Calculator Thread? Calculator Thread!

[RC-1140]

Hey,
after using a Casio FX-991ES a lot in school I have now decided to go one step further and buy a HP 50G, and it's amazing…

I love RPN (but I knew that beforehand), I love the features, I just need to wrap my head around programming it.

And what kind of switches does it use? Does anybody know anything about them? They're pretty stiff, but feel mechanical, like some kind of cheap microswitch.

[FJ_Sanchez]

I've exactly this model. The HP50G is basicaly the same as HP49G but with different keys. Former model had problems with keys after some time of use. In wikipedia it says:

Instead of the rubber keyboard found on the HP 49G, this calculator's keyboard had plastic hinges intended to return the feel of older HP calculators.

[RC-1140]

I'm still fascinated by the HP 15C, but I don't really consider it worth the price. Even though it's programmable.

[SmallFry]

TI-nSpire here. The thing is more powerful than most cell phones... very happy with it. I run ndless (C program hack) and thus allowing me to unlock the calculator to more possibilities.

On a side note, there should be a TI-84 Color dropping sometime in the spring according to TICalc.org.

[Charlie_Brown_MX]

I'm still fascinated by the HP 15C, but I don't really consider it worth the price. Even though it's programmable.

The Voyager series of calculators are great; I have a couple of 12Cs (one manufactured in 1982, the other in 2011), and an HP-11C made in 1985. I use the 12Cs at work, and, once I got my head around it, found RPN much better than algebraic entry. Trying to use something without a stack now seems painful. I also have an 48GX, but I’ve never really got around to using it — I found the 11C more than enough for what I need, and I like its form-factor better. The 48GX does have a visible stack, though, which is nice. Still, it’s just sitting in a drawer so I should probably sell it.

The re-release of the 15C wasn’t too expensive — about £90 in the UK — but I hear it had at least one bug in the firmware, so it’s maybe best avoided unless you see one super cheap. The originals go for eye-watering prices on eBay. I think only the 16C is more expensive out of all the 1XC series.

Anyone used the HP-35S? I’m almost tempted to pick one up, but think it would probably end up sitting unused like the 48GX…

PS: If memory serves, you’re a *nix user, so orpie is really worth checking out. Its learning curve is a much less steep than dc’s, and it’s a great calculator for when you don’t want to take your hands off your keyboard.

[RC-1140]

PS: If memory serves, you’re a *nix user, so orpie is really worth checking out. Its learning curve is a much less steep than dc’s, and it’s a great calculator for when you don’t want to take your hands off your keyboard.

Thanks a lot! I've been looking for a good console calculator for a while! I've been using dc whenever I wanted to calculate something, but I just couldn't remember everything. At least I got the "k" command stuck in my mind… That's mighty important.

But orpie really looks like the program I've been looking for!

And based on your description it really sounds like you would like the 35S.

But still, the 15c is tempting me…

[bhtooefr]

Wait, the 15C was rereleased?

I guess it was a matter of time, given that the 12C had switched to an ARM CPU (with a programming connector, no less), and the buttons were pad printed instead of double-shot in newer 12Cs. (I think there was actually already 15C-like firmware for the 12C out there.)

Of course, that also means you could reflash a 15C with a bugfixed firmware...

And, I think the 50g is using metal dome switches.

[RC-1140]

The 15C was rereleased as a limited edition. Currently 150$ on Amazon…

Metal dome switches? Sounds interesting. I enjoy the switches on my 50G, even though they are pretty stiff.

[bpiphany]

Oh, calculators =) I used a HP48G through high school and at the university. RPN is way superior to enter expressions, and the four row stack makes it easy keeping track of terms and factors. The macro-programmability is kind of funky as well. I still have it, but rarely use it. If I need to carry a calculator with me today I usually bring my Casio fx-82solar, it's got all the functions you need (and more that you never use..). I think calculators should be limited to this level of advancement in high school to favor better understandability of math. Sketching graphs by hand, finding extreme values and such the proper way..

For more advanced stuff I think computers have probably replaced the graph drawing calculators. I tend to use spreadsheets a LOT. And there is always mathematica for just about anything, or octave, or java, or haskell =) I sometimes drop into HUGS for doing calculations. I really need to learn more haskell though, the list functions are really nifty.

[RC-1140]

I think calculators should be limited to this level of advancement in high school to favor better understandability of math. Sketching graphs by hand, finding extreme values and such the proper way..

Which is exactly what my school is doing. The FX991ES plus is the most advanced calculator you're allowed to use in exams. Graphing or programmable calculators can be used in the lessons, but not in the exams. And training to use a different calculator in lessons when you need to use a different one in exams is not a good idea.

But still I really like my 50G, if only to check the answers I calculated manually.

[bpiphany]

I think calculators sort of have outlived themselves. Simple ones come in every cell phone, and anything complex is easier to do on a computer anyway. And any of the new "smart" devices with the proper app should be able to replace a calculator (as many other trinkets like watches, phone books, note books, and so on).

I never did get a smart phone. I'm waiting a bit for Samsung to release a 2560x2440 tablet of their own. I'll let the big screens mature some more before buying one =) After that I'm sure I'll drop a lot of small objects into a box in the attic...

Of course I am a bit keen on building a calculator of my own, but that's a completely different story =D Imagine, only the basic but necessary stuff. Basic arithmetic operations, trigonometric functions and inverses, exponentials, logarithms, a stack, and nothing more...

[vivalarevolución]

So I've got a TI-86 from circa 2001 that I used for calculus. Is this thing worth a dime anymore? It was great for playing games in high school and building imaginary skyscrapers.

[bpiphany]

I don't know much about Texas calculators, but I bet it still does what a "pocket" calculator is supposed to. If it wasn't destroyed by battery spew.. For anything more complex than doing basic expression evaluation and simple graphs a computer will always be the first choice anyway. Even for graphs really...

[vun]

I just got a Casio fx9860, I have no idea what it does or why it's so expensive but I needed a calculator fast and that was the only model number I recognised from the list of recommended calculators. I used to have one that looked just like it, but I have no idea if it was the same model or not.