HP54C ?

[smatthys]

Dear connoisseurs

Just saw in the "HP Calculator Fan Club" on FB an interesting add:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/145358172674

Does anybody here has any idea what this could possibly be?

The keyboard & the prefixed functions are identical to the 27S...

[Massimo Gnerucci]

And here we go... Let's see it skyrocketing now.

[vaklaff]

A 27S with a home made faceplate/overlay, IMHO, looks pretty good, at least on the pictures. Whoever did it has some interesting know-how…

[BruceH]

Well, 54 = 2 x 27 so I assume whoever made the faceplate chose that number quite deliberately.

I can only guess that the original broke, or was bent badly while opening the calc to repair and they decided to make a completely new one.

[Diego Diaz]

Hi all,

Should I be interested in this item (I'm not) I'd ask the seller to run the self test, to see the message it shows: "OK-27S-E" or something else.

I think this will clear all doubts.

Just my 2cents.

Best.

Diego.

[smatthys]

(10-13-2023 05:46 PM)vaklaff Wrote:  A 27S with a home made faceplate/overlay, IMHO, looks pretty good, at least on the pictures. Whoever did it has some interesting know-how…

After having a closer look at the pictures I also noticed that the yellow markings are printed on an overlay. The font used for the „54C“ & the silver bezel do not fit the HP design practices of the time. The serial number of this calculator fits to the earliest one of the HP27S (2743, October 1987).
The whole thing might be a handicraft, but quite well done.

(10-13-2023 11:10 PM)Diego Diaz Wrote:  Should I be interested in this item (I'm not) I'd ask the seller to run the self test, to see the message it shows: "OK-27S-E" or something else.

Good approach!

[Didier Lachieze]

Did you notice the "MENUS" marking on the bezel which is not on the 27S?

[ThomasF]

If you look closer to the areas around the keys and display, it really looks like an overlay on top of the actual keyboard.
There is an extra border if you compare to an original 27S.
That would also explain the blue shift key.
But it looks very well done!

Edit: Added picture ...
   

Cheers,
Thomas

[Allen]

I stand by my hypothesis from this discussion:

Quote:The closer the seller lived to Corvallis, OR, the more likely an unusual item is legitimately rare/original.

Given the labels match the original HP27S exactly, and the provenance is from the HP factory AND the serial number 2743A-00049 puts the calculator in the same week as the earliest known model, I suspect this is probably an early 27S that was uniquely marked to keep it from being sold as a regular production model later on.

Also interesting that 27*2 = 54 but that could be coincidence?

Sad "the light does not work"

[Marco Polo]

(10-14-2023 06:15 AM)smatthys Wrote:  

(10-13-2023 05:46 PM)vaklaff Wrote:  A 27S with a home made faceplate/overlay, IMHO, looks pretty good, at least on the pictures. Whoever did it has some interesting know-how…

After having a closer look at the pictures I also noticed that the yellow markings are printed on an overlay. The font used for the „54C“ & the silver bezel do not fit the HP design practices of the time. The serial number of this calculator fits to the earliest one of the HP27S (2743, October 1987).
The whole thing might be a handicraft, but quite well done.

(10-13-2023 11:10 PM)Diego Diaz Wrote:  Should I be interested in this item (I'm not) I'd ask the seller to run the self test, to see the message it shows: "OK-27S-E" or something else.

Good approach!

The bezel font of "54C" appears to me similar to 28C one, which was produced in the years 1987-88.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp28c.htm

[Raymond Del Tondo]

(10-13-2023 11:10 PM)Diego Diaz Wrote:  Should I be interested in this item (I'm not) I'd ask the seller to run the self test, to see the message

The seller did it: 27S, as expected:-)

Actually the 54C is kinda prototype for the 27S, like the 17C, which turned into the 17B(II) later:
   

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(10-14-2023 10:28 PM)Raymond Del Tondo Wrote:  

(10-13-2023 11:10 PM)Diego Diaz Wrote:  Should I be interested in this item (I'm not) I'd ask the seller to run the self test, to see the message

The seller did it: 27S, as expected:-)

Actually the 54C is kinda prototype for the 27S, like the 17C, which turned into the 17B(II) later:

Hey! That's mine!!

[smatthys]

(10-14-2023 09:02 PM)Marco Polo Wrote:  The bezel font of "54C" appears to me similar to 28C one, which was produced in the years 1987-88.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp28c.htm

This came to my mind as well - but long after I had written the comment... :-)

[HP-Collection]

The selftest Shows the HP27S. Indeed a fake

[vaklaff]

I don’t care if it’s home made or a prototype and I am not interested in buying it. But I would like to know how to make such a faceplate or overlay. The most beaten of my calculators could use that care.

[Gene]

(10-15-2023 07:30 AM)HP-Collection Wrote:  The selftest Shows the HP27S. Indeed a fake

May not be. Hard to know what internal mock-ups etc might have been put together.

[Marco Polo]

(10-15-2023 07:30 AM)HP-Collection Wrote:  The selftest Shows the HP27S. Indeed a fake

I am not so sure.
The bezel is identical, except model number, to the one on 17C photo.
Furthermore, the font used for the model name is the same, or very similar, to the one used in production HP28C, produced in the same period as per serial number.
If this is a fake, is very well done....

[Didier Lachieze]

(10-15-2023 08:17 AM)vaklaff Wrote:  I don’t care if it’s home made or a prototype and I am not interested in buying it. But I would like to know how to make such a faceplate or overlay. The most beaten of my calculators could use that care.

To make such a faceplate you only need a Time Machine to travel back at the end of the 80’s near Corvallis.
For an overlay just ask spiff72 ! He makes great overlays.

[Geoff Quickfall]

Interestingly, there was an HP 15CL made by the same person:

[smatthys]

(10-16-2023 04:05 AM)Geoff Quickfall Wrote:  Interestingly, there was an HP 15CL made by the same person:

Wow, this looks cool!
I just wonder where the batteries were placed in this design.