Cheap, simple RPN calculator?
Paul Guertin
Something like a TI-30, but in an RPN version. Does such a thing
exist?
I am saddened by the fact that even HP seems to have lost faith
in RPN... none of their entry-level calculators use it anymore.
Are there non-HP RPN calculators out there?
Paul Guertin
p...@sff.net
Mike Crain
$40
contact cra...@flash.net
--
***************************************
* Mike :-) *
* 'the road goes on forever *
* and the party never ends...' *
***************************************
Keith Farmer
> I am looking for a cheap, simple (non-programmable) RPN calculator.
All RPN calculators I know of are programmable.
> in RPN... none of their entry-level calculators use it anymore.
When did RPN become entry-level, calculator-wise? The most entry-ish HP
I can think of is the 32, which is RPN, but also programmable. Not
exactly entry-level, but it served me well in 9th/10th grade (the 32S,
not S II, at the time).
If you happen to have a palm pilot or the like, there are RPN
calculators (also programmable) available on the public domain.
Paul Guertin
> Paul Guertin wrote:
> > I am looking for a cheap, simple (non-programmable) RPN calculator.
>
> I can think of is the 32, which is RPN, but also programmable.
If you meant "HP" intead of the first "RPN", take a look at the HP 6 on
their Web site: http://www.hp.com/calculators/scientific/6ssol_info.html
> If you happen to have a palm pilot or the like, there are RPN
> calculators (also programmable) available on the public domain.
Nice toys, but nothing can replace a real keyboard for extended use.
Paul Guertin
p...@sff.net
Greg Vander Rhodes
: I am looking for a cheap, simple (non-programmable) RPN calculator.
: exist?
Not that I know of. It's looking more and more that HP is giving up
RPN. Their current line only has _ONE_ non-graphing RPN calculator, the
HP 32SII. I have one, and it certainly is an excellent calculator, but
it certainly was a lot of money ($45, I think).
If you look at the new HP-49, it looks even worse. Where's the big
"enter" key? Gone. Oh, there's a small enter key, tucked away in the
corner, but it's obviously not designed around the RPN user.
<sigh>
My advice: start stocking up on old HP calculators! I also have an HP 15C,
which is my absolute favorite. It's the same form factor as th HP 12C
business calculator, which I find super convenient to use.
===============================================================
Greg Vander Rhodes | Boston University | "Never underestimate
PhD Candidate | Photonics Center | the power of flan."
Keith Farmer
> If you meant "HP" intead of the first "RPN", take a look at the HP 6 on
I meant "RPN".
I agree re keyboard. The Palm has some nice things available for it,
though, including a fairly good spreadsheet (it helped solve a database
problem this morning), and realtively well integrated PDA apps. What
would be nice would be a mini-SQL for the 49... ;)
I haven't played with exal since (a few years ago) -- do the
calculations still propagate step-wise, or is it at the desktop level
now (all calcs update fully, no intermediates)?
Charles Perry
calc. And the registration fee was not bad US$15.
Charles Perry P.E.
Keith Farmer wrote in message <379F52E8...@pacbell.net>...
Keith Farmer
> I have a PalmIIIx and run RPN2.56 on it. It is a great, programable, RPN
> calc. And the registration fee was not bad US$15.
That's what I got on a regular Palm3; haven't done any scripts yet.
The HP has one very simple, very significant advantage over the Palm --
you can program on the platform itself. If the Palm3 had a better means
of writing programs w/o requiring runtimes than code-warrior, I'd be
much happier.
Keith Farmer
> scientists and engineers have been telling Sun that they would like to get away
> from FORTRAN and like the look of Java but not the number-crunching
Makes me wonder why they haven't bothered with C, which among other
things is very readily available, with quite a few very tasty math
packages available. I specifically chose not to take Fortran, and
substituted C instead, when I got my degree.
Les Bell
of Java One. And I heard Bill Joy say that one of the earliest requirements to
be established for the next version of the language was greatly improved
features for numerical, scientific and technical programming - apparently many
scientists and engineers have been telling Sun that they would like to get away
from FORTRAN and like the look of Java but not the number-crunching
When I bought my last handheld, it was a tossup between a 48GX and a Palm III.
The 48GX won, but only because Java was not available for the Palm. Today, it
would be no contest. . .
Best,
--- Les [http://www.lesbell.com.au]
John King
>If you look at the new HP-49, it looks even worse. Where's the big
>"enter" key? Gone. Oh, there's a small enter key, tucked away in the
>corner, but it's obviously not designed around the RPN user.
I really wonder how much of a difference the smaller ENTER key will make.
We shall see. The lower right corner is hard to miss.
Paul Guertin
> My advice: start stocking up on old HP calculators! I also have an HP 15C,
> which is my absolute favorite. It's the same form factor as th HP 12C
> business calculator, which I find super convenient to use.
If I had Bill Gates' money, I would start a company that would make
new, improved versions of all the nice geeky things that disappeared
or are becoming harder to find:
- A solar 32SII in a 15C-like case (I share your taste in calculators).
- A *really* programmable remote control, like Woz's CORE.
- An avatar of the HP 200LX with a 486SLC inside, running Linux.
- A projection Vectrex with laser beams.
- A computer keyboard with the exact feel of a Selectric.
- A compact, white LED flashlight... oops, those already exist
(www.photonlight.com).
- An electric fan with metal blades, quiet and powerful.
- A Canon CAT, if it is as sanely great as I think it is.
- That cool Fisher Price toy camera that recorded on audio tapes.
- A QUIET refrigerator. Why are they all so noisy nowadays?
I'm sure the denizens of these newsgroups can think of many things
to add to the list...
Paul Guertin
p...@sff.net
Keith Farmer
> - A projection Vectrex with laser beams.
You scare me.. you really do...
gsc...@netcom.com
: Paul Guertin wrote:
:> - A projection Vectrex with laser beams.
: You scare me.. you really do...
Hmmm. This one ought to be easily doable with off-the-shelf parts.
Could be a big hit at conventions and whatnot. Imagine playing
asteroids on a 100 foot screen (i.e. a convenient building).
Might just look into this one...
G.
Keith Farmer
> asteroids on a 100 foot screen (i.e. a convenient building).
Asteroids might be more suitable (and well-received) in a lasarium. The
sound system would also be much better, and they already have the lasers
setup (in color, even).
How about the 8-bit Atari "Star Raiders" or the old Star Wars game?
Warping with a wrap-around screen has its possibilities
Detlef Mueller
> : Paul Guertin wrote:
> :> - A projection Vectrex with laser beams.
> : You scare me.. you really do...
>
> Hmmm. This one ought to be easily doable with off-the-shelf parts.
> Could be a big hit at conventions and whatnot. Imagine playing
>
Funny -- twelve years ago, some friends an I where into playing Astroids,
we had recycled some old boards and came up w/ at least one configuration
that worked pretty well (and still does). We came up w/ exactly the same
idea, playing it usen the wall of the house over the street as projection
area. We got a ruby laser set up as the projection heart (laser diods where
sort of uncommon that days :), but finally wheren't able to set up a high
speed X/Y mirror configuration -- there where a unit on the market that would
have worked, but for ~$10000... Maybe I should dig up the stuff again.
Bye,
Detlef -- detlef ( @ ) provi ( . ) de