HEWLETT PACKARD HP 15C Collector’s Edition

Description

Brand: HEWLETT PACKARD
Model: HP 15C Collector’s Edition
Type: Programmable scientific calculator
Picture: HP 15C Collector’s Edition
Batteries: CR 2032 x 2
Lifetime: Introduced: 2023
Terminated: unknown
Notes: This calculator is one of HEWLETT PACKARD’s landscape series of calculators, named the HP Voyager series. Extremely (and I mean extremely) robust calculators and some of them were quite successful too.

What I find really amazing about this calculator series is the design, which is actually quite timeless and very elegant. If one calculator series deserves a design award it’s this series. Only HEWLETT PACKARD can create heavy duty casing with such elegance.

The calculators in this series are: The HP 15C Collector’s Edition, introduced in 2023 is a modern version of the classic HP 15C calculator. It is not technically more advanced. In fact it runs the original ROM (with some modifications) of the original HP 15C in an emulator. Due to this emulation it is now about 100 times faster and has 672 programming steps (instead of 448) and 99 registers (instead of 67).

The first seed planted to the introduction of this Collector’s Edition can be read in this post (link validated 2024-07-22) by Klaas Kuperus on The Museum of HP Calculators. The final introduction of the HP 15C ce, also by Klaas Kuperus, can be read in this post (link validated 2024-07-22)

This calculator is not produced by HP itself but under licence by Moravia Consulting. They produce other HP calculator models as well. Their page on the HP 15C Collector’s Edition can be found here (link validated 2024-07-22).

HP 16C overlay The HP 15C Collector’s Edition has an "Easter Egg" which is not manufacturer-supported (NOMAS): a build-in HP 16C calculator! It is not supported, not listed in its elaborate manual and in early models the build-in HP 16C contained a bug dubbed the "DEC bug". Since this model is firmware programmable, a calculator enthousiast on The Museum of HP Calculators (link validated 2024-07-22) patched a workaround. Newer calculators shipped with this workaround and models sold by The Museum of HP Calculators (link validated 2024-07-22) have all been patched. They also sell a (non HP!) silicone overlay, shown here. They also sell a special USB cable that connects to a special socket in the battery compartment to be able to make firmware modifications to this calculator.
Activate the internal HP 16C:

Switch the calculator off. Press and hold the g key and the ENTER key and switch it back on.
Now press 4 and then the 7.

Deactivate the internal HP 16C:

Switch the calculator off. Press and hold the g key and the ENTER key and switch it back on.
Now press 4 and then the 10x key.
There is also an experimental HP 15.2 modus, where there are 192 registers available.
Activate HP 15.2C mode:

Switch the calculator off. Press and hold the g key and the ENTER key and switch it back on.
Now press 4 and then the 1/x key.

Deactivate HP 15.2C mode:

Switch the calculator off. Press and hold the g key and the ENTER key and switch it back on.
Now press 4 and then the 10x key.
An excellent overview by Eric Smith of al the hardware changes over time in this Voyager series can be found here on his website (link validated 2024-08-11) cached version here (just in case his server catches fire again).

Personal Experience

I had to buy two, to keep one of them pristine (yes, batteries removed) and have one to play with. The first one I bought had a non-functioning key which is not something I would expect. Not from this series, even though it has not been produced by HP itself.


©2024 Ernst Mulder