Introduction and RPN calculator advice

[Nigel (UK)]

(08-22-2023 06:46 PM)NicolaB Wrote:  ...
The very useful comparison table left me a bit puzzled because i was taking for granted that with all that cpu power and storage the DM32 and DM42 would only differ in the keyboard layout and the standard menus, being both capable of doing even coffee. Strangely enough it looks like the DM42 has matrixes, while the DM32 has fractions, equation list and unit conversions. Can you explain me why?

Despite having lots of CPU power, to a first approximation these two calculators are intended to reproduce the functionality of the HP originals. The DM42 has gone beyond the HP42S because of the extra features that have been added to Free42 in recent years, and of course both benefit from larger screens and the ability to save and load programs from the built-in flash drive.

Note that the DM42 does not in fact have very much RAM - less than 100k available to the calculator after the operating system has taken its share - and perhaps because of this Plus42 has not been implemented on it, either by SwissMicros or by a third party. The DM32 has a more modern processor with significantly more RAM available; if SwissMicros does make Plus42 available on the new hardware it would surely sell like hot cakes! Pure speculation, but something to hope for.

One nice thing about the DM42 is the range of "alternative" calculators that have been written for the hardware - amongst others, the WP34S, the C47, and (perhaps of most interest to you) the DB48X, which attempts to replicate an RPL calculator of the 48 series. The C47 and DB48X are both works in progress and require a keyboard overlay.

Nigel (UK)