Author Topic: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?  (Read 22741 times)

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Offline Psi

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #25 on: November 03, 2021, 02:38:57 am »
HP35s for me.  (can use RPN or algebraic if you want, supports both)

Although I highly recommend the windows app SpeedCrunch
It's like a calculator but on steroids.

Greek letter 'Psi' (not Pounds per Square Inch)
 
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Offline David Hess

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #26 on: November 03, 2021, 04:04:46 am »
HP35s for me.  (can use RPN or algebraic if you want, supports both)

I like the multiline displays for the stack on the later HP RPN calculators, but the HP35s would be my next choice before an AOS calculator.

Quote
Although I highly recommend the windows app SpeedCrunch
It's like a calculator but on steroids.

I don't carry my computer with me all the time, and PDA batteries do not last long enough for me to rely on them.  The current style of as thin as possible has robbed portable computers of battery life.  I can think of examples in the past which could operate for weeks.  My HP50g operates for months, and at least uses easily changeable standard batteries.

 

Offline Berni

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #27 on: November 03, 2021, 06:15:03 am »
I stopped using dedicated calculators and now use SpeedCrunch for everything:


Typing into it using a keyboard is just as fast as a calculator, does all the usual things you would do on a scientific calculator, and i can copy paste numbers in and out of it.

My only gripe with it is that it does not take SI prefixes so instead of "k" you have to use the usual "e3"

EDIT:
Actually i found a way to make it take SI perfixes. You just have to type m=1e-3, u=1e-6, n=1e-9...etc into it and it will remember it as a variable, then typing in 3u will result in 3e-6 . This is thanks to its lenient parsing where it won't be picky about extra or missing spaces, missing operators, mixed comma and dot decimals, space separated thousands etc... and will just interpret what you typed in the most sensible way. Tho its still not quite proper because it doesn't give it higher order priority than division, so typing 1/2u results in in 500e-9
« Last Edit: November 03, 2021, 06:35:30 am by Berni »
 
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Offline IanB

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #28 on: November 03, 2021, 06:45:03 am »
I am pretty sure you can't touch-type the shift-key'd cosine function on the PC though, so you're looking at the keyboard for that

I can, actually, touch-type all the keys on my keyboard, including all the punctuation keys.
 

Offline Just_another_Dave

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #29 on: November 03, 2021, 07:26:27 am »
Quote
Same here. Using tools on computer is much more comfortable and powerful these days.

They are, but suffer from the same issue that oscilloscopes on a PC have: there is nothing like stabbing actual buttons. I can type in a problem on a calculator far quicker than I can point to the keys on a PC,

Uh. A computer keyboard is infinitely more comfortable and faster to type on than any calculator's keyboard, unless your computer keyboard is utter crap, in which case, ditch it.
But seriously, if you can type faster on a calculator, good for you. I've never seen that except maybe for old people these days - maybe you are, and that's ok!

I think it's not that simple. Yes, a computer keyboard is faster to type on, but you're either looking at the keyboard or the screen. I am pretty sure you can't touch-type the shift-key'd cosine function on the PC though, so you're looking at the keyboard for that (assuming you can remember where it is). On the calculator it's a one-finger stab job (better for not getting digits out of order) and you can see all of the keys and all of the screen at the same time.

And, like I said, you're not interrupting whatever you were doing on the PC - switching to the calculator app then back to whatever it was and making sure the cursor is still where it was is not an instantaneous thing and probably takes longer than the calculation.

I find useful graphic calculators (or a tablet) when I’m working on a prototype, as I don’t usually have space in the bench to fit a laptop. As the hp prime has an app similar to excel sheets, I can annotate measurements with it and then import them to the computer without having to copy them manually from a handbook
 

Offline PlainName

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #30 on: November 03, 2021, 08:21:58 am »
Thinking about this, there is some raving about calculator simulators going on. The perfect simulation of whatever calculator there on your desktop. I tried this once, mostly when I was looking to buy a calculator and tried its simulation, and figured it was cool in the way nixie tubes are, but it's form over function.

A PC has a mouse and keyboard for input (not to mention a relatively ginormous screen) so with a calculator simulator you're either tapping buttons with the mouse or finding weird key combinations. This was really apparent when I downloaded the aformentioned HiperCalc (windows version) which was very slick indeed but had no way to press the function keys other than clicking with a mouse.

Does your word processor have an interface that looks exactly like a typewriter? Why should your maths tool look exactly like a calculator?

So, that's pretty much the main reason I use OpalCalc. It is very much like Berni's SpeedCrunch (not tried that, but will do thanks!) but keeps the answers off to the right. The big difference is that it calculates in real time, so as you edit or type, the answer catches up. A sample screen is shown, then I went back and changed the first 4 to a 5. As I type, dependent calculations instantly changed to reflect the edit.

