[jamesgill]

I'm a lifelong fan of HP calculators. I have a 15c in front of me right now that I've had since the mid-ish 80s. Still works perfectly.

But the 15c 'Collector's Edition' had some issues, and I wonder about the build quality and reliability of this new one, too. Plus: my guess is you can get an original working 16c on eBay for less than this is going to cost.

Honestly, it pains me to say it but I'd recommend a SwissMicros DM16L instead: https://www.swissmicros.com/product/dm16l

[downut]

My wife and I were mid '80s chemical engineers. She liked her 15c, but I went on afterward into fundamental numerical analysis and was extremely happy with my 32S. I recently asked qwen3.6:35b|qwen3.6:27b|gemma4:31b (can't remember which one) all about the current state of replacement LR44 batteries for an "HP 32S Scientific Calculator". It was fucking adamant, aggressively so, that the calculator required 1 battery. LOL no, it sits before me and yes it needs 3. A 6 pack cost I dunno $6 off AMZ? Anyway I have now replaced the batteries in my daily tactile basic algebra calculator for the third time. If I don't have it in hand I use Free42. I... regret not remembering how to program these things, it was so intellectually elegant.

I logged on for the first time in a while to actually talk about nerd things. God I loved the 80s-2000.

[inejge]

> But the 15c 'Collector's Edition' had some issues, and I wonder about the build quality and reliability of this new one, too.

Build quality deteriorated (from impressive heights) more than 25 years ago, when HP's calculator manufacturing moved to China. Not on account of China itself, but it was definitely a cost-cutting measure, and higher-end calculators were becoming an endangered species even then. For example, keycaps used to be double-shot injection molded, so the legends could never wear out; no more, now they're silkscreened like with everyone else. The new key mechanism could never reach the robustness and reliability of the old one, which is a problem if you're used to every keypress felt in your fingertips being correctly registered.

(Not everything was premium quality. On my late 15C, the faceplate logo wore out and the soft sleeve crumbled to dust after a couple of years. But the machine itself continued to work flawlessly until an unfortunate accident with a space heater.)

Additionally, the new Voyagers (1x series) are not running on the original, custom HP "Nut" CPUs, but on ARM microcontrollers, presumably via firmware emulation. It's impressive that the whole things works so transparently, but as I dimly recall, there were problems with that emulation in the first 15C Collector Edition runs, supposedly fixed now.

So, if you buy a new Voyager these days, you're getting a convincing replica of the originals from the '80s, nothing more. Caveat emptor.

[SoftTalker]

> cost-cutting measure

They really had no choice, Japanese brands like Casio and Sharp were making dirt-cheap scientific calculators in the '80s, I had one in high school and used it through college. The HPs were intriguing but I could never afford one.

They could have kept their standards up and sold a few to the few people who would pay for them, but that would have been a number that went down every year. A calculator as a veblen good probably would not have worked.

[drob518]

Yep. I showed this to my wife, also an engineer, and her first response was, “oh, the buttons were so satisfying!” We both had HP calculators. I had a 15C that got me through high school and college engineering. I was sad when it finally died (replaced the batteries after years of use and it never turned on again).

[vjvjvjvjghv]

The prices for all kinds of vintage electronics have shot out like crazy. Calculators, computers, cameras and other stuff are super expensive.

[mikestorrent]

I wonder if anyone wants my old red LED HP calculator... it's got some nice chunky buttons. HP-35 or something, ehhh. Looks like maybe $100.

[bombcar]

Those are cool - I’m sure it’d sell eventually.

[vjvjvjvjghv]

I may actually be interested

[mikestorrent]

Actually it's an HP 45. Nicer! Lots more functions. I need a new battery cover... maybe something to try 3d printing.

[russdill]

Dunno, I have a 15c limited edition (earlier run) and it's been great. My understanding is these are basically the same build as the modern 12c's

[WillAdams]

Given that one employee's position is described as "Chief Typography Officer", I will probably not be able to resist buying one....

[JensenTorp]

Originals definitely more expensive than this reissue (which seems reasonably priced). Still, I will always want the original made in USA.

[NetMageSCW]

From what I’ve seen, eBay runs more than this for a used original. My collection of all Voyagers ran about $200 each a few years ago.

[kstrauser]

Why would that pain you to say it? (Honest question, not leading.)

[jamesgill]

Because I'm such a longtime fan of HP models.

[kstrauser]

Fair enough!

I have a 50g that I haven't used extensively, and a DM42n here on my desk at work (which I still don't use extensively, but aspire to).