12C Scientific ?

[John Garza (3665)]

Browsing the Wikipedia entry for HP Calculators there is an entry in the list for a 12C Scientific. I don't recall that machine. Was it ever produced? The description sounds a lot like the 11C.

-John

[HP-12C]

There was the basic scientific HP-10C, HP-11C was the mid-range model and the advanced model, HP-15C.

[Valentin Albillo]

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The History page has this entry:

"18:24, 7 March 2023‎ 12.158.157.90 talk‎ 15,588 bytes +199‎ Added in the list of HP Calculators the often forgotten HP-12C Scientific. It does exist. More should be added about it."

It seems some troll at IP address 12.158.157.90 had nothing better to do last March 7 ... Regrettably no one bothered to undo this "fake news".

V.

[rprosperi]

To a lot of non-HP fans, and especially folks in the finance industry, the term "HP-12C" basically means a calculator from HP. Further, probably 10% or more of the 12Cs listed on eBay are described as a "Scientific Calculator". To these same non-specialists, anything with 2 (!) colored shift keys absolutely must be a Scientific calculator, and clearly they are far too confusing to actually look at the labels to see the functions are not Scientific. It's a lot like someone calling all sporty looking cars a Porsche, or all WWII fighters a Mustang (or Spitfire if you're in UK, or Bf 109 in Germany, etc.)

[Namir]

Only a careless newbie buyer who clicks to buy first AND THEN looks at the pictures will fall for these faux-scientific calculators.

Besides, the HP12C is notorious for being a financial calculator.

Namif

[EdS2]

I note that the 12C has powers, log, exponential and factorial, as well as scientific notation. But it doesn't have trig, so I wouldn't call it scientific. I don't see any evidence of a scientific version - it could be as Bob says, that 12C was understood by a misguided contributor to mean Voyager.

[WallyEmm]

(04-03-2023 12:44 AM)Namir Wrote:  Only a careless newbie buyer who clicks to buy first AND THEN looks at the pictures will fall for these faux-scientific calculators.

A couple of years ago I had a saved search for HP-15C on TAS. One day a new listing came up, and a quick look at the photos didn't look right. Sure enough, it was a 12C listed as a 15C with a 15C price. I sent a polite note to the seller and the listing disappeared. I got a reply thanking me for the correction; the seller had listed it for a friend using their description.

[John Garza (3665)]

Yes, there is no shortage of misguided sellers on TAS. I always check the sellers 'other items' for sale. If I see shoes and jewelry, I know the score. I've sent maybe half a dozen 'correction letters' to sellers last month alone. Usually the wrong model number. Doesn't anyone even LOOK at what they are selling? But one really caught my eye. An HP classic advertised as having a 'Black LCD' display. Poor kid probably never used an LED calculator in his life.

-J

[david sanz]

(04-03-2023 07:22 AM)EdS2 Wrote:  I note that the 12C has powers, log, exponential and factorial, as well as scientific notation. But it doesn't have trig, so I wouldn't call it scientific. I don't see any evidence of a scientific version - it could be as Bob says, that 12C was understood by a misguided contributor to mean Voyager.

Exponential and factorial are present in almost every serious bussiness calculator, since they are needed for probability calculations, I think.

[johnb]

(04-03-2023 07:35 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  ...the seller had listed it for a friend using their description.

While a certain number of such claims must be legit, IMHO this is a far-overused excuse for "I either tried to get away with something, or I was just careless, and in either case I don't want to own up to it."


If I recall correctly, my worst experience with this was an HP-48g that I won for about $21 when they were mostly selling in the $150 range. The seller claimed he was "selling it for a friend" and "the friend decided not to sell." Came up with a different excuse when I pointed out that arbitrary withdrawal once sold was against the site rules. At that point, I did a little research and found he ran a small business in his state. I threatened to report it to the site, and his local police, and report his business to his state's business licensure board.

Boy, did that calculator suddenly arrive quickly, in the best protective packaging imaginable!

[HP-12C]

(04-08-2023 09:13 PM)johnb Wrote:  

(04-03-2023 07:35 AM)WallyEmm Wrote:  ...the seller had listed it for a friend using their description.

While a certain number of such claims must be legit, IMHO this is a far-overused excuse for "I either tried to get away with something, or I was just careless, and in either case I don't want to own up to it."

This reminds me of the increasing trend from sellers of vintage electronics and computers who list the items as "un-tested" or "parts only" with a mint condition or "collector/museum" price tag attached.

I tend to assume any electrical item that is advertised as untested has been switched on and the seller is just covering themselves for when it turns up and is obviously not working.

call me a cynic