An old companion is dying, have to get a new calculator

[JPortici]

This one has served me for years.. but last week i found that one LCD line was not working anymore
.. almost. It's very dim.
Then, today, the horror.




What to do now? I still use it a lot, much faster than the calculator on the computer (switching windows? Naah) or the smartphone

Which cheapie should i get? This one again? An improved one? I always had casios, back to middle school, i like them.
Must have complex numbers (independent of polar or scalar notation)
Must have graphical writing (like when writing a fraction is just like if you were writing it instead of a single line, less ambiguous)
Must have base-n notation

I don't want a programmable one or with graph. i have it somewhere in a drawer... if i need a graph then i have a smartphone or a pc, and i'd end up uploading doom/minesweeper on it, i know it 

[Gyro]

You might find that it's just the zebra strip on the display that needs cleaning. It would be shame to ditch an old friend!

[donmr]

Look at Swiss Micros  http://www.swissmicros.com/

They sell new devices that closely resemble some of the old HP calculators, including the 15C and 16C.

[JPortici]

You might find that it's just the zebra strip on the display that needs cleaning. It would be shame to ditch an old friend!

will try tomorrow.
only one button has wore out, it's still "new"

[razberik]

When I am really stuck to some specific product and its life comes to end - I buy the same product again. Ebay the best friend.

Reminds me I should buy some TI-82 as a backup.

[Housedad]

If you want a direct replacement, new ones are available on ebay for $22.90 shipped  from the USA including Europe.  So It should be the same price to you in Italy.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SCIENTIFIC-CALCULATOR-Casio-FX570ES-PLUS-417-functions-7-Memories-New-/321728356490?hash=item4ae881208a:g:4LAAAOSwPgxVMSbw#shpCntId

[Ampera]

QUICK, NOBODY BUY A TI

Now that's over, I suggest HP as the next logical course of action. XD

The HP50g can be found for around 50 bucks. For the price it is the best handheld calculator you could possibly get IMO. As a student I LOVE HP's RPN calculators. I am currently using an HP Prime, which is also a good option, but for a good calculator for basic maths, the HP50G has RPN, Algebraic (If you seriously don't want to use the glory that's RPN), and HP's special textbook entry, although the textbook entry on the 50g is stupid.


As it turns out Amazon no longer sells the 50g for a low price. If you can find one on the cheap it's a GREAT choice. Same goes for the 49g, and ever classic 48g. HP calculators are simply the best. They do more than anybody else, and RPN is oddly satisfying and efficient to use. You begin to find shortcuts in the problems you calculate, and get a deeper understanding of them out of a need to figure out how to calculate. They are calculators that are an excalibur in the right hands, but won't be of help if you don't know what you are doing. As odd as it sounds, this is perfect. It means you don't get lazy and stupid just throwing entire problems into the calculator.

The HP Prime is 110 USD on the cheap (around 100 Euros or so) so it's by no means a cheapie cheapie calculator, but unlike Ti's offerings, it's worth something. You can get an Ti-84 for the same price, and what do you get from HP? A 400mhz ARM CPU, a capacitive touch screen, a rechargeable battery good for around 10 hours of constant use, a 16 bit colour screen, and a REALLY nice keyboard (Hinged tactile switches)

From Ti you get some 30 year old Z80, a low resolution LCD screen, and some crap software that does nothing. The HP Prime can do literally everything (And maybe even more) a desktop CAS program like Maple can do.

Sorry, I get ahead of myself with calculators. The tl;dr here is get a HP calculator. They do more and cost less or the same as Ti's offerings. Ti is a complete ripoff, and anybody who has ever paid full price for a Ti calculator has been duped and scammed. I have never used Casio or Sharp calculators, but HP has been my friend since before I started college maths. My HP Prime has got me through a Calc 1 course, and I am expecting a 100 on the class. They are truly great tools for learning, and I always have one of them next to me at all times.

[nctnico]

I agree about TI calculators. They can't keep up with me typing formulas using 2 fingers!

[Zero999]

You might find that it's just the zebra strip on the display that needs cleaning. It would be shame to ditch an old friend!

Yes, that's a common problem with small LCDs I've fixed numerous calculators, meters etc. just by opening them up and making sure the display is properly connected. If it's a plastic strip, it's probably better not to remove it, as it's difficult/impossible to reattach it: push it down firmly on the glass and hope for the best. If it's a silicone rubber strip with carbon strips then it can be cleaned but it's better to just try manipulating it while it's still on the display.

[EEVblog]

This is the latest:
http://www.casio.com/products/calculators/fraction-and-scientific/fx-991ex

Has a new high res display and new engineering notation in the results.

I prefer the non-VPAM ones myself, but if you are used to VPAM then that's the one to get.

[DG41WV]

This is the latest:
http://www.casio.com/products/calculators/fraction-and-scientific/fx-991ex

Has a new high res display and new engineering notation in the results.

