Universal HP RPN calculator emulators.

[transmaster]

The Hewlett-Packard HP-35 when it was introduced in 1973 it was a total game changer. It single handedly ended the 342 year reign of the slide rule calculator. I remember it so well, in 1972 in the College bookstore I was looking longingly at slide rules I could not afford. Suddenly here was a Hewlett-Packard HP-35 calculator. it did log, and antilog functions, we didn't have to carry around log and antilog tables anymore. I remember muttering 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits. The 1973 HP-35 sold for $395 USD. I remember the envy we felt looking at the engineering students who could afford them walking around with their HP's in leather cases on their belts. The fact they used Reverse Polish Notation was mathematical manna from heaven. By 1980 Slide Rules had all but disappeared.

In the App store all of the classic HP calculators are available. I have all of them loaded most of these were calculators I could never afford. My favorite and the one I mostly use is the HP-45 SD. Interestingly the iPhone 14 ProMax is just about the same size as the actual HP-45. By Emulation these calculators function exactly like the original.

RPN Simulators for iOS Devices

RPN Simulators - Simulations of Hewlett-Packard Calculators for iOS

cuveesoft.ch

This is a screen shot off of my iPhone 14 Pro Max/

 

[sparksd]

I still have an HP-21 in a box somewhere and my wife still uses my old HP-41C (I did synthetic programming on it). When I started university, there really weren't any good scientific calculators (affordable) yet and use of any electronic calculator was prohibited - we had to use slide rules (which I also still have).

Edit - Bought the HP-35SD version - nice on my 14 Pro Max!

 

[Boyd01]

The Hewlett-Packard HP-35 when it was introduced in 1973 it was a total game changer.

I still have mine! Funny, I was just remembering it yesterday and your post inspired me to dig through the closet and find it. Of course, the batteries are long dead. Plugged it in and got flickering zeros and decimal points in the display. Maybe just corrosion from battery leakage? Whatever, I don't really need it, but it's a fun reminder of my younger days, I have very few possesions from those years.

Anyway, it has a lot of sentimental value, my father was an aerospace engineer and he got it right after introduction. A few years later, he gave it to me when he upgraded to a programmable calculator. It really was the definition of cool back then.

 

[sparksd]

I still have mine! Funny, I was just remembering it yesterday and your post inspired me to dig through the closet and find it. Of course, the batteries are long dead. Plugged it in and got flickering zeros and decimal points in the display. Maybe just corrosion from battery leakage? Whatever, I don't really need it, but it's a fun reminder of my younger days, I have very few possesions from those years.

Anyway, it has a lot of sentimental value, my father was an aerospace engineer and he got it right after introduction. A few years later, he gave it to me when he upgraded to a programmable calculator. It really was the definition of cool back then.


View attachment 2236255

The price at the time was the hard part - $395 in '73 is equivalent to $2700 today. I remember a buddy getting a job loading barges headed for Alaska at $6.00/hour - he had struck gold! (Minimum wage then was $1.60/hr, avg. wage was about $4.00/hr).

 

[Nermal]

My parents' place was a 45, 32S and 32S II household when I was growing up

 

[sparksd]

My parents' place was a 45, 32S and 32S II household when I was growing up

Why do I feel old?

 

[transmaster]

I still have mine! Funny, I was just remembering it yesterday and your post inspired me to dig through the closet and find it. Of course, the batteries are long dead. Plugged it in and got flickering zeros and decimal points in the display. Maybe just corrosion from battery leakage? Whatever, I don't really need it, but it's a fun reminder of my younger days, I have very few possesions from those years.

Anyway, it has a lot of sentimental value, my father was an aerospace engineer and he got it right after introduction. A few years later, he gave it to me when he upgraded to a programmable calculator. It really was the definition of cool back then.


View attachment 2236255

https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/calculator/hewlett-packard/hp35

 

[Queen6]

HP50G owner owner. The calculator has served me well over the years and continues to do so in the O&G industry. The foe leather case long rotted out years ago. The calculator remains pristine despite being heavily used, built like a tank.

