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Calculator blog


Musings and comments about our common interest

 

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3 more HP41cl circuits here!

I have just received three more circuits for HP41cl (Monte, if you’re reading this, yes, this is how long it takes when using standard post services. Next time I’ll order UPS instead), and I have two available bodies to install them in, so one will have to wait for the time being…

If you’re reading this and don’t know what an HP41cl is, you must have been quite isolated during the last few years from calculator land. In short, it is everything you ever wanted the HP41c family to be: fast, with all modules built in, expandable (something the HP42s never was). It consists of a modern pcb circuit, completely back-compatible with the HP41cx firmware, but with much more memory than the HP41cx was ever able to manage, with all modules ever developed, many more functions, serial I/O, etc. This module is retrofittable to most “full nut” HP41c/cv/cx calculators. You can tell whether yours is a full nut by the square corners of the screen (while the half nut, more modern models, that have all logic in a single circuit, have a screen with rounded corners)

You will find more information about the HP41CL elsewhere in this website. It can easily be the last calculator you’ll ever need…

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More musings on the HP 41CL

I go on playing with my HP 41cl. I was today making use of the different functions of the Sandmath module. (For the time being, I have entered the advantage PAC and the Sandmath module only. I have been using the advantage PAC for a long time and I know what’s in it; but the Sandmath is completely new for me)
In my ignorance, and having entered the latest Sandmath version, I did not read that I needed to install first the Library #4. That took me some time to find out. Once I sorted it out, I started using the number theory functions.
My elder son (9) is now learning how to factor a number in prime factors. It was nice to teach him the PRIME? and PFCT functions, so he sees that calcs have other uses apart from mere number crunching. He wanted to take it to class! He will be able to do the minimum common multiple and maximum common divisor too- that’s for next term though.
I have not made a speed comparison between the HP 15c and the HP 41cl. I will probably do it this week end (I have already ported all my 15c programs to the 41cl. I was able to make some improvements, using the additional functions of the ’cl). The more time consuming is my implementation of the IRR, using the advantage pac’s SOLVE function. For a 10 year calculation, it was taking a couple of minutes with the original calculator, and 5-10 seconds with the new one. Let’s see.
(For the to-do list: I want to browse through the multiple modules, to see which programs may be of use for me or my son. Incidentally, I will be reminded of how the world has progressed since the 41c launch.for example,the astro module tells the situation of a number of astronomy objects; same tasks can be achieved with one of the multiple apps for iPad, in graphical form, faster and more conveniently. Sorry for the digression)

I go on playing with my HP 41cl. I was today making use of the different functions of the Sandmath module. (For the time being, I have entered the advantage PAC and the Sandmath module only. I have been using the advantage PAC for a long time and I know what’s in it; but the Sandmath is completely new for me)

 

In my ignorance, and having entered the latest Sandmath version, I did not read that I needed to install first the Library #4. That took me some time to find out. Once I sorted it out, I started using the number theory functions.

 

My elder son (9) is now learning how to factor a number in prime factors. It was nice to teach him the PRIME? and PFCT functions, so he sees that calcs have other uses apart from mere number crunching. He wanted to take it to class! He will be able to do the minimum common multiple and maximum common divisor too- that’s for next term though.

 

I have not made a speed comparison between the HP 15c and the HP 41cl. I will probably do it this week end (I have already ported all my 15c programs to the 41cl. I was able to make some improvements, using the additional functions of the ’cl). The more time consuming is my implementation of the IRR, using the advantage pac’s SOLVE function. For a 10 year calculation, it was taking a couple of minutes with the original calculator, and 5-10 seconds with the new one. Let’s see.

 

(For the to-do list: I want to browse through the multiple modules, to see which programs may be of use for me or my son. Incidentally, I will be reminded of how the world has progressed since the 41c launch.for example,the astro module tells the situation of a number of astronomy objects; same tasks can be achieved with one of the multiple apps for iPad, in graphical form, faster and more conveniently. Sorry for the digression)

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