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Casio FX 451 calculator from 30 years ago

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N_Cook

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Nov 16, 2014, 3:10:06 PM11/16/14
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Owner would like it repairing,if at all possible, but how to get inside
the plastic wallet without damaging it?
Right hand one of these 2
http://www.casio-calculator.com/Museum/Advertisement/pict%20ads/FX-115_FX-451_Big.jpg

mrob...@att.net

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Nov 16, 2014, 4:47:02 PM11/16/14
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It just so happens I have one of these on my desk!

Look carefully and you will see that the hard plastic top surface of the
calculator - where the buttons, display, solar cell etc, are - overhangs
the soft vinyl just a little. Put your fingernail or a guitar pick in
between the vinyl and the hard plastic and slide it back and forth.

On the left - the long side that is not next to the hinge - there is one
plastic locking tab in the middle - just north of the "SHIFT hyp" button.

On the bottom, there are two tabs - one between the 0 and . keys, and
another between the = and M+ keys.

The top has two tabs, in the same places as the bottom.

The right has one tab, in the same place as the left side.

The guts/works of the calculator are attached to the keys, and will come
up once you've released the locking tabs. The back cover - what the
guts snap into - is white plastic and (mostly) five sides of a box - it
seems to stay in the wallet.

The flex cable to the membrane keys in the right side is about 30 mm
wide and attaches to the guts just behind the divide, subtract, and M+
keys. The joint is covered by a removable plastic piece - I didn't take
that off, so I don't know if it's soldered, or has a connector, or what.

I took a few photos, available at http://imgur.com/a/h6kWJ . One of
them shows the left side locking tab, one shows the bottom locking tabs,
and one is a view of the back of the guts. You can just about see the
flex cable on this last one.

Back in the day (late 80s, early 90s), these Casios were just the thing,
if you couldn't afford an HP. I had the FX-115 in high school and got
the FX-451 later on.

Matt Roberds

N_Cook

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Nov 17, 2014, 2:37:26 AM11/17/14
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I had tried a probe in that area, will have to try some low-heat hot-air
, as it did not want to cleave apart

Mike

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Nov 17, 2014, 3:50:08 AM11/17/14
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On Sun, 16 Nov 2014 21:46:48 +0000, mroberds wrote:

> ... Put your fingernail or a guitar pick in
> between the vinyl and the hard plastic and slide it back and forth.

I have dodgy fingernails and no guitar pick, so I use a Bic ball-point pen
cap instead for that sort of job. Could also try toothpick or cocktail
stick...

Mike.

N_Cook

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Nov 17, 2014, 4:20:49 AM11/17/14
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I'm amazed the plastic has not failed at the hinge, with about daily
opening and closing for 30 years, its not gone rigid or split

Tim Schwartz

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Nov 17, 2014, 8:44:41 AM11/17/14
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There are a couple of them on Ebay for US $50 or less. Might be the way
to go, compared to labor (labour) costs.

--Tim

N_Cook

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Nov 17, 2014, 3:07:18 PM11/17/14
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On 16/11/2014 21:46, mrob...@att.net wrote:
thanks for that, I'd misinterpreted how it was assembled. More like
standard TV zapper but with the wallet sandwiched between the 2 parts of
the hard plastic casing
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