SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

General discussion about calculators, SwissMicros or otherwise
DA74254
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SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by DA74254 »

Here's a suggestion (or petrol on the fire)..

What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
Be it DM_x, WP_x, C_x, the customers could buy independent keyboards and face plates depending on the calculator program they choose to use. Something like buying a PC and choosing whether one would use Dvorak, Qwerty, Qwertz or a completely different keyboard.

I'd pay extra for, say, 3 "platforms" and 5 keyboards and face plates.
Esben
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akaTB
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by akaTB »

DA74254 wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:20 pm
Here's a suggestion (or petrol on the fire)..

What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
Be it DM_x, WP_x, C_x, the customers could buy independent keyboards and face plates depending on the calculator program they choose to use. Something like buying a PC and choosing whether one would use Dvorak, Qwerty, Qwertz or a completely different keyboard.

I'd pay extra for, say, 3 "platforms" and 5 keyboards and face plates.
DM41X blanknut. ;)
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DA74254
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by DA74254 »

akaTB wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:29 pm
DA74254 wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:20 pm
Here's a suggestion (or petrol on the fire)..

What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
Be it DM_x, WP_x, C_x, the customers could buy independent keyboards and face plates depending on the calculator program they choose to use. Something like buying a PC and choosing whether one would use Dvorak, Qwerty, Qwertz or a completely different keyboard.

I'd pay extra for, say, 3 "platforms" and 5 keyboards and face plates.
DM41X blanknut. ;)
Where can I buy that? (And where do I buy custom face plates and keyboards?)
Esben
DM42 SN: 00245, WP43 Pilot SN:00002, DM32 SN: 00045 (Listed in obtained order).
BruceH
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by BruceH »

DA74254 wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:20 pm
Here's a suggestion (or petrol on the fire)..

What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
They already do!

There's nothing to stop you taking a DM42 or DM41X apart and replacing the keys with a set that you had made elsewhere. And there is nothing to stop you sticking a new faceplate over the top of the existing one, as that is exactly what the C47 team are currently doing.

So to realise your idea, all you have to do is design and manufacture the keycaps and faceplates. I'm sure SwissMicros will even tell you who their current supplier is, if you ask, and what their minimum order quantity is.
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by rprosperi »

I'll delete the other thread with (nearly) the same contents, as replies are really just discussing the dupe and that it was discussed in the past.
--bob p

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DA74254
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by DA74254 »

BruceH wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 12:04 am
DA74254 wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:20 pm
Here's a suggestion (or petrol on the fire)..

What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
They already do!

There's nothing to stop you taking a DM42 or DM41X apart and replacing the keys with a set that you had made elsewhere. And there is nothing to stop you sticking a new faceplate over the top of the existing one, as that is exactly what the C47 team are currently doing.

So to realise your idea, all you have to do is design and manufacture the keycaps and faceplates. I'm sure SwissMicros will even tell you who their current supplier is, if you ask, and what their minimum order quantity is.
I've done that with my DM42, so yes, I know I can.
Though, I don't have the programming skills to make a calculator program, meaning that it'll probably be prohibitively expensive to have produced one or two sets. Whereas SwissMicros, while having new stock produced, could have, say, 1000 extra/custom face plates delivered.
Even HP did that in the olden days. AFAIK the HP41 could be programmed with chips or tape strips (at extra cost), and a custom face plate was delivered together with the program chip.
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pauli
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by pauli »

SM refused to OEM a calculator when he 43 project asked. A blank platform is kind of similar (but not quite).

The c43/c47 developers would eventually like to know if custom hardware is possible, not as an OEM product but part of the SM lineup -- it would free up the layout quite a bit. However, we've no expectation of it ever occurring.
redglyph
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by redglyph »

You'd still need to make the program for the calculator, which would take a lot of time. Selling a blank calculator would only make sense if SM sold the SDK with it, with the libraries they've been developing for the DM32, or part of it.

It's probably too much hassle to setup for a small gain and a smaller market. Although, after the initial setup it doesn't require a lot of work to maintain, so it might be interesting to make a poll to have a better idea of the general interest. Maybe a few groups will be interested to start projects, and if one succeeds - but it's a big 'if' - it could be worth it.
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Walter
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by Walter »

BruceH wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 12:04 am
DA74254 wrote:
Fri May 26, 2023 8:20 pm
What if SwissMicros made a blank (portrait) platform but without keyboard and face plate?
The programmmers could then team up with SwissMicros to manufacture face plates and keyboard layouts for the platform.
They already do!

There's nothing to stop you taking a DM42 or DM41X apart and replacing the keys with a set that you had made elsewhere. And there is nothing to stop you sticking a new faceplate over the top of the existing one, as that is exactly what the C47 team are currently doing.

So to realise your idea, all you have to do is design and manufacture the keycaps and faceplates. I'm sure SwissMicros will even tell you who their current supplier is, if you ask, and what their minimum order quantity is.
Even easier: You could take a SM portrait calculator and polish the labels off the keys ...
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anetzer
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Re: SwissMicros, DMCP OS, blank platform - What if?

Post by anetzer »

BruceH wrote:
Sat May 27, 2023 12:04 am

There's nothing to stop you taking a DM42 or DM41X apart and replacing the keys with a set that you had made elsewhere.
Is that really true?

Last time I had a look, the keys looked suspiciously glued or post-melted into the screen assembly.

I do like the C47 approach where no key labels need changing. But I‘d buy a replacement keyboard and bezel to make my own WP43, if that solution was viable.

I just do not really like putting stickers on keys…
Last edited by anetzer on Sun May 28, 2023 1:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
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