HP-16C

[limsiangwee]

Sure it has been said that the HP-16C is special because it is the one and only ever made for programmers. But, what is it that makes it special? Just because it is the one and only? Or, because it is made for programmers? What is your opinion?

[Paul Berger (Canada)]

The 16C is not the only programmer's calculator ever made, but it is the only one HP ever made. What makes it special is its design and function set. I have not used another binary calculator that comes close to it in terms of function and ease of use. The WP-34S also has a very good set of binary functions, however in my view they are not as easy to use, because extra key stokes are required to access the functions, a typical trade off that is made when including binary functions on an all purpose calculator.

[Gene]

Well, there were other calculators aimed at programmers, but none as capable as the HP 16c, IMO.

Texas Instruments:

Introduced in August 1977:
TI Programmer

Introduced in April 1982:
Bad keyboard LCD TI Programmer

Fixed in 1985:
Much better keyboard LCD TI Programmer


Just an FYI. None of these compare to the HP 16c, of course! :-)

[Paul Dale]

(06-23-2015 10:37 AM)limsiangwee Wrote:  Sure it has been said that the HP-16C is special because it is the one and only ever made for programmers. But, what is it that makes it special? Just because it is the one and only? Or, because it is made for programmers? What is your opinion?

There is a modified WP 34S firmware image that pulls most/all of the logical functions directly to the keyboard. With this, it is more capable than the 16C -- more functions and more flexible functions, an extra sign mode, more bases, more memory.


- Pauli

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(06-23-2015 12:12 PM)Gene Wrote:  Well, there were other calculators aimed at programmers, but none as capable as the HP 16c, IMO.

Texas Instruments:

Please don't forget my preferred one!

[Jake Schwartz]

(06-23-2015 12:12 PM)Gene Wrote:  Well, there were other calculators aimed at programmers, but none as capable as the HP 16c, IMO.

Texas Instruments:

It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements. Info is here.

[Gene]

A 16C rom for the 41CL is listed on Monte's reference page, but I haven't seen it in action yet.

[Sanjeev Visvanatha]

(06-23-2015 03:04 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 12:12 PM)Gene Wrote:  Well, there were other calculators aimed at programmers, but none as capable as the HP 16c, IMO.

Texas Instruments:

It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements. Info is here.

Jake, this is still for sale? Does it come with the overlay as well?

[Thomas Klemm]

(06-23-2015 12:44 PM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  Please don't forget my preferred one!

How could we forget this old thread: HP-16C versus SR-22?

[Jake Schwartz]

(06-23-2015 04:29 PM)Sanjeev Visvanatha Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 03:04 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements. Info is here.

Jake, this is still for sale? Does it come with the overlay as well?

Yes and yes, however it is only for the '48; it wasn't updated for the 49 or 50.

Jake

[Thomas Klemm]

(06-23-2015 03:04 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements.

Here's another one:

(06-23-2015 05:40 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  it wasn't updated for the 49 or 50.

Quote:So, what versions are available for running on the HP-49G+/50G?

HP-1XE: All four emulators (HP-11E, HP-12E, HP-15E/X and HP-16E).

[ElectroDuende]

(06-23-2015 03:04 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements. Info is here.

Being a 26k library... will it fit in a 48G?

[Ángel Martin]

(06-23-2015 03:51 PM)Gene Wrote:  A 16C rom for the 41CL is listed on Monte's reference page, but I haven't seen it in action yet.

Good things happen to those who wait... ;-)

Teaser: the MCODE emulator will be everything the 16C has and yet some more.
And I have to concur on the statements about the 16C being special - it really is a class by itself

[Jake Schwartz]

(06-23-2015 09:22 PM)ElectroDuende Wrote:  

(06-23-2015 03:04 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  It isn't quite a separate calculator, but there is the HP-16C Emulator library for the HP48SX/GX, which is a full emulation of the 16C with a few enhancements. Info is here.

Being a 26k library... will it fit in a 48G?

I can't remember whether that had actually been attempted. It would probably be safe to assume "no".

Jake

[matthiaspaul]

(06-23-2015 05:40 PM)Jake Schwartz Wrote:  it is only for the '48; it wasn't updated for the 49 or 50.

Which is really a pity. I would love to use it on a 50g as well.

I particularly like the idea of integrating the 16's more advanced capabilities to work with integer numbers in alternative bases (hex, oct, bin) into the 48's RPL stack and programming environment, even allowing to work with floating-point numbers in other bases (although this is limited by the fact that such numbers have to be stored in strings).
In fact, this library is something that Hewlett-Packard should have adopted, made an integral part of the firmware and further build on it when they developed the 49G, like Metakernel and Erable.

Greetings,

Matthias

[matthiaspaul]

(06-23-2015 08:02 PM)Thomas Klemm Wrote:  Here's another one:

Quote:So, what versions are available for running on the HP-49G+/50G?

HP-1XE: All four emulators (HP-11E, HP-12E, HP-15E/X and HP-16E).

I haven't tried HrastProgrammer's HP-16E emulator myself yet (it is a bit on the pricey side just to give it a try), but it seems to be great to run existing programs for the 16C on modern calculators without modifications.

However, the fact, that it runs the original HP microcode in an emulator also means that the functionality will remain limited to that of the old calculator, even though the modern system would allow for much more (larger display for multi-line stack display or even graphics which could be used to visualize more advanced operations on integer numbers, larger memory to store streams of data to be processed etc.). Therefore I find Jake's approach to integrate the 16's capabilities into the RPL environment as much as possible much more forward-oriented. Of course, the real solution would be to conceptually integrate the functionality into RPL itself (and then further build on it by adding more advanced bit and stream manipulating functions etc.), perhaps a task for newRPL or the "WP 43s"...

Greetings,

Matthias

[ndzied1]

I'll probably catcch some grief for this but the programmer view of the windows built in calculator is actually pretty good.

[Graan]

Agree on win calc . Used it many times when programming ucontrollers and other programs.