I have finally joined the 42S club

[Dave Britten]

I'm at VCF Midwest near Chicago this weekend, and came across someone selling a 42S in excellent condition. It wasn't cheap, but I definitely got a much better price than if I had gone the ebay route. I spent some time this evening typing in a few programs I use frequently on my DM42. You don't fully appreciate the speed of the DM42 until you've seen the 42S going at its own leisurely pace. It works great despite the speed difference, and I'd say it's possibly my favorite HP, or at least running a very close race with the 48GX.

I only have a couple more Pioneers I need to track down: the 21S and 22S, and my 32SII is in extremely rough shape and needs to be replaced. And I guess I technically need a 17B, but I doubt I'll bother since I already have a 17BII.

[MattGreer]

I just looked this unit up at TAS. Why are these so expensive, do you think?

[Dave Britten]

(09-15-2019 08:07 AM)MattGreer Wrote:  I just looked this unit up at TAS. Why are these so expensive, do you think?

The 42 is pretty much the apex of RPN calculators, before HP shifted their focus toward the RPL/graphing models. Though the 41's expandability far exceeds the 42, the 42's base configuration outdoes the 41 in most ways. The 41CX still has some advantages, like the time and alarm features, but it can't compare to the 42 when it comes to matrices, complex numbers, solving and integrating, memory, speed, named variables, etc.

I think the lack of any direct upgrade for the 42 has kept the prices high. Many users didn't want to move to the 48 family.

[MattGreer]

(09-15-2019 09:58 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Many users didn't want to move to the 48 family.

I feel that way about the Prime! lol Contrats on the acquisition.

[cdmackay]

(09-15-2019 04:38 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I spent some time this evening typing in a few programs I use frequently on my DM42.

I'd love to get a real 42S to go with my DM42 too, but the above is the main thing putting me off (other than price). If only they'd designed some way of loading/saving programs. Seems like madness, given how powerful it was.

[100LL]

As a guy who has had to punch the keyboard several thousand times because I fumbled a battery install and grounded across the terminals with the base of a button...I whole heartedly agree.

The slightest slip of my fat fingers leads to a reset and needing to redo all my programs. Maddening. But strangely worth it. Labors out of passion surpass all other labors in quantity and quality.

A profound example of contradiction from HP. The ultimate RPN device, pure and powerful, successor to the 41 base and attendant program compatibility, yet for some twist of incomprehensibility lacks provisions for program transfer via some serial input.

Doesn’t matter, the love affair is too strong. The 42S is Helen of Troy

[Dave Britten]

(09-15-2019 03:46 PM)MattGreer Wrote:  

(09-15-2019 09:58 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Many users didn't want to move to the 48 family.

I feel that way about the Prime! lol Contrats on the acquisition.

I'm the same with the Prime. It's a lovely calculator with a great math engine, but it's just lacking too many of the features and qualities that make the 42 and 48 attractive to me. I almost never need a CAS for my work, so that piece of it is mostly wasted on me.

(09-15-2019 08:32 PM)100LL Wrote:  As a guy who has had to punch the keyboard several thousand times because I fumbled a battery install and grounded across the terminals with the base of a button...I whole heartedly agree.

The slightest slip of my fat fingers leads to a reset and needing to redo all my programs. Maddening. But strangely worth it. Labors out of passion surpass all other labors in quantity and quality.

A profound example of contradiction from HP. The ultimate RPN device, pure and powerful, successor to the 41 base and attendant program compatibility, yet for some twist of incomprehensibility lacks provisions for program transfer via some serial input.

Doesn’t matter, the love affair is too strong. The 42S is Helen of Troy

Look on the bright side, it doesn't take TOO long to refill just 8 KB of RAM. Two-way I/O would have been nice, but I think HP didn't want to cannibalize sales of their new expandable flagship the 48, so the 41 design that was passed on to the 42 ended up being positioned more as a (vastly upgraded) 15C replacement.

So far, I've never had any unpleasant surprises when changing the batteries in my 17BII or 27S, but I definitely make sure to keep a backup copy of any programs or solver equations elsewhere. At least I can print off a program, cut up the paper, and slap it on my flatbed scanner if I'm in a hurry.

[Siegfried]

Just bought a 42S upgraded to 32K for almost 200€ with shipping (including a manual). Really nice machine but really crazy prices.

[Thomas Okken]

They were $120 in 1988, so factor in 30 years' worth of inflation, and you're basically paying the same now as I did then.

[Dave Frederickson]

(09-15-2019 04:38 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I only have a couple more Pioneers I need to track down: the 21S and 22S, and my 32SII is in extremely rough shape and needs to be replaced.

Let us know if you find a 22S with the elusive recessed display.

[Dave Britten]

(09-21-2019 06:54 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  

(09-15-2019 04:38 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I only have a couple more Pioneers I need to track down: the 21S and 22S, and my 32SII is in extremely rough shape and needs to be replaced.

Let us know if you find a 22S with the elusive recessed display.

Interesting, didn't realize they made one in that style. Make it a 27S and you've got my attention.

The 42S I bought is the recessed version.

[Dave Frederickson]

(09-21-2019 08:11 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Interesting, didn't realize they made one in that style. Make it a 27S and you've got my attention.

You mean like this?

[Paul Dale]

(09-15-2019 04:38 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  I only have a couple more Pioneers I need to track down: the 21S and 22S, and my 32SII is in extremely rough shape and needs to be replaced. And I guess I technically need a 17B, but I doubt I'll bother since I already have a 17BII.

I can probably help for some of these (not the 32Sii since I use them).
Everything is packed up at present but I will find them eventually....


Pauli