HP reverse polish notation scientific calculator

me | today | me

[Always Right]

Had one, hated it.

If you are involved in long mathematical equations, there is no other way.

[BADROTOFINGER]

I have the addy of a website that repairs HPs. I dont have it here, but I will forward it home tomorrow and get it for you. The website was forwarded to a bunch of land surveyors (like me) in case our calculators break down. I will let you know...JFK

[HangnJudge]

My dad got an HP-45 in the mid 1970's

You and Prismsinc are making me fell kinda ... OLD
Georgia Tech '73-'78

[ThomasThomas]

In Reverse Polish notation the operators are before the operand. It not really backward as some say or starting with the answer as you suggest, but sideways as only old hippie programmers with pony tails can truly think.

[Buck W.]

I’ve had an HP-15C for years and love it. Personally, I just can’t use a non-RPN calculator anymore. The best part about owning an RPN calculator is enjoying the confusion of others who are not RPN-inclined who ask to borrow it.

[BADROTOFINGER]

Yeah, that is pretty entertaining isnt it? Hahahaha....JFK

[Fresh Wind]

I bought my 45 right after the first price cut, at $350.

I hate any calculator with an equal key.

Here’s a PC based RPN calculator which I use:

http://excalibur.en.softonic.com/

[mamelukesabre]

Not quite.

RPN sounded real cutting edge and cerebral when a computer geek tried to explain it to a liberal arts major. But one day I explained it to my grandfather and he just stared at me with an annoyed look and said...”what are you jibber jabbering about?! That’s just a plain old adding machine!”

Then he showed me how his state of the art fancy schmancy electric adding machine worked. It was the size of a toaster oven. And sure enough, it was pretty much reverse polish notation. It didn’t have trig functions though. But still...

He was faster than me too.

I couldn’t wait to tell all my geeky college buddies what my gramps showed me. They were stunned.

[oldfart]

I’ve taken several HP calculators apart nd I can tell you that spraying anything in the keypad isn’t going to do any good.

Under the keypad is a thin sheet of bubbled plastic. Each bubble corresponds to one of the keys. The under side of the bubble has an even thinner coat of some sort of conductor. When you press on a key it pushes down on the bubble which makes the conductor contact a couple of points on a circuit-board which tells the processor what to do.

Your calculator needs a new plastic bubble sheet and they don’t make ‘em any more. I’d suggest you hit the pawn shops or Ebay for a whole new (to you) calculator.

[cynwoody]

I still have my HP 12C business calculator.

I have two of those. I lost the first one, bought another at Service Merchandise, then found the first one. Back in the mid-eighties, if memory serves.

I see they are still selling them, and for about the same price (again, if memory serves). Incredible.

[Cyber Liberty]

There is still a thriving market for RPN calculators. Show me an engineer, any engineer, and I’ll show you someone who prefers RPN. The 48 is probably shot. You got your money’s worth out of it.

[USMCPOP]

I have an HP-30 and an old Melcor 400 around here somewhere. Both work fine as far as I know. Get a 50 while you can.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP-50#HP_50g

[GovernmentShrinker]

Why not get what you really want. Type HP48G into eBay’s search. There’s actually one new one, still sealed in original package, Buy it Now for $229 (says manual is in Spanish, so perhaps they were on the market longer in some Spanish speaking countries than here). Also 4 used ones, including one with a $79 Buy it Now option (from the same seller as the new one). Another poster noted Amazon. I tend to prefer eBay, due to more detailed feedback and seller discipline systems, but if it’s cheap enough Amazon’s definitely worth a try too.

[AppyPappy]

You people scare me. Buy a freaking notebook computer.

[GovernmentShrinker]

as only old hippie programmers with pony tails can truly think

Actually, nearly every financial professional and/or finance major and/or B-school grad thinks in RPN too. The HP12C has been such a staple for such a long time.

[cynwoody]

You could look for one of these on eBay. Totally mechanical. No batteries or switches.

Flash simulation

Or you could just get an iPhone.

[GovernmentShrinker]

I have a great little sub-notebook size Sony Vaio. Has nothing to do with calculators. When I was in banking, I often had my HP12C in front of me at the same time as I was working on an Excel spreadsheet. For a lot of things, calculators are just more convenient.

[r9etb]

Does anyone know if there is an easy fix to my old 48?

Nope. My HP41CX died the same way....

And I'm with you on RPN, too. It's the best!

[Vendome]

                                                            What about one of these?  Off the grid and no pesky buttons

 

[19th LA Inf]

I learned RPN on a desktop machine years before personal calculators came on the market; can't remember who built it, but I have owned two or three HP scientific calculators. Still use my HP28S daily, but I never learned to program it because I didn't seem to be able to understand the operation manual. On the other hand, the HP35 was a snap to write very simple programs. I used to do rudimentary ray traces with it.

Being an old TI hand (1958-68) I later really enjoyed an urban legend that was going around Dallas. Seems that J. Fred Bucy, TI's CEO at the time, was prowling through the vast open engineering area and spotted an HP calculator on an unfortunate engineer's desk. He grabbed up the offending object and smashed it on the floor. Take that, you Polack calculator!