hp 41 touchpad

[Bballreich]

Hi all. Random question - what was the thinking behind the touchpad 82200A? What advantage was it supposed to provide? Thanks for the knowledge!

[Dave Frederickson]

Splash and dust resistance.

[Steve Simpkin]

From the 1988 EduCALC catalog:
"It will keep your HP-41 safe from coffee or other problem liquids or particles. This plastic membrane snaps into place over the keyboard. All of the button nomenclature has been reproduced on it.
Stock #82200 [Touchpad] List $20 ............... $18.95"

[Bballreich]

Thanks guys. I knew there was an answer out there!

[brouhaha]

(07-21-2024 11:16 PM)Bballreich Wrote:  Hi all. Random question - what was the thinking behind the touchpad 82200A? What advantage was it supposed to provide? Thanks for the knowledge!

The original concept was to make them with custom legends for use with custom software, instead of the normal overlays. They made one with the standard legends for demonstration, and discovered that people actually wanted them with standard legends.

[Garth Wilson]

The original explanation I got was that it was for environments like a machine shop where you could get oily metal shavings in it.  I believe I got the one for the 71; but for the 41, I just kept it in a ziploc bag, with the HP-IL cords coming out the small opening.

[rprosperi]

And if you're thinking of getting one, I hope it's for collecting reasons only. While the touchpad looks quite nice, it feels terrible, you lose most of the key-click feedback and it's hard to be sure what you've keyed without checking. It's terribly uncomfortable and unreliable, akin to using a TI machine of the same era.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(07-22-2024 12:02 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  And if you're thinking of getting one, I hope it's for collecting reasons only. While the touchpad looks quite nice, it feels terrible, you lose most of the key-click feedback and it's hard to be sure what you've keyed without checking. It's terribly uncomfortable and unreliable, akin to using a TI machine of the same era.

Both the one for the 41 and that for the 71 are uncomfortable, but not so unreliable.