Are there any "good" HP 30b keyboards out there??

[spiff72]

I have purchased 2 30b calculators in the past (at different times and different sellers), and both have lousy keyboards. I have converted one to to a WP34s and the other to a WP31S, but I am hesitant to trust them because they tend to miss keystrokes.

I assume that I can't be the only one who has run into this. Is there a specific serial number range that may be better? My 31S (second 30b purchased) is 4CY04202632. The other is 4CY03502335, so I assume the 2nd one I bought was newer...

[lrdheat]

4CY02405444 and 4CY02403183 (2nd one became a WP 34S) have worked well for tears.

[Eric Rechlin]

Yes, there are. In fact, the majority of them are good. Unfortunately, that's still not a great ratio -- yes, a significant fraction of them drop keystrokes. I found I was able to repair some of them, but I also sometimes made it worse or ruined the whole calculator in the process. Towards the end (later in the production run I guess) I think it was at least 20% and maybe even probably closer to 40% that had bad keyboards. It got really frustrating which is one reason why I stopped selling the 34S pre-configured.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-07-2023 03:27 AM)lrdheat Wrote:  have worked well for tears

:)

[Thomas Radtke]

My only 30b has a wonderful keyboard. Feels good and works as expected. Or as unexpected, that depends on ones view on HP at that time.

[rprosperi]

HP-20b and -30b, and the 34S and 31S I made are wholly unreliable for me and are useless, other than placeholders in a collection and/or to explore the occasional post with some new discovery.

I read (e.g. above) that some of these machines are totally reliable for some folks, but I suspect this is for far more patient/forgiving users than I am, and even then, it's just a somewhat more reliable bad keyboard, not suited to my taste under the best of conditions. Why anyone can tolerate this for daily use, when there are far better choices available, is beyond me...

Despite being not totally disappointing machines, from a feature perspective, and even being algebraic models, their unreliable keyboards and cramped LCD (and strange at that!) make them machines that will never be damaged by battery spills, at least in my home.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

My 4CY021003xx 30b based wp34, while not getting heavy use, still feels totally reliable.
The 20b and 30b - useless to me, sleep in their packages and I cannot vouch for their reliability.

[Thomas Radtke]

(05-07-2023 12:33 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  I read (e.g. above) that some of these machines are totally reliable for some folks, but I suspect this is for far more patient/forgiving users than I am, and even then, it's just a somewhat more reliable bad keyboard, not suited to my taste under the best of conditions. Why anyone can tolerate this for daily use, when there are far better choices available, is beyond me...

Huh? If there was the slightest problem with my 30b, I would have said so. Keys feeld good, always register, never bounce.

[rprosperi]

(05-07-2023 01:06 PM)Thomas Radtke Wrote:  

(05-07-2023 12:33 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  I read (e.g. above) that some of these machines are totally reliable for some folks, but I suspect this is for far more patient/forgiving users than I am, and even then, it's just a somewhat more reliable bad keyboard, not suited to my taste under the best of conditions. Why anyone can tolerate this for daily use, when there are far better choices available, is beyond me...

Huh? If there was the slightest problem with my 30b, I would have said so. Keys feeld good, always register, never bounce.

Good to know there is one good unit out there. OK, two (Massimo's as well)

Even if reliable though, why use this if you have better ones, which from past posts you've shared, you surely have. Owning one, sure, collectible, etc. by why use it often enough to know that it's always reliable? Different strokes and all that...

[Thomas Radtke]

(05-07-2023 03:22 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Even if reliable though, why use this if you have better ones, which from past posts you've shared, you surely have. Owning one, sure, collectible, etc. by why use it often enough to know that it's always reliable? Different strokes and all that...

Yes, you're right. When I was an active collector, I've put every new calculator into use for some time. Especially the business models got some attention since I wanted to learn about the mathematics. That's over now, and most calculators are retired.

[lrdheat]

I meant, have worked well for YEARS!

[spiff72]

Interesting feedback, thanks all!

So from the sound of it, it seems the chances of getting a decent KB are better with OLDER serial numbers (around the 4CY024 range)?

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(05-07-2023 03:52 PM)lrdheat Wrote:  I meant, have worked well for YEARS!

I know, but it was a funny typo, nevertheless.

[John Galt]

I have two unopened HP 30b calculators left to convert; one with a very old serial number and one very new. When I get around to converting them I might try the newer one first.

It's terribly disappointing to extract the calculator and test its keys only to find the one key that isn't 100% reliable. Of the 50 or 60 I converted about 10% were bad out of the box and in un-sellable condition. Those went in the trash can, leaving the slipcase and a few screws as the only salvageable parts.

Out of morbid curiosity I disassembled one, cleaned it, painstakingly reassembled it, after which the keys were 100% reliable. Unfortunately the original key feel cannot not be recreated. I can find no way to reassemble it without compromising the solidity of the original welded plastic studs. It's acceptable, but too mushy for anyone accustomed to the legendary HP ergonomics.

I might give that one away to a hobbyist, but it's not something I could comfortably sell.

Edit: My personal daily driver WP 34s is a 4CY02 and it's perfect.

[spiff72]

Well, I decided to roll the dice on an ebay 30b with serial 4CY024xxxxx.

If this one is a dud, I am giving up on the WP31/34S. Great firmware with lousy supporting HW!

[Jim Horn]

I can only mention that my 20b / WP 34S (CNG83300355) has been heavily used for many years now without a single failure. The second set of key labels is very worn with many being unreadable. But it still is my daily use calculator at work (my '50 and Prime are in my home office; my 30b is in my car).

[spiff72]

(05-08-2023 11:53 PM)Jim Horn Wrote:  I can only mention that my 20b / WP 34S (CNG83300355) has been heavily used for many years now without a single failure. The second set of key labels is very worn with many being unreadable. But it still is my daily use calculator at work (my '50 and Prime are in my home office; my 30b is in my car).

Are the KB's on the 20b any better when it comes to missing keystrokes?

[rprosperi]

(05-09-2023 03:01 AM)spiff72 Wrote:  

(05-08-2023 11:53 PM)Jim Horn Wrote:  I can only mention that my 20b / WP 34S (CNG83300355) has been heavily used for many years now without a single failure. The second set of key labels is very worn with many being unreadable. But it still is my daily use calculator at work (my '50 and Prime are in my home office; my 30b is in my car).

Are the KB's on the 20b any better when it comes to missing keystrokes?

The feel of the 20b keyboard is less crisp than the 30b, and generally found by most folks to be less pleasant to use, but its reliability seems to be generally on par with the 30b, from reports I've read here, possibly a bit better than the late 30b units.

[thenozone]

I bought a second hand 20b, it was a total random number generator at the start, but I worked the offending keys and it improved, but you still need to keep an eye on it, it is no 41.

[Jim Horn]

Yes, generally the '20b keyboard has been lower rated than the '30b one. Mine may have the advantage of being a very early '20b, having been one handed out at an HHC annual conference by HP when it first came out. My '30b keyboard has also treated me well though I only use it rarely and briefly at that (for financial calculations I still use my '12C).