What calculator do you use ?

[kjn4685]

I use a Casio CD-300es plus

[SteveyG]

I use a Casio fx-991MS, excellent calculator, has engineering notation input and outputs too!

Yes, my favourite too. I always use engineering mode and the keys are very handy.

[arekm]

+1 for FX-991 (ES model here)

[Refrigerator]

Here's mine, i score it for 1 dollar ! ( the seller thought it was a phone ! *hahaha* )

He doesn't look too amused.  ( the stick man that is )
Ps: i've had it for more than two years already and it only started to get a little dicky now, i guess the memory backup battery is dying ( the battery cost me twice as much as the calculator ! )

[warp_foo]

Other than a couple of mentions in previous posts, no one claims the HP 41C as a daily driver?

  OK, I will. Actually, one is a 41CV, with a second soon to be a 41CL.

[HighVoltage]

Other than a couple of mentions in previous posts, no one claims the HP 41C as a daily driver?

  OK, I will. Actually, one is a 41CV, with a second soon to be a 41CL.

This must have been in the early 80's when I had a HP 41C, and it was awesome.
In those days I also had a TI 58C (that one kept the programming when turned off)
And later the TI 59 with magnetic stripes for programming

At one time I sold them all and got a Sharp PC1600

... the good old days

[robrenz]

Other than a couple of mentions in previous posts, no one claims the HP 41C as a daily driver?

  OK, I will. Actually, one is a 41CV, with a second soon to be a 41CL.

I have used every hp since the 25 except the 35C.  I think the 41C was the first to have the backspace key  .
But IMO it was the worst/cheapest construction of any HP calculator ever made. The one that I never let go and still use daily today is the 48GX.

[Tuomas]

Anyone else tried the WP-34S?

It's an HP 30b (or 20b) business calculator that is programmed with a new community-written scientific RPN calculator firmware.

I recently bought the 30b, reprogrammed it, and printed an extremely ugly and confusing key overlay for it ( you can get better proper sticker overlays online, I should probably get one.. ). I've had it at work on my desk for a while now, but I haven't really had a lot of time to play with it.

From what I've tried it seems to work pretty well, but I think I still prefer the HP 32SII that I have home.

[VK5RC]

I have one of the groups WP 34S, the stickers tend to make it lose that HP feel and look, but is does work well.
In my office I use a 32sII , in the 'shack' a 35S.

[nfmax]

In the office, an HP 32Sii - the last of the great HP's, off an eBay seller in Belgium
At home desk is an HP48GX 'the mother of all calculators' bought new around 1992
At home lab bench is an HP11C, still my favourite, bought new around 1984, and now on its second set of batteries
I also have a 15C LE, one of the last of the batch 'just because'; an HP45 (works, but dodgy switch contacts somewhere) which was rescued from the skip when a former employer closed down; A TI-59 with PC100 print cradle (awaiting restoration) from the same source; another TI-59 bought new around 1979 and also in need of renovation; an HP20 which was a free gift from a supplier; and a 1970's four-function desktop with VF display and 'computer' style keys

[Rigby]

I've been looking to buy an HP Prime for a while.  Only partial RPN support, I think, but a capable fast calc nonetheless.

[radiomog]

I've got an HP-11/-48G/-48GX and a TI-83

The -48's see the most use

RPN FTW 

[Sebastian]

I have a TI-30X Pro.
I like the UI because you input everything the way you would write it, with fractions, roots and so on, not like some other ones where you have to put in the value first and then press root.
The other thing I find very useful is that you can calculate with complex numbers.

[gildasd]

I've been looking to buy an HP Prime for a while.  Only partial RPN support, I think, but a capable fast calc nonetheless.

I'm getting one as soon as I can.
The CAS side is being improved continuously. The only big problems remain the mass storage that does not work and you can't do a series that starts with 0.
http://tiplanet.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=174931&lang=en
The person that posts under "Parisse" is actually the creator of the CAS software of the HP Prime.
(It's in French - use Google Translate )

[Thilo78]

I'm pretty much using a whole bunch of calculators.

My most precious ones are the HP 32S II and my Philips SBC 1745.
I got the Philips one from my brother after he finished school, and it took me through school as well.

I rescued the HP from the office dumpster. My colleague got it because he requested a new calculator. The department assistant ordered it, not knowing anything about calculators. I assume she just picked the most expensive one at the time. The guy threw it out because he couldn't deal with the RPN.

But those two are mostly for memories.

For actual work I use my TI-92 II at home, and my TI-89 Platinum in the office.
The 92 helped me a lot while studying, and a while ago I bought the 89 because of its portability (and because it doesn't scare my colleagues as much  )
I really like the graphing abilities and the representation of formulae on the rather big display.
Also being able to program and use apps like TISpice is a nice treat.

