General > General Technical Chat
What calculator do you use ?
<< < (34/84) > >>
JuiceKing:
My name is Ken. I have a calculator problem.

I use a HP 32S at work, HP 34C at my desk, and HP 15C at my lab bench. I love them all but generally recommend the 15C for those benighted souls who have yet to discover why HP zealots are sold on RPN. Because I've used it longer than the others, the 34C has a special place in my heart, but the "1/x" key (used frequently in RPN operations) is a shift function, which makes it harder to use than it should be. The 15C gets it right in all the important places. The long-discontinued 32S has base conversions, which are great for software work.

Aside from the 15C, the current HP RPN offerings are problematic. The 35S has its charms (fractions, for example), but the display resolution is so coarse I find it hard to read, the format is too big and clumsy, and I still can't forgive HP for making "STO" a shift function. The 50g is a fascinating machine that I would choose for an eternity of solitude on a desert island, but it's a dreadful calculator for almost all practical purposes. (I will also admit to a small collection of "antique" HP calculators, but I don't use them as my daily beaters...)

I have explored HP calculator apps on my iPhone, too. My favorite is "VintageRPN", which includes an emulation of the original 35 and 80, arguably the most usable and inspired HP calculators of all time. And once again, they are highly usable, even on the tiny touch display of the iPhone.
T4P:
I have the HP48 TI-89 and TI-86 on my phone ... oh no
slateraptor:

--- Quote from: JuiceKing on August 16, 2012, 05:58:46 am ---15C gets it right in all the important places.

--- End quote ---

Except for perhaps a keypad layout with a bias towards right-handed people.


--- Quote from: JuiceKing on August 16, 2012, 05:58:46 am ---...I still can't forgive HP for making "STO" a shift function. The 50g is a fascinating machine that I would choose for an eternity of solitude on a desert island, but it's a dreadful calculator for almost all practical purposes.

--- End quote ---

Not as unforgivable as their handling of binary and hex. Complex number handling could be improved too. I'd probably use my 50g more often if it had a proper plastic cover like TI graphing calcs; I'm too chicken shit to lug it around in my backpack out of fear of damaging the crap the screen from all the random trinkets tumbling around, and its leather pouch is just retarded IMO.
nanofrog:

--- Quote from: slateraptor on August 16, 2012, 11:58:52 pm ---I'd probably use my 50g more often if it had a proper plastic cover like TI graphing calcs; I'm too chicken shit to lug it around in my backpack out of fear of damaging the crap the screen from all the random trinkets tumbling around, and its leather pouch is just retarded IMO.

--- End quote ---
It's not a hard case, but you might want to look at Ripoffs (IIRC, the CO-29 fits the 50g; dimensions look right, and the image matches what I have). Dense foam sandwiched between nylon, so it's thick and does protect rather well, so it will do what you want. Only a very small area of the top sides is even exposed (say 3/4"x1" where the flap folds over). BTW, you get 2 layers of case over most of the the screen when the flap is folded over.

Not in school anymore, but I'm clumsy, so I bought one of these to protect it from myself.  :P

http://www.ripoffs.com/datasheets/co29/co29.html
EEMarc:
I use two calculators. A TI-83+ silver edition and a TI-89 Titanium.

For calculations that are exceedingly large, long and difficult, I use Mathematica. One example is the Park's Transform. That transform and it's inverse are used to simplify the control of 3 phase AC motors. The output equations are pretty terrible, yet a powerful Digital Signal Controller (DSC) are able to use them to drive the motor.
Navigation
Message Index
Next page
Previous page
There was an error while thanking
Thanking...

Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod