serial

			Serial Number Formats


OLD FORM

This form was used from the beginning and continued through about
1997.  It appeared in some places (e.g., palmtops) as early as 1993.

Older serial numbers are of the form:

	yywwCnnnnn

where:

yy	is the number of years since 1960

ww	is the week number of the year (this is computed using HP's
	fiscal year, which starts 1 November); week 1 is the week
	that contains the first Monday in November

C	is the code for the country of manufactur:

		A	USA (possibly North America, but then why M?)
		B	Brazil
		CN	China
		J	Japan
		M	Mexico
		Q	United Kingdom
		S	Singapore
			...

	(see also the 95LX notes on language codes)

nnnnn	is the sequnce number (origin unknown, likely values: 0 or 1)
	of the unit produced that week

For example, I just received (12 November 1991) a 32SII with the
serial number:

	3150S07189

This breaks down as:

	31	= 31 years since 1960, or 1991
	50	= week 50 of HP's fiscal year, so this unit was built
		during the week of either 14 or 21 Oct 1991 (1 Nov
		1990 + 50 weeks = 17 Oct 1991, which is a Thursday)
	S	= Singapore
	07189	= sequnce number

As can be seen, these numbers make sense.  This also means that the
unit was built between 14 and 25 Oct in Singapore.  It was shipped to
the US and then to EduCALC, who immediately sent it to me by ground
UPS (the 32SIIs were on back order when I ordered it).  Manufacture to
customer: 18 - 29 days.  Not bad!

For -41*s and maybe others, the week code was set ahead by 8.  Thus, a
unit with a week code of 1945 was manufactured in week 37.  In
addition, some units handle year wrap improperly, for example 1953
instead of 2001.



LANGUAGE OPTION CODES

	ABA	English, US
	ABB	English, International
	ABD	German
	ABE	Spanish
	ABF	French
	ABJ	Japanese
	ABZ	Italian (ABZI?)
	AC4	Portugese
	AC6	Korean



NEW FORM

This information is taken from:

	http://www.engr.uvic.ca/~aschoorl/faq/48faq-2.html#ss2.20

Newer serial numbers are of the form:

	ccywwnnnnn

where:

cc	is the country of manufacture using the new, two-letter codes

		ID	Indonesia
		MY	Malaysia
		SG	Singapore

y	is the last digit of the year of manufacture

ww	is the week of manufacture (01-53)f

nnnnn	is the unit number for that week with the first unit on Monday being
	00001

For example, if your serial number were SG72706543, the unit was the
6543rd unit manufactured in Singapore during the 27th week of 1997.