I call it my left handed calculator as most have no clue how to deal with RPN. Had an early T.I. sadly it died. The 50G is a trooper having been used from the sub Artic to the jungles of Papua New Guinea...

Q-6

 

[transmaster]

HP50G owner owner. The calculator has served me well over the years and continues to do so in the O&G industry. The foe leather case long rotted out years ago. The calculator remains pristine despite being heavily used, built like a tank.

I call it my left handed calculator as most have no clue how to deal with RPN. Had an early T.I. sadly it died. The 50G is a trooper having been used from the sub Artic to the jungles of Papua New Guinea...

Q-6

I have used RPN logic for so long I cannot use anything else. I once introduced a high school math teacher to the HP-28C and RPN logic I had at the time. I showed him how it worked and that it took you through a problem from the inside out and would not let you make syntax errors. He realized that he was looking at a fantastic educational tool. He purchased several HP-15C's to use in his classes.

 

[sparksd]

I have used RPN logic for so long I cannot use anything else. I once introduced a high school math teacher to the HP-28C and RPN logic I had at the time. I showed him how it worked and that it took you through a problem from the inside out and would not let you make syntax errors. He realized that he was looking at a fantastic educational tool. He purchased several HP-15C's to use in his classes.

I've also continued using RPN - going on 50 years of it now. My degree was in Mathematics though I ended up as a h/w & s/w engineer (retired).

 

[Queen6]

I have used RPN logic for so long I cannot use anything else. I once introduced a high school math teacher to the HP-28C and RPN logic I had at the time. I showed him how it worked and that it took you through a problem from the inside out and would not let you make syntax errors. He realized that he was looking at a fantastic educational tool. He purchased several HP-15C's to use in his classes.

Same here, always use RPN as is natural for me. While has my smartphone can likely outperform my HP50G the calculator gets the win as is a dedicated device and has never failed me

Q-6

 

[Analog Kid]

The Hewlett-Packard HP-35 when it was introduced in 1973 it was a total game changer. It single handedly ended the 342 year reign of the slide rule calculator. I remember it so well, in 1972 in the College bookstore I was looking longingly at slide rules I could not afford. Suddenly here was a Hewlett-Packard HP-35 calculator. it did log, and antilog functions, we didn't have to carry around log and antilog tables anymore. I remember muttering 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits. The 1973 HP-35 sold for $395 USD. I remember the envy we felt looking at the engineering students who could afford them walking around with their HP's in leather cases on their belts. The fact they used Reverse Polish Notation was mathematical manna from heaven. By 1980 Slide Rules had all but disappeared.

In the App store all of the classic HP calculators are available. I have all of them loaded most of these were calculators I could never afford. My favorite and the one I mostly use is the HP-45 SD. Interestingly the iPhone 14 ProMax is just about the same size as the actual HP-45. By Emulation these calculators function exactly like the original.

RPN Simulators for iOS Devices

RPN Simulators - Simulations of Hewlett-Packard Calculators for iOS

cuveesoft.ch

This is a screen shot off of my iPhone 14 Pro Max/

Not sure why, but I tried clicking your link and was blocked...

I stopped updating after the 48, which was a fantastic calculator. Best CAS engine I've ever used, actually. I must have left mine in the sun on my desk too long or something, but it delaminated forcing me to find something newer. The 50 49 series didn't have the right button feel for me-- soft and imprecise, unlike that glorious old solid HP click feel. Made the horrible mistake of buying an HP-Prime which tries to be a computer that acts more like a TI, and the buttons are marginally better but the interface and battery standby it too cumbersome for me.

I really wish they'd have left well enough alone-- I don't need color touch screens, or retina resolutions. Just a dependable calculator with easy access to functions from the keypad and a stack.

I live by RPN, but have finally accepted that something like P-Calc with the right configuration does the job reasonably well. I used to use an HP48 emulator that was great on the iPhone (less great on iPad), but it stopped being updated.

Do others have favorite HP emulators?

