Bring Back the HP 15C Scientific Calculator

[Jonathan Barnes]

I would hope to hell I could just download a firmware flash from some Japanese
website. ;->

Nope.. it will be a custom chip, surface mount soldered to the board.
--
Jonathan

Barnes's theorem; for every foolproof device
there is a fool greater than the proof.

To reply remove AT

 

[~^Johnny^~]

Nope.. it will be a custom chip, surface mount soldered to the board.

Yes, but my router (Linksys) has its chip as a SMD. I can still download a
flash from their website. No need to physically replace the chip.

But I see your point. If the chip itself goes bad, then too bad!
You must buy a new ECU. But the wrecking yards will stock these, no?

K



--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info

~~~~~~~~
"The first step in intelligent tinkering is to
save all the parts." - Aldo Leopold
~~~~~~~~

 

[Jonathan Barnes]

Yes, but my router (Linksys) has its chip as a SMD. I can still download a
flash from their website. No need to physically replace the chip.

But I see your point. If the chip itself goes bad, then too bad!
You must buy a new ECU. But the wrecking yards will stock these, no?

You will be looking for an ECU that includes the car security system..... It
may be very difficult to get it to run any engine other than the one it was
supplied to run with, and fitting may require special equipment /
programs...

Also, the ECU will be unique to a particular mark of engine..... I hope you
know some VAST yards... they will need to stock so many ECU's before they
can stand a reasonable chance of having the one you need in stock

Also if the chip on yours is gone, what condition will it's replacement be
in ?


--
Jonathan

Barnes's theorem; for every foolproof device
there is a fool greater than the proof.

To reply remove AT

 

[Scott Seidman]

Yeah? My 42-year-old Slant-6 Dodge and I would like to disagree with you.
Feel free to check back in with me in 42 years and let us know how your
'04 car (you pick the make and model) is doing.

-Stern

N=1 is not necessarily the best way to make these assessments. Some people
around today are 105 years old-- substantially longer than today's life
expectancy. Just because you can find some 105 year olds, that doesn't
mean that people were made better 105 years ago than they are today.

As for the comparison, did your '62 lead a normal life, or has it received
TLC over much of it's lifespan above and beyond what the average owner
would put into it? If it has been restored, how much time and money were
put into it?

Lifestyle choice. I'd rather have a car that will go for 200K with minimal
maintenance than 500K with meticulous interventional maintenance. This is
what many want-- this is what the market has thus provided us with.

Scott

 

[Fred, P.E.]

I have been working on an effort to get HP to start making the 15C, or a
similar model again. To this end I have set up a web site with a
petition. If you are like me, and would love to have a well made
calculator like the 15C again. Please take a moment to go to my web
site and sign the petition. If you have never used a 15C before the web
site will tell you why it is the best scientific calculator for everyday
use. I have been in contact with a member of the calculator planning
department at HP who is sympathetic to the cause and will argue the case
to those who make the decisions, however I need to get many more
signatures on the petition, so tell anyone you know who would also
benifit from a quality calculator like the 15C, to check out the website.

http://hp15c.org

Chris W

I bought my 15C immediately upon their release in...?? 1979? I still use on
a daily basis. One key sticks now and then so I have to be careful. But I
prefer it to several other calculators I have available.

Most ciphering I put in a spreadsheet or write a pc program. But for
'rithmetic, I reach for the 15C a number of times a day.

(I also have a 17BII business calculator I use quite a bit, it'd be perfect
if it had trig functions; my 42S is nice but I don't use it for 'rithmetic.
and that huge graphing calculator...too complicated to be worthwhile, Excel
is a better tool).

 

[~^Johnny^~]

You will be looking for an ECU that includes the car security system..... It
may be very difficult to get it to run any engine other than the one it was
supplied to run with, and fitting may require special equipment /
programs...

I thought the VAT module was separate - not integrated into the ECU.

Also, teh VAT is easily bypassed, by a savvy person. It only deters the
common thief...

Also, the ECU will be unique to a particular mark of engine.....

But this is commonplace ... like the VE maps, and the scaling factors
One ECU for one certain engine ... OK ... but how many different engines are
there?

I hope you
know some VAST yards...

I do.

they will need to stock so many ECU's before they
can stand a reasonable chance of having the one you need in stock

and they will

Also if the chip on yours is gone, what condition will it's replacement be
in ?

... used parts ... your gambit. I'd say the odds are quite good, though.
It is MUCH WORSE with, say: used transmissions. Or even used starters.


Well.........?


Straw man!
--
-john
wide-open at throttle dot info

~~~~~~~~
A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely
more than much knowledge that is idle. -Kahlil Gibran
~~~~~~~~

 

[Walter Driedger]

~~~~~~~~
A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely
more than much knowledge that is idle. -Kahlil Gibran
~~~~~~~~

Is that why it is a dangerous thing?

 

[Cameron Dorrough]

I thought the VAT module was separate - not integrated into the ECU.

Also, teh VAT is easily bypassed, by a savvy person. It only deters the
common thief...

Clarification: ECU's fitted to joe-ordinary cars world-wide (excluding some
high-end brands) do not include the car security system. An ECU designed
for one make/model engine will not work with any other make/model, since
engine specifications differ markedly from manufacturer to manufacturer
(more below).

But this is commonplace ... like the VE maps, and the scaling factors
One ECU for one certain engine ... OK ... but how many different engines are
there?

Not as many as you might think. Car manufacturers nowadays buy their
engines from the lowest bidder, just like everyone else. Example: The V6
engine made by Holden Engine Company in Melbourne, Australia, also appears
in European (Opel), American (Dodge, IIRC) and many other miscellaneous
brands across the Middle East and SE Asia.

I do.


and they will


... used parts ... your gambit. I'd say the odds are quite good, though.
It is MUCH WORSE with, say: used transmissions. Or even used starters.

The ECU is as much a unique part of the engine as a piston is. The ECU
includes a small amount of flash memory (often referred to as the "chip")
that contains tuning parameters particular to the _car_ the engine is fitted
to. To calculate the _hundreds_ of tuning parameters for a modern car
engine involves months (often years) of testing in varied conditions from
hot sea-level deserts to snow-covered mountain peaks and is not a simple or
straightforward thing to do.

These days, suppliers need only stock the basic engine (or ECU) as a spare
and download the correct parameter file when the replacement is fitted.

Cameron