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Calculator blog

Musings and comments about our common interest

 


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RPN calculator for Macs

It may be old story for many of you, but it still news for me. 

 

I have just made the move to Apple computers. I used apple for a brief stint in 1986 during university, then another one for a couple of years in 1995 (when my company's policies were not so much enforced, and I was able to get them to let me use a Mac), and then a number of years in the shadows until I decided that this company deserved a good dedicated machine.

 

It seems to me that Apple is this century's equivalent to what HP was in the eighties. The best available quality, people behind it willing to walk the extra mile to get the product right, fantastic design, etc. I find it surprising that there are so many of us (and by us I mean the people around the HP museum and HP calculators at large) deride Apple ethos and their products. Yes, it is true that Apple products are more design-oriented that HP's ever were; but there is the same attention to user friendliness, to have a seamless user experience, to get a "round" product; save for the time difference, the HP15c would have been an excellent Apple product.

 

Why this rant now?

 

As soon as I got my hands on the mac, I started to try to load calculator emulator software for HP machines, but I found that some of them were buggy (x41c for Mac, alpha version), some other were just for PowerPC processor machines, and I ended up using free42 for the time being.

 

I want to find a version of HP41 that works on my Lion OS machine, and an HP15c version as well (I need to install some of the usual suspects - I just dod not have the time yet)

 

But for the sake of exploring the machine, I opened the enclosed "calculator" application. When looking through the menus, I found that it had a programmer version, a scientific one, and an RPN mode for all of them! It even has an option for speech: you can set it to tell you the result, or any button you press. It is a well thought out utility - worthy of the HP ethos.

 

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At long, long last...The HP15c Limited Edition Arrives !!

We have been informed that finally the HP15c will be arriving to Europe on the 2nd half of January 2012. Shipment to final customers on week 4 2012.

The sales price has been set at 109,99 €.  You can find it here:

HP 15c Limited Edition

The buyer will receive a substantial box, ideal for a gift to an engineer friend (my best engineer friend is myself, by the way), or as an exhibition box in your collection. Here you see it as you will receive it, with the plastic cover:

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And here without it:

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Once opened, this is what you see:

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And here you have the calculator, together with an original unit:

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The pouch is substantially better than the one in the 12c. I prefer it to the original as well - YMMV

There is a difference with the back: is black lettering on silver metal finish. It seems to have a vernis on top - after 3 months using it, it has not lost any part of the labeling.

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It can be "repurposed", as any new 12c can. Please see the connector between the 2 batteries.

Please see here a close look:

HP_15c_Calculator_top_hi_res_006.JPG

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PPC ROM Module

I have just received a copy of the PPC ROM and Manual for the HP 41c/cv/cx

While all ROMs enhance the function set of the HP41c series, there are several outstanding. So far, my preferred by far was the advantage PAC. It moved the HP41c to HP15c territory - but not quite. 

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The PPC ROM is an unassuming piece of hardware - identical to any other ROM. However, your opinion changes when you see the manual accompanying it. It has close to 500 pages (492 in my edition), and it is packed with all kind of functions. I have yet to go through it, but it looks as an early example of collaborative development -the sort that is giving us the likes of the wp34s and other open source software - but 30 years ago!

I am so excited with what I see that I would jump to conclusions too quickly. I have to go though the introduction pages (where I see names that appear very often in the HP museum forum) and get submerged in this great work.

As I am now travelling I can only read it - but this week end I will play with the hp41c, the ROM and the manual.

 

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More about: HP 41c, HP41c, ROM, ppc
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HP15c clone coming back - but now with a competitive advantage!

If you remember, some time ago we reviewed a project for a clone HP15c calculator made in Switzerland. While the project was extremely interesting, it had the worst possible timing: it coincided with the reissue of the HP15c by Hewlett Packard. With good sense, the creators backed off and re-thought the project, in order to give the user something more than the original did.

I am carrying the HP15c Limited Edition every day with me, and while its size is smaller than most calculators, it is a tight fit in my shirt's pocket, and it fits well in my jacket's; but sometimes I would like it to be smaller.

Enter the HP15cc:

First a pre-production sample

 

 

Then a more developed sample:

 

 

I look forward to get one. and you?

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Court success HP15c

Today I was to participate as witness on a court case, regarding a termination of an individual from his job. The court case had high uncertainties for both parts, company and worker, so there was a strong interest in settling the issue.

The main discussion point was how to calculate the indemnity according to the Spanish method. Basically, you agree to an indemnity based on a number of days for seniority year or part thereof; topped by a number of salary months. The typical negotiation would be, "we offer you 30 days' salary for each seniority year, with a maximum of 16 months' salary", or "I want 45 days' salary for each seniority year, topped at 42 month's salary" (the legal limit when it is an unfair dismissal).