 

[heretiq]

Great thread! My first RPN calculator was the HP 41CV which I acquired second trimester of my freshman year in engineering school (1981). RPN and this calculator in particular was the great equalizer for those of us not in the privileged fraternities with extensive crib systems that provided fraternity members access to extensive libraries with copies of every test ever given at the university. RPN was an equalizer because of the sheer speed of the stack-based system when performing sequential calculations — particularly in physics, statics and dynamics.

During my engineering co-op assignments I paired the 41CV with the HP85 PC and put the 41CV programmability to work building handheld factory automation, statistical quality and process control and other tools that were not possible with current centralized engineering systems. This “calculator” was extraordinary and way more powerful than its appearance suggested and in many ways more powerful and capable than anything currently available.

I continued using my 41CV during my decade in engineering and long after in product development, product management, marketing, operations management and and executive roles. I finally retired it and replaced it with the i41CX iOS app on my iPhone 12 years ago and am still using it today. The i41CX is on my Home Screen and is among the most consequential and most frequently used apps on my iPhone.

Just look at this inspired app:

I absolutely love RPN and the HP41CV / i41CX and can’t imagine not continuing to use this absolute miracle and example of human ingenuity at its best.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

The Hewlett-Packard HP-35 when it was introduced in 1973 it was a total game changer. It single handedly ended the 342 year reign of the slide rule calculator. I remember it so well, in 1972 in the College bookstore I was looking longingly at slide rules I could not afford. Suddenly here was a Hewlett-Packard HP-35 calculator. it did log, and antilog functions, we didn't have to carry around log and antilog tables anymore. I remember muttering 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits, 9 significant digits. The 1973 HP-35 sold for $395 USD. I remember the envy we felt looking at the engineering students who could afford them walking around with their HP's in leather cases on their belts. The fact they used Reverse Polish Notation was mathematical manna from heaven. By 1980 Slide Rules had all but disappeared.

In the App store all of the classic HP calculators are available. I have all of them loaded most of these were calculators I could never afford. My favorite and the one I mostly use is the HP-45 SD. Interestingly the iPhone 14 ProMax is just about the same size as the actual HP-45. By Emulation these calculators function exactly like the original.

RPN Simulators for iOS Devices

RPN Simulators - Simulations of Hewlett-Packard Calculators for iOS

cuveesoft.ch

This is a screen shot off of my iPhone 14 Pro Max/

View attachment 2236246

Imagine me in the 1970s telling my (non-technical) boss why we needed to buy a RPN HP for me. Try explaining RPN. Just the nomenclature, Reverse Polish Notation is pretty obfuscating to a non-techie.

 

[skeptech]

My Dad got an HP-35 from work to replace a Sony ICC-2500 Sobax programmable calculator. I learned RPN and got an HP-25 for high school. I still have it, but it's long dead. However, there's an arbitrary precision RPN calculator available for in all proper Unix systems, since the 1970s: dc(1). Pop open a Terminal (or iTerm2) window, and see …

On iOS & iPadOS, I've been quite happy with Pcalc.

 

[klasma]

I have very fond memories of an HP-11C, my first programmable computer.

Some of you might be interested in the HP-15C Collector's Edition that is being released shortly: https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-19886.html

One great thing about the HP calculators were their button haptics, which of course the iPhone can’t replicate (and it remains to be seen how the CE will fare in that respect). That's why I just use PCalc with RPN logic on the iPhone. The HP emulators would only remind me of what I'm missing out in terms of haptics.

 

[Queen6]

I have used RPN logic for so long I cannot use anything else. I once introduced a high school math teacher to the HP-28C and RPN logic I had at the time. I showed him how it worked and that it took you through a problem from the inside out and would not let you make syntax errors. He realized that he was looking at a fantastic educational tool. He purchased several HP-15C's to use in his classes.

Had an HP48 that randomly died Was on a business trip to the US, picked up the new at the time HP 50G. Ever since it's been a solid tool over the years. Never felt the need to replace the calculator with a newer model as it just works.

Someone once said why dont I use an app on the smartphone, I replied "because it's not a phone". HP50G serves one purpose without distraction and that I far prefer. It's big as a house, eats batteries yet firmly remains to be a reliable tool in the arsenal.