It also does other neat stuff like "$73.45 in £" (currently £53.53).
 
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Offline emece67

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #31 on: November 03, 2021, 12:54:50 pm »
.
« Last Edit: August 19, 2022, 04:44:51 pm by emece67 »
 

Offline Sal Ammoniac

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #32 on: November 03, 2021, 04:08:38 pm »
I've got two vintage HP-25's here, but the batteries have long ago failed to hold a charge and I can't find replacements, so they're just paperweights now.

It is easy to replace the NiCd batteries on such battery packs. You just need to cut the plastic bridge that goes along the batteries at one of its extremes. Then the cells can be pulled out.

Yes, that would be easy to do, but the real problem is that those dead battery packs were thrown away years ago.
"That's not even wrong" -- Wolfgang Pauli
 

Online nfmax

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #33 on: November 03, 2021, 05:26:54 pm »
You can get (3D-printed) replacements from https://www.thecalculatorstore.com
 
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Offline Sal Ammoniac

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #34 on: November 03, 2021, 06:12:51 pm »
You can get (3D-printed) replacements from https://www.thecalculatorstore.com

Thanks! I’ll do that.
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Offline rstofer

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #35 on: November 04, 2021, 11:06:03 pm »
I know RPN has some advantages, but having used PN all my life that's probably an exercise in frustration.

Does anyone use a HP Prime and can report whether it's good for EE?

I have the calculator in daily use, right next to my mouse.  I retired about 18 years ago so my opinion on functionality is probably worthless.  But I like it!

It is not my favorite calculator, that would be the HP 48GX - I just find it easier to use.  Why use the Prime instead?  The lighted display.  Along with old age comes failing eyesight.  The Prime has a beautiful display.

Mostly I use the calculator to evaluate simple expressions.  If I want a plot, I move to MATLAB (or Octave - free).  While I could solve matrix problems on the Prime, I find it easier to use MATLAB.  If nothing else, editing is easier.

We can go on forever about the merits of RPN versus Algebraic versus Textbook entry schemes and not get anywhere.  I have been using RPN since the HP 35 came out in '73 and it just flows from my fingers.  Of course I'm going to recommend it.  And I will understand if people don't like it.

But the HP Prime has all 3 entry schemes, take your pick.

In summary, I would highly recommend the Prime

See page 13

http://www.hp.com/united-states/calculator/HP_Prime_Quick_Start_Guide_EN_2015.pdf
« Last Edit: November 04, 2021, 11:07:37 pm by rstofer »
 
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Offline rstofer

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #36 on: November 04, 2021, 11:47:48 pm »
There's an entire series of videos related to the HP Prime.  Since complex results are disabled by default, here is a good one to start with:



Search Google YouTube for 'Technology In College Algebra' to find other helpful videos.

« Last Edit: November 05, 2021, 01:41:00 am by rstofer »
 

Offline bsfeechannel

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #37 on: November 05, 2021, 12:39:10 pm »
In summary, I would highly recommend the Prime

Dave's gonna love this calculator. It doesn't have an explicit hyperbolic function on the keyboard, much less a dedicated hyp key.
 

Offline Just_another_Dave

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #38 on: November 05, 2021, 01:53:11 pm »
Has anyone tried numworks (https://www.numworks.com/ )?
 

Online RJSV

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #39 on: November 05, 2021, 07:37:35 pm »
(Sorry about blurry photo, I'm a disabled engineer, renting in Silicon Valley, so cheap Google phone)
   This 'Dollar Store's calculator: Well, it got me interested in STATISTICS... A good thing to know the basics, at least...

   The calculator from Scenery Electronics Limited, model SS 6618, features STAT functions for 'standard deviation' and a couple of other basic statistics metrics.
   Course it also features a 'HYP' button, Dave...
Plus the usual 'arc hyp tan (-1 power) blabla bla.
But ALSO 'n!' (factorial), and an extensive set of binary hex and even OCTAL translations, and number 'complement. Even a 'RND' (random) key, useful for statistics.
   I focussed on the statistics part, because that's a new subject for me...
  Top lable sez "Electronic Scientific Calculator" and it's very lightweight. 8 1/2 bucks, or some such 'Dolla Store's purchasing of various over-stocked, or Mexican market over-runs they got deal (Dollar Store buys distressed production runs etc)
 

Offline armandine2

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #40 on: November 05, 2021, 08:18:38 pm »
4th example into the YouTube video above for the HP Prime (11-i)(2+3i) = 25+31i the print is so small the 31 is written as a 3.