The problem was to discuss these items at the door of the court without a computer in sight. The fact that calculations should be done by lawyers did not help, either. 

Please salute the HP15c Limited Edition.

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Due to my job, and in these sad days of restructuring, I had the program in LBL 3. Calculating his seniority by entering the initial and termination dates on two registers, and using the other variables at play, we were able to check at least 20 different options, with the judge waiting for us to agree, until we found one that left both parties "less unsatisfied". They finally agreed. 

It was clear for everyone there that it would have not been the case if there was no way to check the hypothesis on the fly, standing, at the court door.

Programmable calculators, 1 - computers 0.

There is room for calcs - sometimes.

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Finally got a HP27s!

I finally bought from Jurgen Keller an HP27s.

HP27S

Probably one of the best calculators ever made, second only to the HP42s and the HP15c when it comes to feature set and usability (should I say "third" instead?). It is a pity that it is not RPN. The menus are logically laid out, and it sports options like TVM that make it an excellent all-rounder. As well, it beats the HP42s in the time menu (I wonder why the 42s did not have 1. a better solver like this or the 17bII's and 2. A time menu. I remember 20 years ago, during my MBA, using it as a wake up call  - there were no mobile telephones at that time (or the ones there were not really portable))

HP42S   HP17BII

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Tutorials for HP15c

It is amazing the vitality in our admittedly small and "vintage" hobby. As soon as a new edition of a vintage calculator appeared, there have been people working on it.

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I plan to give some of these HP15c calculators to my children (I will buy a decent stock of them for myslelf), but it is good that there is already a programming tutorial for it. I have included links to it in my Manuals and Support page. Thanks, Eddie for it!

 

HP15c Programming Tutorials from Eddie´s Math and Calculator Blog

Chapter 1: The Stack

Chapter 2: Basic Programming

Chapter 3: Registers

Chapter 4: Tests

Chapter 5: Subroutines

Chapter 6: Loops

Chapter 7: Solve and Integrate

Chapter 8: The summation program

Chapter 9: Derivatives

Chapter 10: Statistics

Chapter 11: Flags

Chapter 12: Memory and indirect registers

Chapter 13: Indirect Addressing and subroutines

Chapter 14: Complex numbers

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HP45 Easter Egg

I found this curious video while looking for self test documentation on HP calculators:

 

And I thought that the first stopwatch had to wait until HP41 time module!!

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More about: HP45, easter egg
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I found it!

If you read my last week's blog, I had forgotten at the office my HP15c Limited Edition. Together with the HP17bII+, they are my everyday calculators. And, until the European shipment arrives in late January 2012, I have no chances of getting it back!

Thanks God it was there! It seems that calculators are not attractive items for burglars anymore...

On another note, I received a message from a Chinese company where it asked us about our announcement in T3 magazine (the gadget specialists). What ???

It appears that it had a link to our site in a monthly list of desirable gadgets. A low punch calling HP "the touchpad makers"... 

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November: HP-12C 30th anniversary calculator

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HP-12C 30th anniversary calculator

The TouchPad makers serve up this limited edition number cruncher. a programmable, retro gem that HP claims has been an office essential for finance and business folk for years.

Price:€100

Linkthecalculatorstore.com

Next November: Joby Gorillapod hybrid

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Register Arithmetic on the 12c

On Friday I forgot my HP15c LE at work. I hope to find it back on Monday morning.

So I had to make do with an HP12c anniversary when I went out for shopping, trying to keep count of the money spend on purchases. As I had been using a program before, and I wanted to keep the data used, I did not want to use the first 4 registers.

So I entered 99 € STO 5 (first purchase) and 29,95 STO + 5 and bang! Error 4 appears on screen! I try with other register: STO+6: Error 4!!

Neither recall arithmetic was working with any register

I was desperate! was my program using too many registers? No: 17 registers left.

Was there a bug in the system? I had to wait until yeterday night to try with another original HP12c (US made 1985): it did not work either. Well: at least I dod not have a defective sample.

I had then to go to the manual and check about register arithmetic. Gosh! I found there that a) register arithmetic just work with registers up to 4; and b) there is not recall arithmetic.

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While the 12c is a very stylish calculator, and is very appropriated for every day business work (the three percentage keys are very much used in any kind of analysis, and very well placed), it has several points that make prefer the HP15c for every day work (and the 17bII+ for pure, desktop business work)

  • There's no backspace key. If you entered something wrong, you are out of luck - you need to clear the whole screen.
  • Register arithmetic is not consistent: it does not have recall arithmetic, and no sto arithmetic for registers 5 and up
  • It lacks base 10 logs and exponential (you can always make do with other mathematical approach).
I hope to find my HP15c LE on monday!!

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