Best calculator for the working engineer

[ls41028]

I agree with Ron, if you are going to take an NCEES exam, buy a 35s. I have one that I bought solely to take a couple of exams (I'm a land surveyor, same testing body), and can't complain. I used it almost exclusively for about a year once it became required for NCEES exams, just to familiarize myself with the layout, and it still lives on my desk (one of 9 HPs on my desk right now). I use it on occasion, and I've loaned it to several employees over the years, it continues to work just fine.

[Andreas Grund]

The question should not be which calculator, but which one first. Certainly after the first RPN calculator more will follows, I know from my own experience (which gave and stills gives a lot of pleasure!)

[Voldemar]

(02-25-2016 07:31 AM)Anodos Wrote:  But what non-vintage RPN calculators do have a nice keyboard?

Members recommend to buy a variety of old calculators, but these are hard to find and not cheap. Is no longer a lot of current RPN models. How about HP 12c? HP 12c will not disappear from store shelves for years. The lack of trigonometric functions on HP 12c is disappointment. But for simple calculations, it would be a good. What do You think?

[Tugdual]

(02-26-2016 11:53 AM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(02-25-2016 07:31 AM)Anodos Wrote:  But what non-vintage RPN calculators do have a nice keyboard?

Members recommend to buy a variety of old calculators, but these are hard to find and not cheap. Is no longer a lot of current RPN models. How about HP 12c? HP 12c will not disappear from store shelves for years. The lack of trigonometric functions on HP 12c is disappointment. But for simple calculations, it would be a good. What do You think?

The 12C could so easily become a 15C....

[Voldemar]

(02-26-2016 12:14 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  The 12C could so easily become a 15C....

How to?

[Dave Britten]

(02-26-2016 12:21 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  

(02-26-2016 12:14 PM)Tugdual Wrote:  The 12C could so easily become a 15C....

How to?

With a firmware flash and a little key relabeleing, presumably. But at that point, the price difference between a new 12C and ordering a DM-15L would be pretty trivial.

Side question: Do the DM-1*Ls still display numerically encoded program steps, or does the emulator have some tricks to show alpha step names using the dot matrix display? I'm totally drawing a blank as to whether or not that was a feature.

[rflesch]

The DM1*Ls show the exact same key codes as the original voyager calculators. For the 15L SwissMicros offers an online de/encoder which converts a dump of the calculator memory into alpha step names such as "RCL 9" etc. Don't know whether that works for the 16L though.

[Dave Britten]

(02-26-2016 04:05 PM)rflesch Wrote:  The DM1*Ls show the exact same key codes as the original voyager calculators. For the 15L SwissMicros offers an online de/encoder which converts a dump of the calculator memory into alpha step names such as "RCL 9" etc. Don't know whether that works for the 16L though.

Okay, I may be thinking of some other emulator/simulator that did that on the fly, then. Or it may just be a complete fabrication of my subconscious.

[rpn fan]

I have a good assortment of HP 11c /HP 15c's, HP 42s/32s, and their nice double-shot keys are great.

However, nothing is more positive in use than the news keys on a HP 15 LE or HP 35s. I am not so sure about the relative durability of the new keys vs the old - I'm sure the vintage will win out here. Thus far, the "new" keyboards have been holding up just fine for me. But a properly working "new" keyboard is better by a decent margin. TO ME.

If you are calculating on the go, nothing beats the form factor of the HP 11c or HP 15c.

[Csaba Tizedes]

(02-26-2016 11:53 AM)Voldemar Wrote:  HP 12c ... for simple calculations ...

Simple?! I implemented a SOLVE (i) on it and works really good, very little slower than 15C's SOLVE and easily fits into the little memory. I can calculate with it lots of engineering tasks well.

Csaba

[Jlouis]

(02-26-2016 10:03 PM)Csaba Tizedes Wrote:  

(02-26-2016 11:53 AM)Voldemar Wrote:  HP 12c ... for simple calculations ...

Simple?! I implemented a SOLVE (i) on it and works really good, very little slower than 15C's SOLVE and easily fits into the little memory. I can calculate with it lots of engineering tasks well.

Csaba

Could you share with us Csaba?

TIA

[Csaba Tizedes]

(02-26-2016 11:17 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  HP12C SOLVE (i) ... Could you share with us Csaba?

Of course, I'm workin on a readable version and you can enjoy it this weekend
This will be better than Oscar 2016

Csaba

[Jlouis]

(02-27-2016 09:17 AM)Csaba Tizedes Wrote:  

(02-26-2016 11:17 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  HP12C SOLVE (i) ... Could you share with us Csaba?

Of course, I'm workin on a readable version and you can enjoy it this weekend
This will be better than Oscar 2016

Csaba

Thanks a lot Csaba.

It will be very useful indeed.

Cheers

JL

[walter b]

Looking forward to it as well. Thanks in advance.

d:-)

[Marcio]

You may also like these by Valentin Albillo:

HP-12C Serendipitous Solver

HP-12C Tried & Tricky Trigonometrics

Enjoy.

[Voldemar]

Aha, HP 12c can well be used by engineers.

[walter b]

A good engineer can use a lot, though some tools suit him better than others.

d;-)

[Dave Britten]

(02-27-2016 05:18 PM)Voldemar Wrote:  Aha, HP 12c can well be used by engineers.

Let's be careful not to confuse "can" and "should", though there are certainly some impressive tricks that have been devised for the 12C.

[Jlouis]

I have this 30th anniversary 12c and it's fast and although I don't like fast machines (the "thinking" running or flickering numbers are a delight to me), I liked the idea of a faster solver to play with.

This is Saturday night here, the children are with their aunt, my wife already ordered pizza....
Hmmmm I don't know....I think I''ll try Valentin's 12c solver....too old to rock'roll, too young to die...

[John Smitherman]

i'm streaming a Rugby match between Brazil and the USA. I have no idea when the match was played - the broadcast is in Spanish. It's a good match so far - BR 6 US 0.

Cheers,

John