I prefer the non-VPAM ones myself, but if you are used to VPAM then that's the one to get.

+1 for the fx-991ex 

[Vtile]

new engineering notation in the results.

Does that New mean the one which mimics the SI-Prefixes, by hiding the exponents so you can calculate 3n*5G and calculator gives output 15.   

I'm not a Casio user, but the fx-5800p is interesting model in my eyes. http://www.casio-intl.com/asia/en/calc/products/fx-5800P/

[JPortici]

"something strange going on" <- get it?

typing numbers makes apparently dead pixels live again, others that should be on veeery dim, like the unactive pixels in functional lines. poking around is not doing anything, i would have hoped differently

the 991x seems very cool, maybe i'll order one later. It's like my bigger programmable casio but i doesn't weigh a ton and i can't be tempted to play games on it
sorry dave, but i like the neat and orderly display i get with VPAM very much

[NivagSwerdna]

FWIW I have an fx-991ES which is the big brother to the almost identical fx-85.  The 991 has quadratics and constants and a few bits and pieces but is almost identical to the fx-85 which is a requirement for our children's school.  IMHO it is worth paying the small extra for the solar versions.... I've never changed a battery yet.  (Of course you subconsciously really want a WP34S   )

[JPortici]

just checked the fx-991ex on amazon prime... 35 fucking euros from germany, 39 euros for italian stock, which will be available mid june???
I have to buy it on ebay. unbeliveable.

[tszaboo]

Careful buying amazon.de calculators. Turns out the fx-991ex has german version.

[tatus1969]

I do have an old Casio somewhere in a drawer, but haven't used it since a long time... My choice today is one of these (sorted in order of task complexity):

(on Android - RealCalc)

[Ampera]

My problem with computer calculators is the same as the OP's. As a hobbyist programmer I use both monitors to do things. One is normally a reference or Javadoc to help me do something, and the other is Netbeans. I like to have the calculator as a bit of a third monitor to do maths on. And when I do game jams, I use a single display laptop, in which I can only have the IDE running at one time.

[P90]

I love the HP 32RPN, sadly hard to find anymore...

[Muxr]

I like my HP 35s.. it doesn't feel as hefty or as robust as HP calculators used to feel, but it's still a very nice calculator with Polish notation.

[Ampera]

I like my HP 35s.. it doesn't feel as hefty or as robust as HP calculators used to feel, but it's still a very nice calculator with Polish notation.

Get a 50G. Those things feel like bricks. You could throw one at the wall and it would go straight through.

The HP Prime however, it feels fantastic. It's the most powerful calculator you can get from HP, and beats everything Ti has ever made to death and back. Seriously, Ti doesn't even sell a calculator as fast as the Prime. It's keyboard is probably the best out of any HP calculator that I have tried (48g, 50g, Prime) and it just feels like it was built by people who knew what they were doing, whereas something like a Ti-83 feels as cheap and scammy as the 100+ USD you paid for a 6 mhz Z80, 32k of RAM, and a screen so cheap you can't see much of anything you try to graph. Not to mention the software does about bugger all.

The ONLY, and I repeat ONLY reason ANYBODY buys Ti calculators is because they are told to and/or forced to. They have deals with all of the schools up and down the US. 100 dollars for what is essentially less powerful than a Commodore 128 from 30+ years ago. I am glad my school lets my use my HP calculators, because I would die from using a Ti after I have seen what HP calculators can do.

Don't buy Ti. They exist for no reason other than to squeeze as much money out of poor students as possible. Buy HP, they need the business.

[JPortici]

Careful buying amazon.de calculators. Turns out the fx-991ex has german version.

yeah, i figures as much so i bought it on ebay. funny enough turns out the store was 15 minutes from home

though it could have been a good incentive to really start learning german 

TwoOfFive gets it.. I also use (extensively) all the options @tatus suggested, minus the app (i tried it several times but meh)
problem is, for example, i can't keep switching applications while programming/debugging

and when i'm writing notes down, i find a calculator to be THAT much more handy.. that is probably a remainder from school, i'm fine with it

[tszaboo]

Careful buying amazon.de calculators. Turns out the fx-991ex has german version.

yeah, i figures as much so i bought it on ebay. funny enough turns out the store was 15 minutes from home

though it could have been a good incentive to really start learning german 

Lesson 1:
Guten tag!
Zwei bier, bitte!
Danke schön!
With this, you can pretty much survive in germany for a few weeks.

[Ampera]

Depends on what part of Germany you go to. Bavaria has a different language entirely.

[steve30]

Tatus1969 posted an image of the Windows calculator from a WikiHow page with a rather curious name. I couldn't help but look up the page:

How to Open a Calculator With the Command Prompt: http://www.wikihow.com/Open-a-Calculator-With-the-Command-Prompt

Sounds incredibly useful.