Recommend a good RPN calculator (or just generally discuss RPN)

[Chaotic42]

I've misplaced my TI-86, so in a pinch I've been using an HP33s someone gave me. I'm getting to like the concept, but I don't like the calculator. When adding long lists of numbers, I find it easy to get lost.

What RPN calculators do you like (that are available on the market)? Do you like RPN? What are your thoughts?

 

[lxskllr]

Dunno what's available anymore, but I love the HP 48 series. RPN's the only reasonable choice when you're serious about manipulating numbers. Everything else is a toy.

 

[mnewsham]

Do you need any specific features? You mentioned ti-86, do you need graphing?
I like the HP 50G

 

[IronWing]

I have a personal 32S II. I like it very much. For work I have a 12C Platinum Financial. I do not like it much at all. The newer ones have unpleasant key-feel which displeases me. But it is RPN.

 

[lxskllr]

Do you need any specific features? You mentioned ti-86, do you need graphing?
I like the HP 50G

I was just looking at their site to see what's available, and that's what I'd get if buying new.

Edit:
Here's an RPN calc for Android. It's not for serious work, but it beats a blank. It's libre software

http://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=rpn&fdid=com.ath0.rpn

 

[Chaotic42]

Do you need any specific features? You mentioned ti-86, do you need graphing?
I like the HP 50G

Not really. I've never used graphing outside of low-level math classes, which I'm well past anyway. I'd just like something to do some quick calculations around the office.

 

[lxskllr]

Not really. I've never used graphing outside of low-level math classes, which I'm well past anyway. I'd just like something to do some quick calculations around the office.

It's nice being able to see a few levels of the stack, and having lots of memory for programming, but I guess it depends on what you need.

 

[mnewsham]

Not really. I've never used graphing outside of low-level math classes, which I'm well past anyway. I'd just like something to do some quick calculations around the office.

Well if no graphing, financial or CAS or anything like that, your 33s is probably gonna be your best bet, the upgraded Hp 35s is nice, or you can get a financial 12c or 20b

 

[mnewsham]

Here's an RPN calc for Android. It's not for serious work, but it beats a blank. It's libre software

http://f-droid.org/repository/browse/?fdfilter=rpn&fdid=com.ath0.rpn

I've been thinking about buying i41cx+ for iPhone, it's RPN, CAS, etc. but it's $25

 

[Chaotic42]

It's nice being able to see a few levels of the stack, and having lots of memory for programming, but I guess it depends on what you need.

Yeah, that's my problem with the 33s. I'd like to be able to go back several operations. I want the graphing screen size without paying for the graphing functions.

 

[lxskllr]

Yeah, that's my problem with the 33s. I'd like to be able to go back several operations. I want the graphing screen size without paying for the graphing functions.

What are you calculating? You get a huge amount of memory with the 50g, with lots of opportunity for making life easy through programming. $150 is a bargain for a tool you really use at work. If you make it do tricks, everyone will think you're a wizard, and it gets jobs finished quicker so you get more screw off time as long as you play your cards right ;^)

 

[Chaotic42]

What are you calculating? You get a huge amount of memory with the 50g, with lots of opportunity for making life easy through programming. $150 is a bargain for a tool you really use at work. If you make it do tricks, everyone will think you're a wizard, and it gets jobs finished quicker so you get more screw off time as long as you play your cards right ;^)

I mostly do either very quick basic operations or deal with trig functions. I'm a cartographer, so I do various rotation and angle calculations. Nothing much, it's just handy to have a calculator around. I just need one that doesn't have any kind of networking or communication capability.

 

[mnewsham]

What are you calculating? You get a huge amount of memory with the 50g, with lots of opportunity for making life easy through programming. $150 is a bargain for a tool you really use at work. If you make it do tricks, everyone will think you're a wizard, and it gets jobs finished quicker so you get more screw off time as long as you play your cards right ;^)

$150? Try $87

 

[lxskllr]

$150? Try $87

Oh, hell. I was going by HP's site. I'd pay that without giving it a second thought.

Not sure exactly what a cartographer does on a daily basis, but trig is easy to program, so you'd only have to enter variables, and the machine would the rest.

 

[Chaotic42]

Oh, hell. I was going by HP's site. I'd pay that without giving it a second thought.

Not sure exactly what a cartographer does on a daily basis, but trig is easy to program, so you'd only have to enter variables, and the machine would the rest.

Uses a ridiculously expensive and ridiculously crashy program to move text and symbols around.

 

[IronWing]

Uses a ridiculously expensive and ridiculously crashy program to move text and symbols around.

Switch to the Citrix based version. With network lag, you'll have time to fetch coffee between crashes.

 

[Chaotic42]

Switch to the Citrix based version. With network lag, you'll have time to fetch coffee between crashes.

Yeah, we've had people mention "the cloud" lately. I come back with "1200DPI TIFFs" and "We only have the crappy local DSL". I don't think I'm going to win. I need to try and switch back to hourly.

 

[Leros]

I have a personal 32S II. I like it very much. For work I have a 12C Platinum Financial. I do not like it much at all. The newer ones have unpleasant key-feel which displeases me. But it is RPN.

The HP 32SII is the best RPN calculator out there. They're no longer made but you can find them on eBay for a few hundred bucks.

The HP 33S is the modern equivalent, but the keys are more difficult to press and its much less enjoyable to use.

 

[Lorthreth]

I like my HP 48G.
Been using it since 7th grade when I raided my dads work suitcase and he told me I can take it since he didn't really needed it anymore. I felt silly when I once during class started the self-test and it was beeping constantly... crazy mad rush to find out how to stop it
Almost 15 years.... and it still works like a charm Just new batteries maybe every other year.
And I've played a lot of minehunt on it And the equation library is priceless.

Edit:
Checked the serial number, it was made on Week 29, 1993.. so only 2 months to its 20th birthday \o/

 

[Chaotic42]

The HP 32SII is the best RPN calculator out there. They're no longer made but you can find them on eBay for a few hundred bucks.

The HP 33S is the modern equivalent, but the keys are more difficult to press and its much less enjoyable to use.

Yeah, it's just weird to use. I'm kind of curious why anyone would design a calculator like that.

 

[mnewsham]

Checked the serial number, it was made on Week 29, 1993.. so only 2 months to its 20th birthday \o/

It's 1 week older than me :|

 

[lxskllr]

Edit:
Checked the serial number, it was made on Week 29, 1993.. so only 2 months to its 20th birthday \o/

The old HPs were tanks, except for their stupid serial ports. I have a few laying around that work perfectly aside from the port. Whoever thought it was a good idea to make the plug fully set before it reached the case body should be kicked in the balls.

 

[DaWhim]

HP 12C, a business calculator. pretty neat, has little learning curve

 

[lxskllr]

If anyone's interested, here's all my old HP programs. It's mostly stuff for the 48S(most will work on the G series too), but there's some for the 200LX. Bit rot may have set in, and you're on your own for operation, but you may find something interesting in there.

9MB
http://ubuntuone.com/4Z2vsOtRBCyAsR5RGc6ghr

 

[PsiStar]

I have been out of the buying a calculator mindset for quite awhile. I use the [URL="http://www.drehersoft.com/droid48-reader/"]Droid48 app[/URL] and am quite happy with it. One less thing to carry around ... but, I also stopped wearing watches as I just got tired of widgets all around me. What I have not figured out how to do, and have not put too much effort into it, is how to download/install programs from hpcalc.org into the droid48 app.

Never-the-less, you may want to investigate that site as there are downloadable geography programs for certain HP calculators.