On Sat, 2009-06-13 at 21:51 -0700, Josh Dersch wrote:
Not _exactly_ vintage (but contains vintage tech)
-- recently picked up
two TI-83+ calculators for a grand total of $2 from the Salvation Army.
I spotted what looked like an odd rubber-cased HP41 on a stall at a car
boot sale. The guy also runs a small army surplus shop so although I
didn't get it there I might ask him about it if I go in during the week.
It had four openings at the back about the size of a matchbox end-on,
with brown flexiprint circuit stuff folded over plastic tabs in the
middle of each one.
Those are standard HP41 module connectors, for ROMs, peripherals, etc.
Was there a module with it? Was there somethign that looked like the HP41
card reader that fitted o nthe top end and plugged into one of the ports?
The combination of 'rubber encased 41' and 'army surplus' makes be think
of something called a Zencrypt. This was, I am told, a simple encryption
system that ran on an HP41 (ruggedised, hence the rubber) that was
considered by the militaty at one point. The software, IIRC, was
developed by Znegrange (as in ZenROM, ZEPROM, etc) and may have only
existed as EPROMs in an EPROM box (the card-reader like thing I mentioned).
AFAIK, apart from the casing, it's a normal 41. Maybe with a key overlay.
No, I don't have one, and have never seen one.
Wlodek might well know more...
-tony