If I'd be set to zero and had to chose, I would buy the TI-89 again.
For me, it's the most versatile of all calculators I have tried.

btw: To give it a try, I picked up the HP SmartCalc 300s a while ago. (yes the blue plasticky one)

While it's a decent and cheap (10 EUR) every-day office calculator, its build quality certainly does not deserve the HP logo.
It's a bid sad, that HP missed the opportunity to produce something great again.

[necessaryevil]

I have a TI-83:


But I don't use something like that often. In highschool we need mostly mathematical proof, as is on our university. I even remember one exam in wich we had to do an iterative calculation without advanced calculator!

In my university, an advanced calculator (by which I mean programmable and with graphic display) is allowed, but usually it don't is beneficial since you have to provide mathematical proof.Or we use excel.

So most of the time I use this for a calcuator:


It has full functionallity and keys which don't get stuck. Since I use it the most, I can work the fastest with this one; which is essential for my exams. What I don't like is that you cannot turn of the thousands separator - this was possible with the previous edition which I killed or lost. You can choose between a dot and a comma, I hate this, it is easy to read it wrong or confuse those; I would have preferred a space or no separator at all.

 

[JohnnyBerg]

I use a TI84. Z80 inside 

[cosmicray]

HP-15C, plus I have a few HP-12C floating around here somewhere.

[gildasd]

I use a TI84. Z80 inside 

There's a new model, with an eZ80 inside.
The one made for the French market is very interesting due to it's exact maths engine (but no CAS - for now).
It now has no more disadvantages to the CASIO equivalents.

[dannyf]

So most of the time I use this for a calcuator:

I have a fx-82 from early 1980s and it still works.

They are not super accurate, however.

[nfmax]

In the office, an HP 32Sii - the last of the great HP's, off an eBay seller in Belgium
At home desk is an HP48GX 'the mother of all calculators' bought new around 1992
At home lab bench is an HP11C, still my favourite, bought new around 1984, and now on its second set of batteries
I also have a 15C LE, one of the last of the batch 'just because'; an HP45 (works, but dodgy switch contacts somewhere) which was rescued from the skip when a former employer closed down; A TI-59 with PC100 print cradle (awaiting restoration) from the same source; another TI-59 bought new around 1979 and also in need of renovation; an HP20 which was a free gift from a supplier; and a 1970's four-function desktop with VF display and 'computer' style keys

Update: I've started work on my original TI-59 and it will now do sums for me when running off a bench supply (3.75V @ 110mA). I have disassembled the battery pack using brute force & ignorance and removed the decomposing NiCd cells. The pack was removed from the calculator long ago, but not before corrosion caused the +ve contact spring to break off the calculator main PCB. So the next steps are to disassemble the calculator and remove the main PCB; make & solder in a new contact spring; rebuild the battery pack using NiMH cells; and last but not least, overhaul the magnetic card reader. We'll see how that goes...

In other news, I've been repairing my father's HP33E (1979) which had a broken case due to being used with Alkaline primary cells, that are rather longer than the original NiCd's. I've glued the bits back together with epoxy & sourced some 'flat top' NiMH cells. Final assembly tonight! This calculator is otherwise functional.

And I scored a 'cheap' HP42S from a local seller off eBay (well, cheap for an HP42S anyway)

Happy days!

[linux-works]

Anyone else tried the WP-34S?

It's an HP 30b (or 20b) business calculator that is programmed with a new community-written scientific RPN calculator firmware.

I recently bought the 30b, reprogrammed it, and printed an extremely ugly and confusing key overlay for it ( you can get better proper sticker overlays online, I should probably get one.. ). I've had it at work on my desk for a while now, but I haven't really had a lot of time to play with it.

From what I've tried it seems to work pretty well, but I think I still prefer the HP 32SII that I have home.

like this one?

[Rigby]

That looks awesome.  There is NO CHANCE IN HELL that I would be able to get those stickers on that well, though.  I'd wind up throwing the whole thing out a window after a few minutes, so kudos to you and your dexterity.

[linux-works]

you'd be surprised!  I don't have a super steady hand anymore (coffee, age, etc) and my eyesight is even worse   the technique was just to peel the sticker off with the edge of a mostly dull xacto knife and use that to support the sticker while you center it on the key.  there's a little wiggle room for adjustment since its not a very strong adhesive.

the printing was not perfect, though; some white dots in the corners can be seen on some keys.  maybe it was the cutting process that caused it, but you can see them if you look closely enough.

but all that as it is, its still a 'more than good enough' effect and I would not have believed that stick-on keys would come out this good.

the SOB part was flashing the calc.  if you do this, buy pogopins (spring things) and build a jig.  I had to give up and tack solder kynar 30ga wire to the contacts to get a successful firmware flash.  pressing on the contacts by hand never worked and I tried many many times.  I think I used a regular ftdi (probably even fake, lol) dongle to convert usb into serial/ttl which is what that thing needed (either 5 or 3v levels, but my dongle had a selectable switch for output level).

[codeboy2k]

WP-34S ! I want one.