I use PCalc on my Mac's and RealCalc Plus on the phone, however will always reach for the 50G when at hand as it's simply my preference. The 50G still looks and feels good as new, definitely one that was designed to last...

Q-6

 

[MauiPa]

I always hated reverse Polish notation. Ditched my calculators when pcs and Mac’s came out went to spreadsheets for complex calculations. You could easily see logic and save methodology for repeat use. Tried programming “programmmable” calculators, it did work, barely. But a real joke

 

[Luis Glez]

Great thread. Another HP calculator fan here.

My first one was the HP-42S, which I bought during my first year in engineering school. It was my introduction to RPN, and I loved it. Then it came the HP-48SX with the Equation Library expansion card, a true classic that served me well during my university years. Some time later I bought the HP-49G, with its weird design, horrible rubber keyboard and disappointing build quality. It soon got replaced with the HP-50G, and excellent machine that reminded me of the good old 48SX.

Finally, a few years ago I switched to the HP Prime, and although it's not a truly RPN calculator, I really like some of its features, such as the large color screen with touch support, slim form factor and impressive speed. I use it almost daily for app development and graphics programming.

Emulators and calculator apps are nice, in fact I have PCalc and a few others installed on my iPhone, but for some reason I always prefer to use a 'real' physical calculator instead.

 

[transmaster]

Just for grins I checked in the Mac App store to see what was available in RPN for my Mac, and I found this.

‎Ncalc - Graphing Calculator 84

‎Graphing calculator provides an UI similar to real graphing calculator 84. ◉ Graphing calculator. - Calculator supports function, polar and parametric graphs. - Press MODE and select graph mode, and then press Y= to open graph editor. Press GRAPH to draw these functions. - Interactive tracing...

apps.apple.com

But it just does not have the usefulness of the emulators on the iPhone.

 

[Analog Kid]

It soon got replaced with the HP-50G, and excellent machine that reminded me of the good old 48SX.

You made me double check my memory-- it was the HP49G that I hated the buttons on, not the 50.

It made me angry enough every time I used it that I got rid of it and then remembered them out of sequence. 48S was good, 48G was good (I'd misremembered this as the 49), 49G was a travesty (which I misremembered as the 50), 50 was ok, Prime still leaves me scratching my head...

 

[MallardDuck]

I have a real 16C sitting here on my desk, a 28C on the shelf, a 32SII and one of the re-released limited edition 15C's in the closet. I keep my eyes peeled for good deals on used ones.

Of course, there's also a 15C emulator on my phone, but I prefer using a real dedicated device with buttons when I can.

RPN rules!

 

[DocMultimedia]

I have very fond memories of an HP-12C, my first programmable computer.

Some of you might be interested in the HP-15C Collector's Edition that is being released shortly: https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-19886.html

One great thing about the HP calculators were their button haptics, which of course the iPhone can’t replicate (and it remains to be seen how the CE will fare in that respect). That's why I just use PCalc with RPN logic on the iPhone. The HP emulators would only remind me of what I'm missing out in terms of haptics.

Love the 15c. I still have the one I used in my undergrad classes sitting on my desk in perfect working condition. Now I'm retired, so don't have to use it often.

Forgot to mention that on my iphone I use this one. Hasn't been updated in ages but still runs on my 14Pro.

‎Retro 15C

‎Students and scientists from the 1980s will remember the classic RPN scientific calculators. These calculators strike a perfect balance between functionality and complexity. * Complex number arithmetic and trig functions * Matrix calculations * Numerical root finder * Numerical integration *...

apps.apple.com

 

[elvisimprsntr]

HP 41CX with add on packs. The Math pack is the only way I made it through college courses which required matrix multiplication.

Literally can’t tell the difference between emulator and real device.

 

[Boyd01]

This thread got me thinking, dug a little deeper in the closet and found this, which also belonged to my father (he passed away 25 years ago). It's pretty beat up and the nameplate is missing

Looking at the link @klasma posted, it appears to be an HP-11C

https://www.hpmuseum.org/hp11c.htm