49G NIB - worth opening/using?

[dmh]

Given I have a 48GX and a 50G, is there any good reason to open/use the 49G?

I don't think they are worth much as a collectible but interested in your thoughts.

Thanks, dmh

[mfleming]

I have one of these in my shop mainly because it's the one calculator I don't care if it's damaged or destroyed. It might be worth something to a collector unopened.

[Marco Polo]

(03-21-2022 09:20 AM)dmh Wrote:  Given I have a 48GX and a 50G, is there any good reason to open/use the 49G?

I don't think they are worth much as a collectible but interested in your thoughts.

Thanks, dmh

I would keep as it is.
For daily usage the 50g, in my experience, is the best choice.
Frankly speaking i greatly prefer the 48gx, but it really is usable only with Metakernel or SpeedUI, a 128kb card in port 1 and a 1 or 2 Mb card in port 2; and can exchange data with a PC only by serial port.
Considering the price of the above 48gx hardware i prefer to keep it well preserved and without batteries and use the more expendable 50g
:-)

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-21-2022 09:20 AM)dmh Wrote:  I don't think they are worth much as a collectible but interested in your thoughts.

I would say that it depends on what you aim for regarding your collection. If you hope to one day own every HP calculator ever made, then keep it as it is. Unopened. You already have better calculators in your collection, opening the package and trying it out will not give you much pleasure, believe me. Especially the rubber keyboard is very very substandard for an HP branded product.

And regarding the possible resale value I don't think that it won't make a significant difference whether or not the package is opened or sealed. It is not a real collectible yet, so it won't matter much. But of course this is only my personal view... For comparison: A couple of years ago, I bought an hp-49g+ , a significantly better calculator then the 49g, for 10$ and recently an hp-40g NIB like yours, for 15 Euros. These things are worth next to nothing.

Regards
Max

[dmh]

Wow, it's amazing how cheap/undesirable some models are!

I keep reading how bad the 49G keyboard is so that must put everyone off. It doesn't look too flash either but the 49g+ price doesn't make sense.

It seems the 50G is on a pedestal and continues to demand a good price - often more than the Prime.

(03-21-2022 11:54 AM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!

(03-21-2022 09:20 AM)dmh Wrote:  I don't think they are worth much as a collectible but interested in your thoughts.

I would say that it depends on what you aim for regarding your collection. If you hope to one day own every HP calculator ever made, then keep it as it is. Unopened. You already have better calculators in your collection, opening the package and trying it out will not give you much pleasure, believe me. Especially the rubber keyboard is very very substandard for an HP branded product.

And regarding the possible resale value I don't think that it won't make a significant difference whether or not the package is opened or sealed. It is not a real collectible yet, so it won't matter much. But of course this is only my personal view... For comparison: A couple of years ago, I bought an hp-49g+ , a significantly better calculator then the 49g, for 10$ and recently an hp-40g NIB like yours, for 15 Euros. These things are worth next to nothing.

Regards
Max

[dmh]

I love the 48 series having bought a 48SX when it came out but the original screen is hard to use now so I've moved on to the 48GX with the high contrast display. Still a little slow though.

I'm concerned about the longevity of the 48 as keys on one of mine are intermittent and they are difficult to repair without damaging so you're right about using the 50G.

(03-21-2022 11:47 AM)Marco Polo Wrote:  I would keep as it is.
For daily usage the 50g, in my experience, is the best choice.
Frankly speaking i greatly prefer the 48gx, but it really is usable only with Metakernel or SpeedUI, a 128kb card in port 1 and a 1 or 2 Mb card in port 2; and can exchange data with a PC only by serial port.
Considering the price of the above 48gx hardware i prefer to keep it well preserved and without batteries and use the more expendable 50g
:-)

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-21-2022 12:17 PM)dmh Wrote:  I'm concerned about the longevity of the 48 as keys on one of mine are intermittent and they are difficult to repair without damaging...

