Universal HP RPN calculator emulators.

[transmaster]

Here is the HP82240B IR thermal printer. I watched one of these being used in the field. It was a construction site. One of the engineers had a question from an Architect. The engineer crunched some numbers into his HP calculator, I don't remember which one he printed out the results and handed it to the Architect and he entered whatever it was into a blocky portable computer laptops were some years in the future. I notice that some of these HP emulators also have retained this function, not sure what a printout would look like. If you were around back at this time Desktop, and portable computers did not do advanced mathematical calculations. Some had math coprocessors but they still could not do advanced math. For that you had your HP calculator. I think the HP-41CX had a serial port you could used to plug into your computer and the HP became the math coprocessor. None of this worked on the Apple computers of the time which is one of the reasons I had to sell my Apple II for a PC.

Just checked you can still get the paper rolls for these printers they use the same rolls that cash registers use, they use thermal printers.

 

[transmaster]

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

View attachment 2236648

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

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

Here are replacement batteries.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/calculator/hewlett-packard/hp11c

 

[CWallace]

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

View attachment 2236648

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

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

My father had the HP-12C Business Calculator and I had the HP-15C Scientific in the early-to-mid 1980s.

 

[transmaster]

I am seriously looking at getting an HP-28S calculator. That was the last HP I had. It was destroyed when it got dropped into a mop bucket. This calculator uses 3 "N" type batteries. They have an aging problem with the battery door but I see you can purchase replacements on eBay. I liked the HP-28's because you could directly enter an algebraic formula into it. It wouldn't let you put it in wrong either. Once entered it gave you a solver view where all you had to do is enter the numbers and hit solve and it did all of the work. I have the Emulator installed but is just isn't the same. This is the HP I showed to the Math teacher I mentioned up thread to demonstrate RPN logic. He realized the HP worked like you were using a slide rule except you never had to write anything down on paper.

 

[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

In the original case with booklet and power supply your HP-35 is worth around $300 bucks if it works. Put fresh batteries in it and see what happens

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Today, to the Apple Watch:
What is the square root of 123456.789?
Today the answer comes faster than I could have typed the numbers into a calculator. And the good news is that today everyone looks like a geek with tech devices on their belts, etc.; not just us geeks.

 

[it wasnt me]

Now that HP sells new 15C calculators (for 120$) again, I guess the market for this is pretty much saturated. Anyway, it calms me to see that RPN is still a thing with today’s computer users. Infix notation is much too verbose.

 

[MallardDuck]

Today, to the Apple Watch:
What is the square root of 123456.789?
Today the answer comes faster than I could have typed the numbers into a calculator. And the good news is that today everyone looks like a geek with tech devices on their belts, etc.; not just us geeks.

But it really should be: Siri, 123456.789 enter, Square Root Is.

And I just realized that Yoda is RPN too...

 

[transmaster]

Here is the rarest of all HP calculators. The HP-01 Watch. I knew about them, never saw one for real it was very expensive I had a Casio Calculator watch instead. Checked on eBay the HP-01 is priced at up to 6K USD.

This would be an interesting watch to emulate on an Apple Watch.

 

[kc2kth]

I didn't discover RPN until 20 or so years ago, but I've sworn by it since. I've used a lot of different RPN calcs for macOS, Windows, and iOS. I'm not a fan of the skeuomorphism in a lot of the HP emulators though. My current go-to on iOS (and macOS) is Plus42. Prior to that I used Free42 for a while, which replaced PCalc.

I own the physical HP 33s and 35s, although I don't have a need for them much anymore. Usually, when I do reach for one, it needs batteries anyhow!

 

[bollman]

My 42S is always at my desk. RPN is superior, even if it's just for adding numbers.

 

[headlessmike]

This thread makes me want to dig out my HP 50g. Haven’t used it in a decade or so. I tend to do all of my math in Python these days.

 

[transmaster]

I was just looking at the hits on this thread, 3,000+ as of this morning. When I started this thread I had no idea that there was so much interest still out there for these great HP calculators. The countless numbers of scientists and Engineers that used them are still around. Those of us who transitioned from slide rules to these HP's it really is historical watershed that not many today appreciate.

 

[txa1265]

I had the 15C in high school, then got the 28S for a undergrad graduation present. I did go on and get the 48GX ... but what I used for a really long time was the HP 200LX (get full Lotus 1-2-3 as well as traditional HP calc!). Only one I still have is the 28S.

On my iPhone I use the HP 48 calc app.

 

[it wasnt me]

I'm not a fan of the skeuomorphism in a lot of the HP emulators though. My current go-to on iOS (and macOS) is Plus42. Prior to that I used Free42 for a while, which replaced PCalc.

