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From: graeme@zen.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp
Subject: Re: HP-28C (HP82240A)
Message-ID: <590@zen.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 21-Mar-87 15:05:19 EST
Article-I.D.: zen.590
Posted: Sat Mar 21 15:05:19 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Mar-87 01:34:58 EST
References: <44700002@uicsrd>
Reply-To: graeme@zen.UUCP (Graeme Cawsey)
Distribution: world
Organization: Zengrange Limited, Leeds, England
Lines: 56

In article <44700002@uicsrd> conte@uicsrd.CSRD.UIUC.EDU writes:
>
>Well, I bought the printer for the HP-28C, the HP82240A.  It is compact,
>lightweight, but has some drawbacks.  One is it produces a lot of noise,
>sort of a mini-dinosaur-- not the type of thing one wants to use in the
>library.  Also, it has strange battery requirements: as the battery
>wears down, it will print slower.  With an AC adapter, you can set a
>flag in the `28C, and the thing cranks, but draws power from the batteries
>to do so.  All in all, though, it is a nice little printer.  I hope
>someone in Corvallis gets the idea to make a module for the `41 to
>run the thing.  That would be great.
>
>
>Tom Conte      Center for Supercomputing Research & Development
>               University of Illinois
>

The main problem, as I see it, with the 28C I/O is the fundamental
lack of "I".  Corvallis products have, in the past, been noted for
their high reliability of both software and hardware.  One could
always rely on the calculator's operating system to protect the user
from entering invalid operations and reporting errors with reasonably
meaningful messages.  This security has all but been discarded with
the 28C and its printer.  The 28 happily blasts (or more accurately
oozes) out data into thin air hoping there is something out there
ready to receive it.  It has no way of knowing if the data has been
received correctly, or indeed at all.

This might be slightly more acceptable if there was some physical
connection between the calculator and its printer as this would
eradicate the possibility of two calcs trying to talk to the same
printer; it would also eliminate the problem of paper and the like
blocking the dataflow - a common problem on my desk.  At least they
should have added a checksum at the end of each line of output so the
printer could verify what it had received.

As for the quality of the printer itself: its slow, noisy and
generally tacky - I wouldn't let it near my 41.

And the 28C?  The power of this calculator is absolutely phenomenal.
I am constantly amazed at the things it can do.  It can solve complex
problems in a matter of seconds; its just such a shame it takes a
matter of hours to work out how.  This is thanks mainly to the 28C
manuals which rival the 82240 printer in the (lack of) quality stakes.

As for the programming language - this defies comprehension.  Never
before have I come across a language that uses prefix, infix AND
postfix notation in one statement. ...nuff said?

Graeme Cawsey		[graeme@zen.uucp<->..!mcvax!ukc!zen.co.uk!graeme]
Senior Programmer
Zengrange Ltd.

Disclaimer:  The above expressed opinions are mine and belong to me. 
I tried to sell them to my employer but he wasn't interested.  My
employer believes that all CVD products are wonderful. :-)