How do you like the Woodstock calculators?

[Trond]

I still don't have a single one of these. As the title says, feel free to share why you like them (or dislike them). Were HP at the top of their game when they made them, or are they more so-so compared to what came before and after?

[Kostas Kritsilas]

(12-08-2021 03:46 AM)Trond Wrote:  I still don't have a single one of these. As the title says, feel free to share why you like them (or dislike them). Were HP at the top of their game when they made them, or are they more so-so compared to what came before and after?

I think the Woodstocks, at least as far as the 25C and 29C go, are my favourite series of HP calculators. They are physically very small, compact units, and are very well built. Great keyboards, too. Its sort of too bad that they only display 8 digits of mantissa with the exponent display, but such are the limitations of a very small case. As for the rest of the modern features not being present, or the small program space (less of a limitation on the 29C), this is more of a limitation of the IC technology then available that anything to do with the case or basic design. Putting in a Panamatik ACT will fix all of that, and add in more features than most can use.

[Steve Simpkin]

My HP-25 was my first HP. It worked so well that I used it as my only calculator for almost 10 years. From high school through 4 years of college and my first job as an engineer. That said, the battery charger design was a poor choice and I was very lucky that the combination of ancient batteries and the charger didn’t kill it. I only run it on alkaline batteries now.

Other than that, the physical design was great and it fit my hand like a glove. It is one of the few HPs I own that can be used with one hand.

Here is more information on the design.

https://www.hpl.hp.com/hpjournal/pdfs/Is...975-11.pdf

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

Another vote from me for the Woodstocks as my favorite calculators from HP. All of them are equally nice. At least if you don't need them to calculate orbital parameters of potentially ISS-threatening pieces of space junk.

They are small ("petite" even, compared to other calculators) but have an excellent and smartly laid-out keyboard and feel very solid. The LED display is crisp and with a set of modern NiMH rechargeables the battery life is good enough for occasional use.

The downside is the lack of internal corrosion protection against leaking batteries which results in contact problems in many of the surviving calculators. Both the keys and switches as well as in the contact springs that hold together the PCBs and display can be affected by this problem. And of course the infamous lack of voltage stabilisation in the wall chargers which instantly kills the calculator when recharged without a battery in place (or a bad battery or even bad battery contacts). Never use the charger with a Woodstock. Always charge the batteries outside the calculator.

Regards
Max

[Trond]

(12-08-2021 03:10 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Never use the charger with a Woodstock. Always charge the batteries outside the calculator.

Regards
Max

Really? Dang. I tend to dislike opening and closing the battery door all the time, and not having to take out batteries to change them (or charge) is actually one thing I like about the old HPs (like HP-67)

[Maximilian Hohmann]

(12-08-2021 05:06 PM)Trond Wrote:  Really? Dang. I tend to dislike opening and closing the battery door all the time...

There is no battery door in a Woodstock. The bottom side of the one-piece battery pack is the "door". The pack is held in place by a spring and can be taken out and reinstalled within seconds.

You can also build yourself a wireless charging pack like this one here: https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-16924.html Unfortunately, the originator of this thread has not come back to this forum yet and we do not know if he ever intends to market his clever device.
As I wrote in that thead, I made one for myself with cheap off-the shelf components which which is quite easy and works well. The cost of the parts is somewhere between 10 and 20 Euros.

Regards
Max

[aurelio]

(12-08-2021 05:16 AM)Steve Simpkin Wrote:  My HP-25 was my first HP. It worked so well that I used it as my only calculator for almost 10 years. From high school through 4 years of college and my first job as an engineer. That said, the battery charger design was a poor choice and I was very lucky that the combination of ancient batteries and the charger didn’t kill it. I only run it on alkaline batteries now.

Other than that, the physical design was great and it fit my hand like a glove. It is one of the few HPs I own that can be used with one hand.

Here is more information on the design.

https://www.hpl.hp.com/hpjournal/pdfs/Is...975-11.pdf

My experience is almost like yours, Steve, I mean the 25c, my first HP calculator which followed me from the high school through the job. Other calculators like the Hp41 of course and many others followed, but that calculator as you already said "fit my hand like a glove".
The battery pack was the only problem for me, difficult to remove, expensive to replace with a original spare. I remember my father rebuilt, for this reason, it at least twice.
Now still it lives, with her sister 29c, equipped with alkaline batteries: a couple of beauty

[jwr]

I consider the HP-25C my most useful calculator. To provide some context, I also own and use these models: HP-50G, HP-48GX, HP-12C, HP-11C, HP-15C, HP-16C.

Why does it work so well? First, it has the perfect form factor: it can be used while held one-handed (my main gripe with the Voyager series). Second, it has a great set of features, everything that's needed for quick engineering work without stuff that is really better done on a computer these days. Overall it strikes a good balance.

The battery pack and the catastrophic charger were a real problem, so I built my own wireless charging module for it (https://partsbox.com/blog/wireless-charg...-2021.html). It had two interesting side effects: one, the calc with the LiPo module is lighter than a HP-25 with NiCads or alkalines, so it's more likely I'll have it with me, and two, the pack works so well that I actually rarely have to worry about charging.

Now I use my HP-25C every day and it's my favorite calc. I think the HP-90 comes second (when I need unit conversions) and I prefer the HP-12C for financial stuff, mostly because of the %T and delta% keys.