Plus42 is quite skeuomorphic though, while PCalc is not...?

 

[transmaster]

I had the 15C in high school, then got the 28S for a undergrad graduation present. I did go on and get the 48GX ... but what I used for a really long time was the HP 200LX (get full Lotus 1-2-3 as well as traditional HP calc!). Only one I still have is the 28S.

On my iPhone I use the HP 48 calc app.

I had forgotten about the HP-200LX. This was another HP I had heard about but never seen. Looked it up the 2mb version was $699 USD in 1994. found this interesting link in the HP museum.

HP Computer Museum

The museum of HP computers is a collection of HP computing products introduced between 1966 and 1991. The museum contains: calculators, desktop computers, computer systems, tape drives, disc drives, plotters, printers, digitizers and other hardware as well as software, documentation and...

www.hpmuseum.net

 

[jdb8167]

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).

I wonder if anyone else got the synthetic programming reference? I had the ROM pack and everything. Making the bird fly backward was just the start.

 

[bice]

Texas Instrument was the rave when I was young, but I got a HP-34C and a programming book for birthday. Loved it ever since and I still have it. Battery won't charge though.

Oh, so much fun when class mates borrowed it and had to ask "But where is the equalsign?!"

Great with the emulators, but without the physical keyboard it is never going to be the same. The slant keys, the organisation of the keys and the very distinct click and precision of the keys. Aaahh! BLISS!

 

[Analog Kid]

I am seriously looking at getting an HP-28S calculator. That was the last HP I had. It was destroyed when it got dropped into a mop bucket. This calculator uses 3 "N" type batteries. They have an aging problem with the battery door but I see you can purchase replacements on eBay. I liked the HP-28's because you could directly enter an algebraic formula into it. It wouldn't let you put it in wrong either. Once entered it gave you a solver view where all you had to do is enter the numbers and hit solve and it did all of the work. I have the Emulator installed but is just isn't the same. This is the HP I showed to the Math teacher I mentioned up thread to demonstrate RPN logic. He realized the HP worked like you were using a slide rule except you never had to write anything down on paper.


View attachment 2236675

Thank you for sharing this picture-- how did I forget about this beauty of a device?! I never had one but remember when I first saw this thinking "this is a perfect calculator". As much as I loved my 48 and compare all that followed against it, I have to say that this form factor is the one to beat.

 

[transmaster]

Texas Instrument was the rave when I was young, but I got a HP-34C and a programming book for birthday. Loved it ever since and I still have it. Battery won't charge though.

Oh, so much fun when class mates borrowed it and had to ask "But where is the equalsign?!"

Great with the emulators, but without the physical keyboard it is never going to be the same. The slant keys, the organisation of the keys and the very distinct click and precision of the keys. Aaahh! BLISS!

The 34 series calculators all used 2 AA batteries in a battery pack. Ni-MH's originally. If your battery pack is in good condition cut the original batteries out and insert Alkaline AA's and tape them in place. Ni-MH's AA's are available but are expensive you can get upwards of 48 Alkaline AA's for what 4 of the NI-HM's cost. I favor Panasonic Platinum Alkaline AA's they are intended to go into stuff where they will stay for long periods of time they will not leak.

 

[transmaster]

Queen 6. The Wild Cards. Your handle's source is not lost on me. One of the greatest SciFi TV military space operas that has ever been. Space Above and Beyond.

 

[Queen6]

Queen 6. The Wild Cards. Your handle's source is not lost on me. One of the greatest SciFi TV military space operas that has ever been. Space Above and Beyond.

Well done, one of the very few Still watch Space Above And Beyond (SAAB) to this day...

Q-6

 

[headlessmike]

The 34 series calculators all used 2 AA batteries in a battery pack. Ni-MH's originally. If your battery pack is in good condition cut the original batteries out and insert Alkaline AA's and tape them in place. Ni-MH's AA's are available but are expensive you can get upwards of 48 Alkaline AA's for what 4 of the NI-HM's cost. I favor Panasonic Platinum Alkaline AA's they are intended to go into stuff where they will stay for long periods of time they will not leak.

IKEA’s rechargeable batteries are great and a good value option if you have easy access to one of their stores. I believe they are rebranded Panasonics and where I live they only cost about twice as much as alkalines per battery. I haven’t bought alkalines in years now.

 

[Queen6]

Very much alive and kicking with no signs of doing anything otherwise

Q-6

 

[iPersuade]

Great thread. Another HP calculator fan here.

Agreed!

Then it came the HP-48SX with the Equation Library expansion card, a true classic that served me well during my university years.

I used the heck out of that HP48SX. Loved that calculator.