HP-75C - An Introduction to HP's First Portable Computer

Check out Hewlett Packard's first portable computer from 1982.
I cover the basic operation and some BASIC operation, as well as the magnetic card reader, the HP-IL (interface loop), basic file handling, displaying to an external monitor and printing.
Sporting 16Kb RAM and 48Kb ROM, this was a real portable powerhouse in it's day.
There's options to add extra RAM and ROM modules. Control external devices, such as printers, mass storage devices, multimeters, video interfaces and more via the HP-IL.
Check out the Digital Cassette Drive video here - • HP Digital Cassette Dr...
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[@isleifoterogarcia4478]

I got one of these in 1982 and I never thought that this was the future even the internet wasn't there yet. I became a computer operator on a HP3000 and that was the road to all the calculators HP made until the HP50G. I loved all the technology of HP, they were pioneers on portable computing devices, but was a company run by engineers and directed to a limited market of science and engineering. They are my inspiration on computing, when the HP-35 came out in 1972 and I still have the HP-75C. No device changed my life as the scientific programmable calculator as the HP-41CX was ahead of it's time, and could be a PDA as was the Psion Organiser II but just accidentally as was not designed as such but both the HP-75C and the HP-41CX have this capability and calibration instructions for time keeping, something very rare today, even in wrist watches like the HP-01. Thank for loving these HP early products that will endure on people who know excellent design rather than price that is the case today.

[@mellowtube]

Omg. I want one. It's badass. What a piece of HP and Computer history!

[@petecross9778]

Great video thanks - just used it to test the HP 75D that arrived with no piezo buzzer. I fitted a new one and was able to test that and the card reader no problem - thanks from a fellow Kiwi...

[@gatorwing6231]

I have 8 of these. 4 are in the HP POD. 2 have the survey modules. I still use them without any problems. 👌 They seem bullet proof.

[@jbecerrat]

Magnífico video. Esta HP75C es antecesora de mi HP 95 LX que adquirí hacia 1997; luego me pasé a una HP 200LX de 4 MB RAM (MS-DOS, Lotus 1-2-3 v2.2)... y hasta el día de hoy, a mis 66 años de edad, la sigo utilizando, pues sus archivos los puedo también copiar, mediante interface serial, a cualquier computador con Windows 10 o Windows 11, de modo que mis archivos Lotus (*.wk1) convertidos a Excel, también los uso para mis trabajos normales (contabilidad, finanzas, presupuestos, inventarios, etc.). Es decir, ahora este video me permite hacerme más consciente de la gran calidad de dispositivos que HP diseñó por aquellos años, permitiéndonos acceder al mundo de la informática incluso en nuestro medio Latinoamericano! Saludos y muchísimas gracias por estas "retrospectivas". Saludos!

[@Chrls5]

Beautiful Collection m8!

[@lenkapenka6976]

Soon as the 71B came out the 75C was forgotten... a pity really... is a fine machine!

[@buttonwizard6644]

I got one of these in 1989 at a garage sale for $0.50. No battery pack or door and it didn't work. I managed to fix it by changing a transistor. Built my own battery pack held in with tape. I made a dungeon crawler game on it where you pick your character, buy weapons at the top floor then move forward or back through a dungeon trying to get to the bottom level to defeat the evil wizard. Just dug it out of a box and purchased memory card strips on eBay thanks to your video.

[@AntonioCavicchioni]

I remember that it was very very expensive...

[@christopherlawley1842]

Wow! A calculator bigger than its box
;-)

[@chef1arjunaidi]

Great video, thanks. Did the HP 75C have a built-in RPN calculator? What extra features did the HP 75D have?

[@RetrospectiveNZ]

No RPN built in calculator unfortunately. I have trouble living without RPN.

[@terrydouglas4022]

Extra can be RAM added in the battery compartment

[@gundisalvovegas9230]

A mi me gustaría que HP hiciera una maquina nueva con una pantalla grande de teclado Digital y que corriera lenguajes de programacion BASIC, C y con memoria de 64 Gb que pudiera ejecutar todos mis programas viejos, que trajera otra interfaz como la HP 42S

[@albertTarry]

What is the value of that HP75C in todays collector market?