HP RPN GEEKS - What do we think of this?

[NutmegCarrera]

Gotta love the 42S.
Mine has become ‘sensitive’. Gotta watch your button presses to make sure you get each one.
Running Free42 on my phone.
Also use the 11C.

I think I bought the 42S right around 1989 or 1990.

[masraum]

I don't think my girlfriend knew that what she was getting me was "RPN" or at least, probably didn't know what that meant, but I loved it. It just made so much more sense to me and made it much easier to do more complex calculations than a regular calc.

[RWebb]

I'll say it: Reverse Polish Notation

[CurtEgerer]

I still use my 11c from the 1980s. But mostly I use the Touch 11i Free app on my phone. Identical keyboard layout to the 11c. Those Swiss versions are interesting - an 11c redux due in Q3 of this year.

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by RWebb

I'll say it: Reverse Polish Notation

First time I was told that I was all like "nooooo", "for real?".

[vash]

Originally Posted by masraum

I don't think my girlfriend knew that what she was getting me was "RPN" or at least, probably didn't know what that meant, but I loved it. It just made so much more sense to me and made it much easier to do more complex calculations than a regular calc.

i think its the "stack" that is the major benefit. the TI is not RPN, but it has a stack, so it works for a jankyass calculator

the magic is the stack.

[RWebb]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

First time I was told that I was all like "nooooo", "for real?".

It's a great line to use when you want to suggest a position to a Polish gf...

[rwest]

Many years ago I searched for an HP-32sII; apparently they were still in good demand with some people asking up to $400 for them! I think I finally won an auction for $180?

I needed it to work with this cool angle setting/reading device which is super accurate because it uses a digital caliper and calculus to basically layout a triangle with the tool to obtain the proper angle.

It came with 8 formulas that you put into the HP32sIi and a cheat sheet for knowing which memory location you needed to access.

[CurtEgerer]

I know this is sacrilege in an HP/RPN thread, but with the passing of 40+ years I'm willing to at least give TI some recognition Picked up this TI-59 Programmable with printer at the estate of a Dow Chemical engineer several years ago. Red LED display of course! Plugged it in and it not only worked perfectly, but the printer still prints. Came with around 75 slide-in program cards the guy had written himself for various operations at Dow.

[RWebb]

doesn't jyl have an hp-97?

[island911]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I still use my 11c from the 1980s. But mostly I use the Touch 11i Free app on my phone. Identical keyboard layout to the 11c. .

The nice thing about the 11C is that it doesn't need to access your contacts nor your microphone and camera.

I really like my 11C.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by CurtEgerer

I know this is sacrilege in an HP/RPN thread, but with the passing of 40+ years I'm willing to at least give TI some recognition Picked up this TI-59 Programmable with printer at the estate of a Dow Chemical engineer several years ago. Red LED display of course! Plugged it in and it not only worked perfectly, but the printer still prints. Came with around 75 slide-in program cards the guy had written himself for various operations at Dow.

I had a TI "Voyage 200" a few years ago. It's a pretty amazing bit of kit, but still not as cool as my old RPN HP.

[fanaudical]

It's definitely about pushing the buttons!

Nobody has tried a SwissMicro HP clone, huh? The DM42 looks pretty cool; I guess it's just a generic microprocessor and display with keyboard that runs an embedded version of Free42.

I miss having a "real" calculator at work. Maybe I should just buy a spare 42S off ebay...

[devodave]

Found this thread from the Swissmicros DM42 buying thread. My first real calculator was a TI-58C (TI-59 without the card reader) that I bought in 78 and used my first few years of college. That was replaced with a Sharp EL-5100, which was really neat in that you could enter equations in long lines as actually written. It stored in a hard plastic slip case, that led to it's demise when it slipped out of the case that was in my pack and fell to the tile bathroom floor at school, cracking the display (it still worked, but you couldn't read the LCD!) At that point, I broke down and bought a 42S in 88. I had never used RPN before, but what a difference! I have a hard time using a TI now. The 42S lasted until 99 (buttons and display were getting wonky) and it was replaced with a 48G. I still prefer the 42S, but it has been lost (didn't realize how valuable it was!). I too have the Free 42 app on my iPhone and will use that versus pulling out the 48G. I will have to seriously consider the DM42!


TI-58C

Sharp EL-5100

HP42S

HP48G

[Zeke]

Not a math geek but I did have a Bowmar when they first came out. Little over $100 in '72.

[zakthor]

I tried a swiss micro. Small, rpn... Awful awful to use.

When my hp34 died i was sad to see that there were no good calculators to be had. Theres times i wanna calculate while not sitting at a computer, and phone sucks because no buttons.

Luckily i found this while it was still active.

34s:repurposing_project [HP Calculator Wiki]

i managed to get a cable and ordered 10 hp30 off ebay for $5 each, made a bunch of wp34s and gave most away as gifts.

Its not rpl but has terrific features, especially random numbers and base conversion.

Try the phone app.

[sammyg2]

Back when I was a pup, dad still carried a slide rule in his pocket at all times. but I remember when he brought home .... a CALCULATOR!
I had never seen one before, he showed it to me but I was not allowed to touch it.
It was the kind with the program strips you'd feed through it IIRC.
He said it cost a month's wages, but the company gave it to him to use even though he still preferred his slide rule most of the time.

[nota]

survey card for hp48

https://rplstoday.com/community/software-cad-mapping/initiating-the-tds-pro-survey-program-on-hp48gx/

push button surveying and dump the days data into CAD

before we used the tables in the back of the field book

those little magic boxes sure made the jobs a lot eazyer and quicker

[masraum]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Back when I was a pup, dad still carried a slide rule in his pocket at all times. but I remember when he brought home .... a CALCULATOR!
I had never seen one before, he showed it to me but I was not allowed to touch it.
It was the kind with the program strips you'd feed through it IIRC.
He said it cost a month's wages, but the company gave it to him to use even though he still preferred his slide rule most of the time.

I've got a slide rule that my dad found at work and brought home for me in the early/mid 80s. I was born too late to be taught about them in school. I am pretty sure I remember how to do multiplication using scales C and D. I want to get one of the round slide rules. I've also got some abaci and know how to use them.

I love RPN and have found apps for my phones and PCs that allow me to use RPN everywhere.

[jyl]

Kit build RPN calculator watch.