HP 30b Programming

[lrdheat]

While the programming of the HP 30b can be a challenge due to some functions being hidden in menu trees, it can be satisfying, and nice to be able to program in RPN mode! With this unit being so pocketable (more so than the 35S), it is nice to have a few programs available at close reach, while at the same time, having a nice number cruncher, good statistics and regression tools. For financial interests, I imagine it would be a nice pocket unit as well. The solve capability is nice as I can use 0 stored in register 2, and a guess of a root in register 1 which will direct the search for root of my programmed function (a non zero constant can be stored in register 2 if one is interested in obtaining f(x) at the given x. It’s not the most friendly programming environment, but I am having some fun!

[BruceH]

The 30B is a nice machine and a little overlooked, I think.

There are relatively few examples of programs in the General Software Library section of this forum (search for "(30b)") so feel free to add any of yours that you think will be of interest.

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello,

to my deepest shame I must confess that I didn't even know that the HP-30b is programmable. I have two or three, bought with the intention to convert them to WP-34s and WP-31s, but never got beyond browsing through the quick start guide which doesn't mention programmability at all. And there is no "R/S" key either which tells you at first glance. I will need to do some homework and look into the users guide!

Regards
Max

[Pierre]

To program with the 30B you absolutely need the keyboard overlay and also courage.
For example the following "forensics" program:

This is truly "keystroke" programming.

[rprosperi]

(03-12-2024 09:39 PM)Maximilian Hohmann Wrote:  Hello,

to my deepest shame I must confess that I didn't even know that the HP-30b is programmable. I have two or three, bought with the intention to convert them to WP-34s and WP-31s, but never got beyond browsing through the quick start guide which doesn't mention programmability at all. And there is no "R/S" key either which tells you at first glance. I will need to do some homework and look into the users guide!

Regards
Max

You're not missing much Max and not completely wrong assuming it doesn't. Even after you research it, I suspect you will conclude it isn't programmable, at least in the sense of how any post-2000 machine should be programmable. As Pierre correctly states, it is literally keystroke programmable, like cheap machines from the early 70's, and although a big thank-you to Tim and Cyrille is due for trying to add programmability into these models, for folks like us, it really missed the mark, at least IMHO.

[Eddie W. Shore]

I like that the HP 30b had the Black Scholes calculations built it in. However, you would never know it if the calculator did not have the optional, plastic, overlay on it.

Programming on the 30b was kind of a second thought: only 290 keystrokes and as others mentioned, literal keystrokes. That would not be much of a problem had a lot of functions were not buried in menus.

[lrdheat]

Here is my program to find a root of (((x^3)*COS (X/2))+1/2)*SRT(4-X^2):
I used Prgm #1 slot… and am in RPN and RAD mode:

RCL 1 (guess for root of interest)
3
Y^X
RCL 1
2
/
COS
*
2
1/X
+
RCL 1
X^2
+/-
4
+
SQRT
*
RCL 2
-
STOP

Using a guess of -1 for the root closest to that value (store the guess in storage 1), and searching for a root where f(x)=0, store 0 in storage 2.

Hold the blue shift key and the solve key simultaneously (solve is the math menu key) to produce the word SOLVE. Enter 1 to solve for variable 1. Instantly, the correct solution of -.816729997302 appears!

[lrdheat]

To choose, say, Program 1, use the blue shift, then press program key (key just left of +/- key). Pressing the down pointing key chooses a higher program slot number…I already had a program in slot 0, so I placed my root finding program in slot 1.

[lrdheat]

The program that I gave was for a function that cannot produce a result for the -2 and +2 roots as they occur where a change of sign indicating a root in between is an impossibility due to square root of a negative number results for x<-2, x>+2.

Here is a program to find roots of x^3 -5*x^2 -2x/7

RCL 1
3
Y^X
RCL 1
X^2
5
*
-
RCL 1
2
*
7
/
-
RCL 2
-
Stop

Since I am looking for f(x)=0, I store 0 in register 2.

Find the 3 roots:

Storing guess “1” of -.1 to register 1, solve variable 1 instantly produces the root near -.057

Storing guess “2” of 1 to register 1, solve variable 1 instantly produces the root of 0

Storing guess “3” of 4 to register 1, solve variable 1 instantly produces the root near 5.057

[Katie Wasserman]

I think that it's quite programmable, even if a bit verbose.

When the HP-30b first came out I wrote a program to calculate pi to many digits and posted it to the old forum. You can find "693 decimal digits of pi on the HP-30b" here.

[ctrclckws]

(03-28-2024 02:13 PM)Katie Wasserman Wrote:  I think that it's quite programmable, even if a bit verbose.

When the HP-30b first came out I wrote a program to calculate pi to many digits and posted it to the old forum. You can find "693 decimal digits of pi on the HP-30b" here.

Thank you for those programs, A learning experience for me.