How do you like the HP 34C?

[brickviking]

(09-24-2017 06:44 PM)Trond Wrote:  I am looking around for an antique HP scientific calculator, mostly for the fun of it, but I will actually use it for simple calculations and maybe a bit old-fashioned programming. I already have 42S, 32 SII, and 35S. All of these are very good, albeit I have seen HP calculators that looked more "solid" (more metal, less plastic, I suppose). Perhaps I'll go for the 41C (which seems to be very popular), but I also like the look of the 34C. I have heard relatively few opinions on the 34C; so I thought I should ask here. Any thoughts? How do you like the LED display and the keyboard? Thanks!

The HP-34C was the very first HP I owned outright. Although I'd seen the 12C, I didn't have one. The HP-34C could concievably be considered top of the line for LED-based calculators, at least in my opinion. If you're able, I'd suggest getting one of the later ones that have the chips soldered to the board, rather than the clamped-together one I ended up with (which ended up dying, in the end). The key-feel is absolutely classic HP (somewhat hard click for someone used to fx-82), the inclusion of a root solver and integral functions made a nice addition (along with Gamma) to the rest of the already excellent calculators of the time. The LED display is rather hard to view in any decent light, and is completely obliterated during daylight hours if you're outdoors. Your kilometreage may vary indoors.

In fact, your chief limitation might actually be the limited amount of memory in comparison to the 42S, as the amount of memory is shared between program space and variables. The larger your program, the less variables you have left free to work with. The more variables you want to use, the less space you have for programming. It's an "interesting" balance for larger programs.

If you can find a HP-34C complete with manual set, and even a clean battery set, you'll be doing very well. You may have to be prepared to hunt for each. If I were to hunt for a classic HP (i.e. pre-48gx), the 34C would definitely qualify as one I'd want.

(Post 95)