A Great Beginner Kit and a Great End Product
For PX16C an HP16C Programmers Calculator Emulator
The HP Voyager series of pocket calculators are legendary and almost impossible to acquire for less than a car payment today. Even if you don't understand the draw of these devices, they are still incredibly useful sitting on your desk or traveling in your bag. They are far more convenient and far more capable than whatever calculator app is on your phone.
The kit itself is far beyond any expectations you might have at this price point. The PCB is clean and clearly silkscreened. All the components come in bags labeled with their values and reference IDs. This means someone with some assembly experience could easily build the entire kit without instructions. Even for a beginner, this project is easily solderable. All the components are through-hole and well-spaced. As long as you have a tip able to get in between the small-ish components, you should be just fine.
The (optional) front and back bezels are machined aluminum with both silkscreen and etchings. Assembling the kit on its own is straightforward, if a bit fiddly due to its size. The standalone kit results in a very usable and attractively utilitarian calculator. Adding the 3D printed "bumper" turns it into a commercial-quality device.
The assembly instructions are straightforward but a bit brief. You should read through them entirely before starting to understand the process. There are a few details that you will need to infer through the process of elimination. However, the build is completely reversible at any point, so any mistake should be easily recoverable. A P0 Phillips screwdriver is required, and a micro needlenose plier is strongly recommended.