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(12-09-2021 09:54 AM)jwr Wrote:  I consider the HP-25C my most useful calculator. To provide some context, I also own and use these models: HP-90

And I thought I already had all of them... ;)

[jwr]

(12-09-2021 11:32 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  

(12-09-2021 09:54 AM)jwr Wrote:  I consider the HP-25C my most useful calculator. To provide some context, I also own and use these models: HP-90

And I thought I already had all of them...

Ugh, edited, sorry — I need to remember about morning coffee before writing replies :-)

[vaklaff]

(12-09-2021 09:54 AM)jwr Wrote:  Why does it work so well? First, it has the perfect form factor: it can be used while held one-handed (my main gripe with the Voyager series).

Being a desk worker I've never really considered that. But for the fun of it I've just went through my small collection of HPs and among them the 25 is indeed the only truly comfortable "one-hand" machine. Of my other machines, the Sinclair Cambridge Programmable is is the only competitor, even smaller yet with large enough keys. However its many cons put it far behind the twenty-fives. A cute calculator nevertheless :-)

(12-09-2021 09:54 AM)jwr Wrote:  The battery pack and the catastrophic charger were a real problem, so I built my own wireless charging module for it (https://partsbox.com/blog/wireless-charg...-2021.html). It had two interesting side effects: one, the calc with the LiPo module is lighter than a HP-25 with NiCads or alkalines, so it's more likely I'll have it with me, and two, the pack works so well that I actually rarely have to worry about charging.

Brilliant! I wish I could make something like that. Unfortunately my "handicraft" stops at building snowmen...

[Dave Britten]

I really like the small form factor and the great keyboard. I just have the humble little 25, but it can do some pretty sophisticated stuff, as evidenced by the included applications book, and the programs that appeared in PPC Journal.

As an aside, was the 25 the first (pocket) HP to have engineering display, or was there something else before it?

[Joe Horn]

(12-09-2021 01:55 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  As an aside, was the 25 the first (pocket) HP to have engineering display, or was there something else before it?

Yes, the HP-25 was HP's first handheld calculator to have ENG mode.

[David Hayden]

My first HP was a 29C, so I'm particularly fond of it.

I love the fact that you can hold and operate it with one hand. So it was very efficient for doing homework.

Programming is fast and easy. Labels and most registers are a single digit, so instructions are very terse. The downside is the dang numeric key codes. If you use it regularly, you can remember the most common ones, but otherwise it's a pain. To get around this, I got a Panamatik LP 29E. Bernhard did a wonderful job of mapping letters to the 7-segment display, so you can read the instructions with a tiny bit of practice.

The bottom line is that most of what you need a calculator for can be done quickly and easily with a 29C.

[teenix]

(12-09-2021 09:52 PM)David Hayden Wrote:  To get around this, I got a Panamatik LP 29E. Bernhard did a wonderful job of mapping letters to the 7-segment display, so you can read the instructions with a tiny bit of practice.

Curious as to how things like CLx, X<>Y, XpowerY and ISZ are displayed. I imagine displaying X and Z with basic 7 segment LEDs is difficult, although H and 2 is close.

cheers

Tony

[Dreato]

Love them. The Woodstock series were more powerful than the original Classic series, but the Woodstocks were more cheaply made. The next series (Spice) continued the trend - more power but even more cheaply built.

[Dave Britten]

I think the only other scientific calculator I have that can be operated with one hand would be the small version of the Casio fx-260 Solar. The Sinclair Cambridge Programmable is small enough, but the keys are so bad that you can barely operate it two-handed, let alone with one hand.

[Jim Horn]

The HP-25 was my first calculator, a graduation gift from my parents in 1975. It served me extremely well for a year and is still a favorite. It was replaced by an HP-67 and given to my younger brother, Joe. It's back but no longer works, with hopes to add Panamatik's magic one of these days.

Regarding using and programming with one hand, as I've often noted, I used to program my '67 with my right hand while driving without looking at it. The monotony of US Interstate 5 between northern and southern California after midnight enabled that which helped keep me awake. Those were the days!

[Trond]

(12-10-2021 08:01 PM)Jim Horn Wrote:  The HP-25 was my first calculator, a graduation gift from my parents in 1975. It served me extremely well for a year and is still a favorite. It was replaced by an HP-67 and given to my younger brother, Joe. It's back but no longer works, with hopes to add Panamatik's magic one of these days.

Regarding using and programming with one hand, as I've often noted, I used to program my '67 with my right hand while driving without looking at it. The monotony of US Interstate 5 between northern and southern California after midnight enabled that which helped keep me awake. Those were the days!

Oh yes, I remember your posts about this earlier, which was one reason why I got myself a nice HP-67, at a horrendous price. I really love it though; it's nice and solid, and the top row of buttons aligning with the program card is just such a neat thing.

[rprosperi]

(12-10-2021 08:01 PM)Jim Horn Wrote:  The HP-25 was my first calculator, a graduation gift from my parents in 1975. It served me extremely well for a year and is still a favorite. It was replaced by an HP-67 and given to my younger brother, Joe. It's back but no longer works, with hopes to add Panamatik's magic one of these days.

Regarding using and programming with one hand, as I've often noted, I used to program my '67 with my right hand while driving without looking at it. The monotony of US Interstate 5 between northern and southern California after midnight enabled that which helped keep me awake. Those were the days!

Strong with the RPN Force these Horns are...