It is not just the keys, but also the connection to the display. The underlying problem is the same: The connections are mady by "zebra stripes" which require constant pressure that is achieved with some kind of foam rubber. Over time this hardens and rows and/or columns of pixels will be missing from the display. Some keys as well, especially the top row. One HP-48SX that I have suffers badly from this issue. One must firmly press down on the bezel below the display in order to see all pixels and use the top rows of keys... Any repair attempt will only make things worse on the long run.

Regards
Max

[dmh]

The inventor of the zebra connector has a lot to answer for!!!

(03-21-2022 12:43 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello!

(03-21-2022 12:17 PM)dmh Wrote:  I'm concerned about the longevity of the 48 as keys on one of mine are intermittent and they are difficult to repair without damaging...

It is not just the keys, but also the connection to the display. The underlying problem is the same: The connections are mady by "zebra stripes" which require constant pressure that is achieved with some kind of foam rubber. Over time this hardens and rows and/or columns of pixels will be missing from the display. Some keys as well, especially the top row. One HP-48SX that I have suffers badly from this issue. One must firmly press down on the bezel below the display in order to see all pixels and use the top rows of keys... Any repair attempt will only make things worse on the long run.

Regards
Max

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(03-21-2022 12:51 PM)dmh Wrote:  The inventor of the zebra connector has a lot to answer for!!!

On the other hand I think he is the darling of his employer and the stockholders of the company. With proper internal connections the calculators (and other products) would easily last many decades. With cheap and crappy technical solutions like zebra connectors and those awful flexible PCB battery terminals of the HP-41C, customers are forced to buy a new calculator every five or ten years...

Regards
Max

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(03-21-2022 12:11 PM)dmh Wrote:  I keep reading how bad the 49G keyboard is so that must put everyone off.

Still better than the 49g+ one.

[Marco Polo]

(03-21-2022 12:11 PM)dmh Wrote:  It seems the 50G is on a pedestal and continues to demand a good price - often more than the Prime.

Imho, 50g and Prime are different beasts.
I am a chemical engineer and used a 48 series calculator since the university (more of 30 year ago).
A couple of years ago i tried to use the Prime (virtual) for daily work and simply failed.
Even considering the bias of being a 30 and more years 48/50 user, i found thant the Prime lacks several features i need: UOM (conversion/usability in solver and calculations), an omogenous approach to several data type, RPL/RPN, only one environment for any kind of possible use.

So, after my experience, imho the Prime is not aimed to engineering professionals and that's why the 50G (and even the 48g+/gx) price is sometimes higher than Prime's.

[groskwik]

(03-21-2022 02:13 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  

(03-21-2022 12:11 PM)dmh Wrote:  I keep reading how bad the 49G keyboard is so that must put everyone off.

Still better than the 49g+ one.

+1 unless you get one of the last 49g+ keyboard. With the 49g+, if you shoot for CNA52XX serial number you'll get almost a 50g for half the price.

Also there is a difference between the chinese and indonesian 49G keyboard.The CN one is better.

[Allen]

I agree with other's comments..

The 49g saved my grade in a graduate-level complex analysis class in 1999 when it was released. The 49g had some CAS functions related to complex integration and such that the (then king) HP48gx could not do.

We still had to show our work for the tests, but having a "backup" way to verify the answers made it much easier to pass!!

The CAS capabilities was met or exceeded with the HP 50g, and with a better keyboard design, etc.. as others have mentioned.

Although I have fond memories of that class ( which I also took with my best friend and roommate) and the 49g, I recently sold the last HP 49g in my collection, and have no plans to re-purchase one.

[GreyUser]

Was the 49G packaged like the 39G? If so, it’s probably too late to save it because they were shipped with the AAA batteries installed from the factory.

[dmh]

In the video I flip the package over and you can see the batteries in the packaging but outside the calculator - they are still corroded though.

I assume/hope there isn’t another set also inside the calculator?

(04-05-2022 05:43 AM)GreyUser Wrote:  Was the 49G packaged like the 39G? If so, it’s probably too late to save it because they were shipped with the AAA batteries installed from the factory.