What is Your Most Used Calculator?

1st my Sharp EL-2630GII desk calculator. Oldie but Goodie

2nd my cell phone calculator app. Sufficient in a pinch.

3rd my abacus but haven't used it in what seems like centuries

1965

1973 - HP35

1978 - TI59

1983

Today - all gone - was relieved of the HP71B at gunpoint.

Not gone completely. Try this:

http://www.hpmuseum.org/simulate/simulate.htm

'Functioning' on-line HP calculators! (Java applets. Even programmable like the real things.)

Yeah, I too have the HP-41CV app on my PC downloaded from that site and love it! It works just like my HP calculators!!!!

I have a TI-30XIIS that I just can't get rid of. Great for most trig type problems and my gozintos.

The Ti-30xiis is the calculator I own that I don't really care for. Only because I want it to be a 36X. Unfare, I know. I sure am glad you like it. It helps to reinforce the idea that my opinions are not facts.

-A-

• POWERED: HP 28C (uses 3 x N-cells)

• UN-POWERED: Scientific Instruments Co (1962) Model 250, 3" dia. "circular" Slide Rule.

I also have an HP 35s that I seldom use because of it's RPN entry system.

Most of the time I use Mathcad 2000. (I don't care for the newer versions of it, so I kept this one.) If I'm really forced to I'll use Excel, but it's so dumb and user-unfriendly compared to Mathcad that I avoid it unless I need to email an analysis.

As for calculators I have a Casio that I like, and a TI, or I'll use the calculator built into Windows.

My favorite was an HP-25 programmable calculator I bought when I was a student. I had it for years. I used it for my early engineering jobs before the company bought some DEC equipment I could use. I still have it, though it died a long time ago.

I have a great RPN calculator which I have "carried" from my first palm pilot via another palm to my current palm Treo.

It's from Russ Webb at nthlab:-

http://www.nthlab.com/software/rpn/

At first site it looks very basic but you can easily reach most engineering calculations using the Fn drop down menu which changes out the functions available in the function window.

Also you can drag and drop numbers from the result line to the digits and vice versa to use the digits as memories.

I have used the scripting tool to create a few common electronic calculations.

Sadly when I have to "upgrade" to an Android I will lose this superb bit of software.

Me!

I Love This!! Thank you!!

The HP42S RPN Scientific. It's the only one I use - I have trouble using a "conventional" one now.

Had an HP33e programmable (49 program) steps. I loved that calculator. RPN makes so much sense. I wrote a program to calculate hyperbolic line integrals and (just for grins) integrate the area under the Bell Curve out to six standard deviations both directions. Took it six hours to compute the latter. No way could I do that with an 'algebraic' calculator. It wouldn't fit - a testament to the compactness of RPN.

There was an Iranian engineering student (some rich shaw's son as I recall) at uni who paid me $1.00 for a five-step RPN program I wrote to compute an arbitrary number of resistances in parallel. His calculator was an HP41c which he wore strictly for show. Never learned how to use it.

Are you the same europium that used to be on here (with many more posts and GAs)?

I love my TI-68, it does rectangular calculation directly keyed in, can't find another one that has that capability, even on a computer platform.

HP-32S II

Was given to me by an engineer who didn't like it.

He bought another brand.

People keep telling me to get rid of it. Nope, I LIKE IT!

I second the motion. The HP 11C is what I have used at work for many years. I seemed to die twice, but the solution was to take out the batteries and short the terminals in the calculator, then put the batteries back in. I have an HP 48GX at home. It does a lot more stuff, but is harder to use for the things I usually need. They are both RPN. Once you get used to it, the other was seems crude. Just ask any reverse Pollock , but don't read the jokes.

11c all the way!!!!!!

My hand picture went bye bye.

So, I use a Casio fx-115_D. or my phone, which is a Razr about 6 years old.

As a stand-alone calculator, I have a Casio scientific something-or-other, that I only ever use when I've got too much going on on the PC to want to pull up Excel or one of the many PC-based calculators (e.g. the MS powertoys one, which is fun) or something like Engineering Toolbox.

If I'm away from a PC or my lap-top, it generally means I'm away from the Casio (sitting on my desk). I then resort to using my own brain (and maybe a pencil & paper). Hasn't let me down yet - but in my line, I manage to get all the serious sums done before I'm in the field.

