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From: zimmer@calvin.stanford.edu (Andrew Zimmerman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.handhelds
Subject: Re: Great Cable Debate ( was Re: <None> )
Keywords: cable hp48
Message-ID: <1991Feb15.011656.10673@Neon.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 15 Feb 91 01:16:56 GMT
References: <3964@ryn.mro4.dec.com> <1991Feb14.175830.14229@csn.org> <1991Feb14.152216@headroom.ncsa.uiuc.EDU>
Sender: news@Neon.Stanford.EDU (USENET News System)
Organization: Stanford University
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>
>I don't care what kind of cable it is. $50 is outrageous, especially
>considering HP is always outrageously priced.  The cards and the
>calculator itself are way out there, price-wise. Charging $50 for a 
>stinking four wire cable is just twisting their proprietary knife.

Main point is below, but before you hit the 'n' key...

   What software does one get with the mac cable?  Would it be a better
deal to get the PC cable (more standard) and use a Mac to DB25 cable?
Or, is the software that good?

Splitting groups:
   I really hate this topic.  Two newsgroups I read have been hit by this
virus.  I would like
   comp.sys.handhelds
   comp.sys.handhelds.hp
   comp.sys.handhelds.lets_split_the_group_adnauseam

Main Point

   (This is for the PC, although it does apply to the Mac as well)
   I disagree with this.  First, lets get some of the facts straight.
The cables can be gotten from Edu-calc for about $30 sans software and
$50 for the cable with the software.  $20 for the disk is a little high
if you have access to the net, but it beats the heck out of a long
distance phone call.  For the $30, you get a cable to DB-9 and a DB-9
to DB-25.  That converter costs about $7-8 just by itself.
   With this in mind, that price of $30 is in line with the cable prices
of any other manufacturer.  ie DEC, or SUN.  (Next cables are about $19.)
 
   Especially for the PC owners...
HP also offers the PDL for $120 (Educalc said about $100) for the cable,
the Programmers reference book, and the PDL.  This also sounds okay to
me.  (In fact, for those that bought the software version of the cable,
HP is offering an upgrade.)  

   There is no question that you can make the cable cheaper then the price
of the HP cable.  But, this is true for almost all cables.  It is just a
question of how much your time is worth, and if you are willing to bend
the pins on the HP48sx (assuming you can't get the correct pin spacing).

   I hope that all of this about HP asking too much for their cables, and
where to get the correct connectors will go away.  Unfortunately, c.s.h
is hit by this every 3-4 months.  (It gets tiresome)


Andrew
zimmer@calvin.stanford.edu