018 02:53 AM)rprosperi Wrote:  

(06-09-2018 01:19 AM)mcquiggi Wrote:  My 71b has a date code of 3001, and is serial number 00001.

Kevin

A unit with s/n 3001A00176 was sold on eBay last year, so not quite the last one...

Do all the keys work? The guy selling that unit wouldn't answer many questions about it, it seemed like several keys were not working.

Hi:

I just received it today, but other than some initial flakiness with the F and G function keys, everything appears fine. After a few minutes they started to work consistently, and so far so good.

The unit is in pristine shape, in the original box. No manual or accessories though. I don't think that it was ever used. The behaviour I saw could be due to corrosion of the key contacts through 28 years of non-use.

If necessary I can disassemble and troubleshoot - I have several decades' experience in electronics. I have the service manual: the 'net seems to be well-stocked with '71B material.

Up til now my ~20 years of computer collecting has been in the DEC pdp-8, pdp-11 and VAX realm. I have about 30 old DEC systems, mostly functional.

I just have a fond history of HP calculators from my early years, liked the look of the '71B, and thought I'd try to acquire an example! Hmmm, it's a really nice little machine, I may take a detour into HP for a bit!

Thanks for the reply,

Kevin