I appreciate that many people need to do some heavy calculations 'on the hoof' - but I don't.

Bottom line - "Most Used" has to be between Excel and MS Calc. Sadly, I lost my pocket-sized guessing stick (see Hendrik's 1st photo, and imagine it smaller).

Some of the Casio Sci types can directly do fraction to decimal (and reverse) functions. Very handy.

My fingers.

...uh, with division, which fingers are the Numerator and which are the Denominator?

Don't confuse me. Knuckles separate the numerator and demononator.

My spelling's good though.

What if you are missing a finger?

My fav i guess is a cheap casio fx-260 solar.

Ron

Think of expanded display using sandals!!

Not in this weather!!

For me its the TI 200 voyage, then the TI 83 silver but its pretty well worn out, then the old TI 89 and then about 4 misc others.

I am sort of taking a liking to my wifes Measure Master Pro 4020 contractors calculator now though. Being able to jump around and convert between American and metric units without having to open a application program first is rather handy.

I bought it for her being that she is Turkish and used to the metric system and I got tired of her asking "Well whats that measurement in metric?" every time I referred to something. Now when she says it I just say "Go get your friggen calculator and figure it out yourself".

Now she dimensions everything in inches but still in the metric multiples of 10. The floor plan for our new house is done that way and its drives me nuts since using 10 inch multipliers instead of feet ends up with everything coming out off size from the common dimensional construction materials. 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 96, and 120 inches are common material dimensions. Multiples of 10 are not.

Most used is a casio fx-730p. I got it in the mid 1980's. It has qwerty format and basic language. And a handy memo and calc function that stores equations. It still works perfectly. In the memo there is still phrases in Spanish, Italian and Norwegan from the days when i thought I could learn languages. and equations I put in about 1987.

If pda's are included, I have a psion 5 and its touch screen no longer works. (A cable to the screen wears out with use). I got it second hand but still, what an incredible machine. Office suite, drawing, spreadsheet etc and a super keyboard. Even a voice recorder. And instant on like a calculator. The sounds of the pulser pump and the pulser pump diagram in a brick well was made on the psion 5 (then coloured with the gimp all those years ago. (My pulser pump video is the most watched airlift pump video on youtube). I just got a low end android tablet. They seem to be consumer devices, not producer devices. (i havnt found a decent drawing program for it yet. The psion was such a productive little number. I include it here because it has a touch screen calculator and there were a bunch of downloadable ones and also because its spreadsheet was really good too. It is from 1999 or so and all that came with the machine. Full office suite! and it runs on double a batteries.

Try eBay. If you are patient you can snag a good deal on a well cared for 11C. That was where my second one came from as a gift.

Can't wait? Got an iPhone? Try this link. ;-)

OK it's not the real thing, but, go here:- http://www.hpcalc.org/hp48/pc/emulators/ scroll down just over 1/3 or search for 11C and download the ZIP for an 11C emulator. Curiously when you first start it, it says 30 days left in the display, but I can't believe you would ever be asked to pay for it.

Now that I think about it I use another free windows RPN calculator a lot:- excalibur

http://excalibur.en.softonic.com/

For me the most used calculator in total is clearly my old TI 89 calculator, but not recently. Recently the TI 89 has suffered with repeated operating system reboots. Fortunately I have a new TI 89 Titanium that has recently been replacing the void but it will take a long time for this machine to get close to the number of cycles of the earlier version. While I originally learned to use a magnesium stabilized slide rule as did Hendrik, I still love and feel proud to occaisionally use my maternal grandfather's ivory slide rule and an analog calculator (paper and pencil) to solve a few problems at the research facility where I work. (I just love to see the bewildered look on a visiting experimenter's face when I do this. I also have never been questioned when I've used this tool that has no battery.)

In order of frequency of usage:

1. Head

2. Windows calculator set up for scientific mode

3. Google

4. Excel if its open

5. An ancient TI solar cheap thing.

6. My android phone

I had a number of Casio calculators but I did own a Ti-59 back in high school. It was one of the first programmable calculators I think (because no one else I knew had it ). I entered physics formulas in it during exams and just inputted the data and out popped the answers. My instructor (God bless his soul) never found out.

I also had a Casio FX-702P which was programmable in BASIC. I had this model for the longest time.