« Last Edit: November 07, 2021, 12:58:57 pm by armandine2 »
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Offline mansaxel

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #41 on: November 05, 2021, 10:19:30 pm »
I use the SwissMicros DM42, or, if I'm removed from it, the hp42 emulator on my phone. Or if I'm on a real computer, "dc".

Offline IanB

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #42 on: November 05, 2021, 10:38:06 pm »
(Sorry about blurry photo, I'm a disabled engineer, renting in Silicon Valley, so cheap Google phone)
   This 'Dollar Store's calculator: Well, it got me interested in STATISTICS... A good thing to know the basics, at least...

Here's a sharper picture. I seem to have irresistibly bought more than one of these, since it boggles the mind how such a device can be made and sold for $1. Partly for nostalgia reasons, as I remember a calculator of similar specification in 1978 would have cost about $100 in today's money (say $20 - $25 back then).

Edit: I think, if you take one apart, you find that the circuit board is made of laminated card, and the tracks going to the keys are printed in some kind of graphite material. Not that I want to destroy such a valuable item by taking one apart myself  :)

« Last Edit: November 05, 2021, 10:43:28 pm by IanB »
 
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Offline David Hess

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #43 on: November 06, 2021, 02:22:21 am »
So the HP Prime runs for 25 hours on a custom lithium-ion battery, and barely supports RPN?  That is no better than a PDA, no thanks.
 

Offline Just_another_Dave

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #44 on: November 06, 2021, 08:39:44 am »
So the HP Prime runs for 25 hours on a custom lithium-ion battery, and barely supports RPN?  That is no better than a PDA, no thanks.

You can change it to RPN mode in the settings
 

Offline kripton2035

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #45 on: November 06, 2021, 05:16:35 pm »
I just bought a used hp prime, and it is stuck in exam mode... plug it in a computer as it should remove the exam mode, but no.
seems it doesn't work if you connect to a mac computer... I tried some old pc's I have and same problem.
I even format the internal drive, this thing is still stuck in exam mode
is there a way to reset it factory ? thanks.
 

Offline SiliconWizard

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #46 on: November 06, 2021, 07:12:30 pm »
So the HP Prime runs for 25 hours on a custom lithium-ion battery, and barely supports RPN?  That is no better than a PDA, no thanks.

 ;D

To be fair, the Prime is a pretty good calc. Now the fact it has limited runtime on a battery charge is very annoying, I agree. While, as I said, I almost never use real calculators anymore, if I'm gonna use one occasionally, I certainly don't want to have to bother with keeping it charged at all times.

And IMHO - sure this is opinion - RPN, while pretty nice on the older and simpler calculators, isn't all that useful on more modern calculators with much largers screens, and most of all, the ability to retain the history of the last calculations - something you could never do properly in RPN, at least nowhere near as easily. All you could have an history of were "values". Not complete expressions.

It all comes done to habits and your way of working of course. But while I also was a fervent proponent of RPN back in the days, I don't really care anymore for it now. I much prefer the ability of reading all the last expressions your entered in clear, being able to recall any and just change some values, copy and paster values or expressions partially or entirely, etc. It's infinitely more productive.

But yes, habits are all personal and hard to change, so I'm just saying what works for me.

 

Offline tooki

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #47 on: November 07, 2021, 09:45:47 am »
So the HP Prime runs for 25 hours on a custom lithium-ion battery, and barely supports RPN?  That is no better than a PDA, no thanks.
The battery is actually a really generic thing, I think originally used in some Samsung phone.

PDAs don’t have good keypads, if they have one at all. This one has likely the best keypad of any graphing calculator.
 

Offline tooki

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #48 on: November 07, 2021, 09:50:24 am »
I just bought a used hp prime, and it is stuck in exam mode... plug it in a computer as it should remove the exam mode, but no.
seems it doesn't work if you connect to a mac computer... I tried some old pc's I have and same problem.
I even format the internal drive, this thing is still stuck in exam mode
is there a way to reset it factory ? thanks.
Just to be clear, it’s not plugging it into a computer that ends exam mode, it’s plugging it into a computer and using the appropriate command in the HP Prime Connectivity Kit software to turn off exam mode.

On the Mac, the newest version of the connectivity kit software doesn’t run on older OSes (but will still install!) so be sure to check the system requirements and use an older version if necessary. HP’s FTP server still has all the software: ftp://ftp.hp.com/pub/calculators/Prime/
 
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Offline tooki

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Re: What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?
« Reply #49 on: November 07, 2021, 09:57:19 am »
I also use the HP prime, but finding programs for it is a bit harder. Do you know if there is any website dedicated to it?
Here:
https://www.hpcalc.org/ (scroll down to Prime Apps for the category links; there’s no home page for all Prime apps)

Some are also listed here:
https://en.hpprime.club/apps
 
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