Any experienced users of hp calculators in Berlin?

[Rafa]

Hi,

i'm often confronted with the fact that users of hp calculators know their preferred devices inside out: programming, hacks, crafting functions not included originally, and even repair!

i'm not a collector, i want to use my calculator and i would like to do so with some degree of confidence. So far i have been mucking my way about the calculators that i have (35s and 28s) and slowly getting myself familiar with them and when impatience gets the best of me i look online for whatever specific problem i stumbled on. This has been mildly helpful with the 35s but the 28s is quite complex and available help online seem to always assume a certain level of knowledge.

I realised that in previous years universities or students themselves would offer a tutorial course on an hp calculator that is particularly used in a field of study and out of these courses a sort of club would emerge where people dig deep into their hp calculators and working on extensive programs and things like that.

This might be a thing of the past, but i can imagine how helpful to meet with others where you can learn in person and can ask all the novice questions you have.
I am not using my calculators for anything complex, i go to an evening school for adults to get the Abitur, A-Levels, Matura, or whatever you call your last year at school in your countries that opens the door for a university study.

Are there people in Berlin (Germany) who use/used hp calculators and would be willing to share their knowledge over a beer? in particular experience with RPL as in the 28s, 48, and 50g but also general programmable RPN of hp.

cheers!

[rprosperi]

I am not in Berlin (though I very much wish to visit someday) but I suggest you try this book, written by Bill Wickes, the overall project manager and architect for the 28S Operating System, RPL.

https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/1590

It is more of a tutorial format than a manual's approach, and his writing style is comfortable and easy to follow along, building upon each step. He also wrote similar books for the HP-48SX and -48GX which are IMHO even better, but those models are sufficiently different that these may not be helpful. But if you like RPL, I strongly recommend you explore getting one of these models as RPL matured a lot when growing from 28 - 48, where it became more flexible and powerful.

[Rafa]

(05-30-2024 12:00 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  I am not in Berlin (though I very much wish to visit someday) but I suggest you try this book, written by Bill Wickes, the overall project manager and architect for the 28S Operating System, RPL.

https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/1590

It is more of a tutorial format than a manual's approach, and his writing style is comfortable and easy to follow along, building upon each step. He also wrote similar books for the HP-48SX and -48GX which are IMHO even better, but those models are sufficiently different that these may not be helpful. But if you like RPL, I strongly recommend you explore getting one of these models as RPL matured a lot when growing from 28 - 48, where it became more flexible and powerful.

Thanks for the tip, i did find this book a short while ago and intend to print it out next week. i only peeked briefly into it and yeah i did get the impression that it does not assume prior knowledge on the part of the reader.

I just thought it will great meeting with people who for similar or different reasons like using hp calculators and could learn from them practical insights into my calculators but also i'm intrigued by the different ways hp calcs woven themselves into people lives and how people came to appreciate those devices.

I recently have been to a shop on the outskirts of the city that specialises in batteries, wanted to check for an alternative to the N type exerting such a force on the battery cap in my 28s. The guy in the shop appreciated hp calculators (many in Germany are familiar with them as hp at one point had a production plant here). we ended up chatting and tossing ideas about a solution for the batteries and i realised i enjoyed this shared appreciation. That's why i thought i might be able to find on the forum some people living in my vicinity.

by the way, when you do finally find your self in Berlin, feel free to contact me and we can have a drink.

[rprosperi]

Here is another book by Wickes "HP 41/HP 48 Transitions" which is obviously specific to an experienced 4 user, but for the basics, 41 is just one of many RPN machines. For the initial learning curve this may be best, but after basics, it moves into more 41-specific behavior, which is why I suggested the other book first.

https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/1614

When I do come to Berlin, I will indeed look you up for a few famous German Beers. Which I like.

I have an "HP friend" that lives in/near Berlin, I will contact him and try to put him in touch with you.

Enjoy the new toys!

[Rafa]

(05-30-2024 05:08 PM)rprosperi Wrote:  Here is another book by Wickes "HP 41/HP 48 Transitions" which is obviously specific to an experienced 4 user, but for the basics, 41 is just one of many RPN machines. For the initial learning curve this may be best, but after basics, it moves into more 41-specific behavior, which is why I suggested the other book first.

https://literature.hpcalc.org/items/1614

When I do come to Berlin, I will indeed look you up for a few famous German Beers. Which I like.

I have an "HP friend" that lives in/near Berlin, I will contact him and try to put him in touch with you.

Enjoy the new toys!

that will be great! thanks. and yeah, there's a nice 3 digits number of beers to last you months of sampling. i've settled on 4 after trying maybe 20. i can use the opportunity to try add few more to my list of favourites : )

i will check both books, thanks for the tips!

[FLISZT]

Hallo,

Here is a list of books about the HP 28S (→ https://literature.hpcalc.org/#model:28S) which might be useful.
(not forgetting the 28C → https://literature.hpcalc.org/#model:28C)

Just select your favorite language(s).

cheers

[Rafa]

(05-30-2024 08:12 PM)FLISZT Wrote:  Hallo,

Here is a list of books about the HP 28S (→ https://literature.hpcalc.org/#model:28S) which might be useful.
(not forgetting the 28C → https://literature.hpcalc.org/#model:28C)

Just select your favorite language(s).

cheers

Hello Bruno,
many thanks!

[Hiwi]

Hi Rafa,
i am an experienced user of the HP48 and Hp28S. And I like to share everything. I love the philosophy of repair cafés. I am an active member of the rapair café in our town.

And I am using my HP48 every day private and at work.

I live in Hamburg but I have a very fast motorcycle, so I like joining a meeting at Berlin, if you will get a meeting going. But avoiding the beer :-)

What about a zoom or jitsi meeting?

Ralf

PS. Are you the guy which I have explained the directory structure of the HP28S and the polynom solution with the solver last year? He was from Berlin, I remember.

[Rafa]

(06-04-2024 10:05 AM)Hiwi Wrote:  Hi Rafa,
i am an experienced user of the HP48 and Hp28S. And I like to share everything. I love the philosophy of repair cafés. I am an active member of the rapair café in our town.

And I am using my HP48 every day private and at work.

I live in Hamburg but I have a very fast motorcycle, so I like joining a meeting at Berlin, if you will get a meeting going. But avoiding the beer :-)

What about a zoom or jitsi meeting?

Ralf

PS. Are you the guy which I have explained the directory structure of the HP28S and the polynom solution with the solver last year? He was from Berlin, I remember.

Hi Ralf,

nice to hear from you! I am not that guy, you gonna have to explain that directory structure once more to me, though : )

So i am new to nearly everything, to programmable calculators, to RPN, to RPL and have rudimentary high-school level of maths skills. But i discovered i liked maths and appreciate hp calculators -i was first bitten by this hp bug during childhood seeing my father's 15c but back then i was intimidated by maths.

Therefore i know no one in a physical proximity who shares this interest and wouldn't be very keen on organising things. I thought i would reach out on the forum to find someone in my vicinity to casually meet over a coffee and i could learn the ins and outs of my hp 28s.

a jitsi/zoom meeting is very good idea and when either of us find himself in Berlin or Hamburg then we could meet in person for a coffee and cake : )

when during the weekdays do you normally have time to fit in a call?
write me a PM if you prefer.

Grüße!