Lastly, I had an HP200lx, which was my last calculator since I stopped calculating angles, logarithms and other such things. I loved this one because no one wanted to borrow it. "WHERE'S THE 'EQUALS' KEY ON THIS THING?"

Long live RPN

HP-15C scientific/engineering. I'm on the third set of batteries, which I change, not because they wear out, but because I don't want them leaking with age.

Reverse Polish notation is no longer in favour. I spoke to a physicist, who hates it, and he's much brighter than me. I find this system of calculating naturally intuitive, but he doesn't. How could that be? Anyone else feel this?

I like RPN and I have an HP15C. Also on third set of batteries. Saw one for sale on Ebay some time back and it went for around $115.

Like you I find it a natural way to do arithmetic, and I have a physicist friend who hates it. I switched to engineering, since I was no good at higher maths and physics.

I should have been warned. I was no good at Euclidean plane and solid geometry problems, which is the best predictor of ability at higher physics.

Being old school I use fingers & toes but if I have to count above 24 then I use my trusted abacus.

Bazzer

I have 2 ancient Hewlett-Packard HP41CV Programmable Calculators that I still use every day! Long live RPN!

The first one I bought as an undergrad student back in 1981 still works, but it really needs to be rebuilt some because some of the buttons keep sticking. Also, the rechargeable Nicad battery pack needs an overhaul.

The second one I bought in 1985 and is my everyday calculator to this day. It also has a plug-in Structural analysis pak that is superb and just falls short of doing FEM analysis. I love this machine and hope it never dies! I also have and use the HP thermal printer bought back in '85.

I have yet to find a modern calculator that I really really like and can do what these 2 programmable calculators are capable of in terms of ease of use, robustness, flexibility, etc.

BTW, I continue to this day to write programs of all types on them....from structural concrete, steel, and timber design to hydraulics design.

This sort of OT, but I am extremely curious about MathLab, as I don't know squat about it! I've seen other forum members mention its use over the months and have grown curious about it, as is seems to be the rage during the past decade or so.....

Where does one download a freebie version of it (IF possible)? Are there tutorials so i can learn how to use the software?

Finally, where does one find a site or sites where I can download free software?

Any help regarding MathLab would be greatly appreciated!!!!

CP Moosie.

Try Wolfram Mathmatica, it is now available - in bite size chunks on platforms such as the I-Phone, amongst others. I am about to try the bite sized Maths and Astro Apps, on my PC (I have no I-anything!). Have a go it seems to be a good, albeit limited solution!

I am about to buy MathCad, if I can find a manual on line.

On the calculator front I used to have an HP 41C with all the Bells and whistles, Printer, extra memory, Card Reader for entering pre-organised programs, Apps as they became available. An excellent tool. Unfortunately it's keyboard died after a few years and I now have an HP 32 S , which does not hae a programmable capability.

Sleepy

==================================

Thanks Sleepy for the help regarding MathLab!

I too have no I-anything! My wife does, but then again she likes having all of those new electronic toys! LOL

If you still have you old HP-41 then you can send it out for repairs......check out Ebay (in USA) for a couple of repair centers. They appear to be reasonable. I will be sending out my goofed-up unit shortly.

Moosie,

Both Matlab and Mathematica have sites that give you a feel for the front ends.

Matlab uses a matrix paradigm and a program style input and output

Mathematica uses a formula input and leans heavily toward graphic results as well as data output

Matlab is being grabbed enterprise wide because it is easier to teach engineers to write script that looks like a program. Mathematica is being grabbed by the scientific community I suspect because it is much better at formulas and print output.

For someone who isn't leaning on company funded training, I might go Mathematica as Wolfram is very open with tutorials and examples for nothing more than registering.

I agree that Mathematica is a more frugal programming language for Windows but I disagree that it is focused to the scientific community. Linux and and the myriad of open source mathematics programs. A frequent Linux program I see at work is Octave. I use MathCad 14 at work because the displayed and printed code is the standard mathematical symbols. Having the mathematical symbols instead of cryptic code to present has prevented many meetings I've held from taking useless tangents on code analysis instead of the math results. However, once PTC took over this platform they seem to be actually snubbing individual users. Unless you're a corporate client with deep pockets looking to purchase multiple licenses..... Well I felt snubbed by PTC.

