HP-82143A printer for you.

[Tony Duell]

> 
> Group,
> I have this HP-82143A thermal "peripheral printer"
> sitting around, with the internal battery pack (won't
> charge). No charger included.

For those who don't know this device, it's a thermal printer that plugs 
directly into the HP41 calculator, and can't (easily [1]) be used with 
anything else.

[1] It connects to the NUT bus in the 41. Inside the 'plug' are 2 chips, 
direct-on-board, one is a ROM containg the HP41 driver code, the other is 
a pair of 56 bit shift-registers + logic. The printer talks to the latter 
by 3 signals (basically, clock, data, direction), it contains a 
mask-programmed microcontroller. Some details of the interface are knowm, 
some stilll need to be hacked...

> 
> This is what it looks like (image taken from the
> internet)-
> http://www.thimet.de/CalcCollection/Calculators/HP-41/HP-82143A-S.JPG
> 
> I have no use for it, do you? It tries to work, but my
> HP-110 power adapter does not seem to have enough
> juice to make it go.

It's the same PSU as for the 110 (and for most other HP handheld devices 
of that period), but IIRC you need a good battery pack in the printer as 
well. The AC adapter on its own won't supply enough current for the motor 
or printhead.

-tony