2 HP 16C Calculators Up for Discussion

[JEDavenport.03@gmail.com]

I have two HP 16C calculators for which I am entertaining offers.

The first is a 1983 produced 2343A##### with the electrolyte logo. It is in excellent shape and passes all tests. It comes with the original HP logoed soft cover also in excellent shape.

The second 16C is a very interesting unit as it is UNserialized. By best estimates it was produced in 1986 or later as it has the EMI FCC Class B information printed on the bottom. It also has its original cover with the HP logo struck on both sides (top & bottom). It passes all tests as well. It is in Very Good to Excellent condition with only slight wear to the painted HP 16C logo presumably from insertion and withdrawal from the case over time.

I will entertain individual offers or a combined offer for both.

   
   
   

[burkhard]

(11-20-2018 02:34 AM)JEDavenport.03@gmail.com Wrote:  I have two HP 16C calculators for which I am entertaining offers.
<snip>
The first is a 1983 produced 2343A##### with the electrolyte logo.
<snip>
The second 16C is a very interesting unit
<snip>
It is in Very Good to Excellent condition with only slight wear to the painted HP 16C logo...

OK, this caught my interest...
The logos where produced by different process?
I assumed all the Voyagers had emblems that were made the same way, only differing in model number. It sounds like different materials or production processes were used. What are the difference(s)?

Thanks!

[JEDavenport.03@gmail.com]

Yes, to my knowledge there were at least two processes. The early USA produced units electrolyte logo had the appearance of being electroplated. They have a shiny chrome appearance. Later, I am no sure exactly when, they changed the process. Someone with more knowledge may be able to give better insight. I am guessing by units I have seen that this change occurred around mid 1985 as most 16Cs I have seen with the 871B and Class B compliance printed on the back have the non-electrolyte logo. It has a more dull appearance from paint or ink type application. This later tends to be partially to almost completely worn off depending on the state of use.

[edryer]

I owned a Mid 1985 16C with a pristine logo, was under the impression it was about this time the process changed. not uncommon to find Voyagers with the logo plate missing, indeed the Wikipedia example actually has this issue!

[burkhard]

But what exactly do you mean by "electrolyte" ? To mean an electrolyte is an ion-bearing liquid or gel or some sort, not a hard solid material. Is this "electrolyte" you speak of metal or plastic?

I have twos HP-16s, both of which are in really nice condition but are missing the emblem... I'm not sure which style emblem they are missing, but I would be happy with either :-)

[JEDavenport.03@gmail.com]

You are correct in your thinking Burkhard. I am referring to the electrolytic plating process when using the term "electrolyte" logo. I am by no means an expert on plating but i do know that there are various electrolytes used to accomplish this process of adhering the material to the surface during electroplating. The early HP 16Cs logos were "plated" and then at some point (mid-1985-ish?) the logos silver coloring was applied by some other, I am assuming cheaper, means. This is the later paint or ink material that shows more signs of wear from insertion and removal from the soft case. If you look closely at the pictures I posted originally you can see the difference in appearance. The serialized 1983 unit has the "electrolyte" plated logo and the unserialized (produced sometime after mid 1985) has the non-plated logo.

I am interested to see if anyone else has come across another unserialized HP 16C. Besides the non-plated logo, it also has the 871B and Class B compliance info printed on the back to help try to date it.

I have sold the 1983 unit but still have the unserialized one that I can try to take better pictures of the logo. The logo is in remarkable shape with only slight wear around the corners and top center of the "HP" circle.

[HP67]

I don't have an HP 16C. I do use the Swiss Micros version quite often in my job.

Would like an HP, I am in Europe. How much are you looking for and where are you?

[ctrclckws]

(12-06-2018 07:53 PM)JEDavenport.03@gmail.com Wrote:  I am interested to see if anyone else has come across another unserialized HP 16C. Besides the non-plated logo, it also has the 871B and Class B compliance info printed on the back to help try to date it.

The 16C I have also does not have a serial number engraved on it. The back plate does not have the fcc warning, and I believe the model number plate is painted. This unit was obtained used from the auction site

[burkhard]

Thanks for the explanation J.E. Davenport!

If somebody is desirous of a museum-quality beauty of an 16C, I have one in storage at home.

It is a really "SUPER-rare" model in that it looks nearly perfect (including the emblem) and passes all the self-tests but somehow does integer multiplication and division incorrectly. (I have two others which act fine and this one doesn't). But it is pretty!

I fiddled with it for a while trying to figure out exactly what is happening and if I remember right, some of the upper bits are getting dropped on those operations. I seem to recall integer addition and subtraction are OK and I think everything in floating point was as well. My assumption is a bad µP chip (since problems seem confined to certain integer operations), but maybe it is a RAM chip somehow. Just guessing, though. I should probably put it up on here with some pictures. I bet somebody with an ugly 16C donor could bring it up to snuff. I occasionally look for ugly-dead donors, but no luck yet.

[rprosperi]

(12-07-2018 10:02 PM)burkhard Wrote:  It is a really "SUPER-rare" model in that it looks nearly perfect (including the emblem) and passes all the self-tests but somehow does integer multiplication and division incorrectly. (I have two others which act fine and this one doesn't). But it is pretty!

Perhaps the word-size setting is something strange, leading to your unexpected results?

Try a full reset of memory. From the manual:

1. Turn 16C off
2. Press and hold [ON] key, then press and hold [-] (minus key)
3. Release [ON], and then release [-] keys

You should see "Pr Error" (power error) confirming memory has been cleared and back to default settings (e.g. 16-bit word-size).

Can't hurt to give it a try...

[SlideRule]

(12-07-2018 10:02 PM)burkhard Wrote:  … desirous of a museum-quality beauty of an 16C, I have one in storage … passes all the self-tests but somehow does integer multiplication and division incorrectly …

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