I'm plowing through Mathematica's language now. _{I hate learning a new language.}

Cpt. Moosie,

Thanks for that, unfortunately my 41C died a few years back after being bought when it first came out. i was an early Adopter in those days!

And of course I got rid of the card reader, the printer, the additional memory, and any sort of special attachment so that i would have to find all of those again!

Oh, did you ever try Synthetic programming; I still have the book - oh and did you ever get the goose to fly backwards?

I will stay with the PC and the HP32S II and possibly a cut down Wolfram and a MathCad 15/Prime program. But only if I can find a MathCad Manual for a reasonable price.

Sleepy

Most my calculations are done on the computer, I usually do not need a calculator in the field and the use of math-cad is my fall back. I have my phone if I need a quick figure in the field. ;-)

I don't love my hp50 as i did with my hp34c.I am thinking for a change: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napier%27s_bones

HP-48GX. 12 years old, still chugging along. I'm a Reverse Polish Notation guy.

HP 15C.

Probably the best and the most sought after in HP's history of calculators.

Guys

At work we had a large Slide Rule which was of the Spiral kind; from memory it would have been 41 ft long in its main scale!

had the best accuracy at that time!

See Wiki for details and pictures!

Sleepy

Old faithful.

apparently so old, it hasn't made the internet

A CASIO Scientific fx-115N ~22 years old powered by a solar cell and the original lithium battery! I have a colleague who has one still going on the original battery too! Pretty impressive.

Lap top and Math-Cad

WOW! This is fantastic. Does anyone have time to tabulate the results? Looks like RPN HP is the hands down favorite. But I would love to see the data.

-A-

I admit to taking some liberties with the more ambiguous answers and stated favorites no longer used.

-A-

I bought 50 of these on a sell out(15$/ea.). Programmed them to do gamma ray calculations and re-sold them at 150$ ea. They had an outboard chip that you could write to.
Ron

Nice haul!

I had a few Ti's. The keys would stick and not record a result. Out of fustration, I through it against a wall and stomped on it I now use a Casio with no problems. I have a Summit calculator that has an LED readout. I think it's one of the first on the market; still works.

I've been using this one (TI-68) since '93. Just changed the battery this year for the first time.

...my "first" electronic calculator was the Texas Instruments' SR-10 (SR = slide rule) which used algebraic-entry, ie: " = " That was followed by an SR-50 and an SR-51, "super slide-rule," calculator.

...however, (IMHO) Hewlett-Packard has always had better buttons/keyboards--functionally and tactile- and reliability-wise. Just about all my TI calculators "died" due to keyboard failures.

TI-52
Del

Just to add a little perspective to this: when I was at school I went on a "taster" week to a university; in the physics department they showed us a desktop calculator with the four basic maths functions; a memory; the three basic trig. functions, and, square root I think; it would only cost about a years salary.

Last year I bought one of these:-

...........................................in Poundland (that's about $1.50 land)

Curiously I stole this picture off Ebay where someone had paid £2.30 plus £1 postage(~$5 altogether) for it; there had been six bids.

Ah the lure of E-bay...
A thousand Quatlous for the calculator!
Del

Ah the lure of E-bay...
I was in the 12 step program for E-Bay addiction until they threw me out for bidding on the 6th step.
Ron

Sure I had one of these (or a clone) for years - the key layout is identical, but it had a different badge.

Coincidentally I had my last look (yesterday) at some kit I designed & installed at Sellafield in the early 80's - it's being decommissioned on 18th Dec . I used the stat functions on the calculator to check the SD of the readings (way back when). The base conversions were also handy (the machines are Z80 based, programmed in a mix of C and assembler).

Ah, good ol' Z80 <sigh>
Del

For field measurements and conversions:

Caluculated Industries Ultra Measure Master Model 8025

For SWPPP, engineering, and permit work:

Casio fx-300ES two dual power for those job sites that haven't made it out of the dark ages with the lack of power or internet excess.

HP200LX. This is an organizer but has a calculator in it called HPCALC. It allows some notes to be saved with the calculation so you can tell what they are about 20 years later. I also own an HP48GII which is very complex and I've just sold an HP15c which is great but you will never remember what your program was about. Also look up SmathStudio; it's a really classy Mathcad clone.