Files
website/content/museum/hewlett-packard-hp-65.md
T
yann64andClaude Opus 5.5 3eeabe9649 Full content from the completed page crawl (media download still running)
6,654 pages: 1,289 machines, 702 software, 460 companies, 64 history, 17 articles, 59 fun.
4,336 media files so far; references to files not downloaded yet are left out.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01YDRjtmAiNpo5mK5N3d7QwZ
2026-10-12 07:55:22 +02:00

3.8 KiB

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params
title categories types origins years cpus params
Hewlett Packard HP-65
Computers
Professional Computer
U.S.A.
1974
HP CPU
name image company company_name specs tabs links comments related oc_id source
HP-65 /media/museum/photos/hp_65_system_s1.jpg /companies/hewlett-packard Hewlett Packard
label value
NAME HP-65
label value
MANUFACTURER Hewlett Packard
label value
TYPE Professional Computer
label value
ORIGIN U.S.A.
label value
YEAR 1974
label value
END OF PRODUCTION 1977
label value
BUILT IN LANGUAGE Reverse Polish Notation (RPN)
label value
KEYBOARD 35 multi-function keys
label value
CPU HP CPU (several chips)
label value
SPEED Unknown
label value
RAM 100 steps, 9 registers
label value
ROM Unknown
label value
TEXT MODES 1 line, 10+2 chars LED display
label value
SIZE / WEIGHT 8.15 (W) x 15.25 (L) x 3.55 (H) cm
label value
BUILT IN MEDIA Built-in magnetic card reader/writer
label value
POWER SUPPLY Battery pack containing 3x AA rechargeable cells
label value
PRICE $795
links
title url text
HP Museum http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp65.htm Detailed information about the HP-65
author date text
featherwinglove (Barrhead, Alberta, Canada) Thursday 6th February 2014 Wow. I''ve actually seen one of these things, absolutely hated it and had no idea it was this old. I was a kid in Barrhead (not my current location) in the early 1990s and one of my math teachers had one. I''ll share what I can remember: - It used reverse Polish notation (for sure)\ - It needed two AAA batteries (not so sure$ if I''m remembering this correctly, I might have encountered a later model that looked a lot like this one)\ - The display contained ten tiny seven-segment LED chips magnified by big plastic elliptical $s, making it easy to read as long as you were looking fairly close to straight down into it. I think the surname of the owner (one of my teachers) was either Kinnaird or Cantwell, but I can''t remember which one. They were on in years at the time, and I wouldn''t be surprised if they''ve passed on (or at least retired) since then.
/museum/hewlett-packard-hp-200lx
1123
url date
https://web.archive.org/web/20230604005733/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1123 2023-06-04

The HP-65 is arguably the most elegant and classic pocket calculator ever built.

Boasting many firsts, including being the first fully programmable hand-held calculator with built-in magnetic card reader, it was used for course corrections on Apollo, and was introduced as "The Personal Computer" when keypunch machines were still the most common input device for mainframes.

While pricey, nearly $800 back in 1974, its quality and innovations garnered many enthusiasts, spawning clubs like the HP-65 Users Club and triggering medical recoveries (but that's another story!).

Thanks to Mike Dutch - Picture from Teclas.org

Gary Clouse reports:
The early HP calculators were legendary for their durability. there were stories of them surviving 40 ft drops onto concrete, exposure to the weather for several months, and being run over by heavy eauipment on construction sites. The circuit board and battery contacts were gold-plated to prevent corrosion. There was a joke among engineering students that if there was a nuclear war, the survivors would be HP calculators and cockroaches.

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.