Collecting calculators - a sickness?

[Omaroo]

I admit that I have a weakness for calculators - both new and vintage. My nerd gene is pretty dominant, so I'm putting it down to that. They'll have a cure one day I'm sure, but until then I can't wait for my new HP41CV to arrive. I landed it horribly cheaply... :) HP calculators are usually going for a fortune on eBay these days.

A couple of my favourites in my collection, some from from way-back:

Hewlett Packard HP41CV
Hewlett Packard 35S
Hewlett Packard 32E
Hewlett Packard 33E - thanks Bert!
Hewlett Packard 33C (first with continuous memory) - thanks Bert!
Hewlett Packard 12C

Elektronika MK-61 (Russian RPN calculator from the mid-80's)

I've always loved HP's tactile keyboards and RPN logic rather than algebraic. The Russian MK-61 is really interesting too - and being heavily influenced by HP, the Russians made a fine calculator that's ultimately hackable. They didn't provide any safety features in the design, so you can access a pile of undocumented functions. I really like the green vacuum fluorescent display too.

Hmmmm... HP35 - the original hand-held scientific calculator.... I want one.... and a HP67CX... and a....

I have a dozen other "lesser" algebraic calclators floating around, like a couple of T.I.'s etc, (them's fightin' words to a T.I. owner - LOL!) but they don't hold the fascination for me for some reason. I wouldn't mind a Casio FX-702P programmable though - just because I had one years ago and loved it.

[DavidU]

No worries there Chris. Collecting vintage watches as I do is a tad nerdy.

[erick]

Yes, a sickness indeed!

Surely you can get your hands on a HP35?

Tell us about some interesting undocumented functionality in some of these?

[Omaroo]

They're actually quite hard to get in excellent condition. There are a few about on FleaBay, but they're pretty-well stoofed cosmetically. I can wait though... :)

Here's a good page on the Russian Elektronika MK-61 hacks: http://www.alfredklomp.com/technology/mk-61/

Hewlett-Packard were a bit more..well... careful in their design.

[matt]

:lol: Classic!!!

Are they all working, Chris?

[Omaroo]

LOL! I also collect LED watches David - from the originals (early 70's) forward. Arrghhh! :help:

[Omaroo]

Absolutely Matt! :thumbsup:

[erick]

Damn it! You've got me reading interesting stuff now:-

"The earliest production HP-35 units had a small hole to the right of the on/off switch. When the HP-35 was turned on, a red spot showed through this hole. This was soon removed - you could see the HP-35 was on anyway, because the display lit up! Even if the batteries were low, you could see the switch was at the side marked ON."

"I believe only about 10,000 of these "HP-35 with a hole" were made - but owners knew they had a collector's item, so they are nearly all still in existence. Ones in reasonable condition sell for at least $250 in the US - about £200 in the UK. One with its original plastic carrying box, leather case, AC charger, manual and stick-on "PROPERTY OF" labels can sell for $350 or more."


My first calculator was the size of half a house brick, took several AA batteries, had the green tube type display and would do +, -, * and / AND %!! Luxury! early 70s.

I remember the engineers spittin' chips. They paid big bucks for their HP35s, then the HP45s came in well under that price.

[DavidU]

How many Pulsars do you have? LOL

[Omaroo]

Only three :( I also have a couple of Seikos from the late 70's too. Add to those - a pile of retro knock-offs. LOL!

I want this one next though... a little different, but uber-cool. Pity it's only a concept build though... :( http://gadgetophilia.com/hiranao-tsubois-new-digital-led-watch-to-go-crazy-over/#more-1068

[kustard]

I have a Casio FX-850P, a newer version of the FX-720P. It still works if prodded though the screen has issues. I bought it back in 1989 and have only just recently upgraded to one of those TI-nspire calculators. I'm by no means a TI fanboi (I used to own a nice Sharp scientific calc (EL-??? can't remember) before it got run over when it fell out of my bike bag) I just needed something with graphing and it was the only one I could get at short notice.

The problem with the TI-nspire is that if you haven't used it for a few days it needs to "boot up" which takes a good minute.

[FredSnerd]

Hey Chris

Have you sought professional help. You know its not a good idea to self treat these things :lol:

[gary]

Hi Chris,

Do you remember the Hewlett Packard HP-01 Wrist Watch/Calculators?
Uber-geek. :)

Best Regards

Gary
HP calculator user since 1975

[TrevorW]

Theres no a counting for peoples taste

[Baddad]

Hi Chris, :)

I agree with Claude. Seek external help. My son is a psychologist but he is in Arizona. He maybe can recommend someone nearer. :lol:

Not a bad hobby I suppose. I still have a few old computers. 80386. I threw out the old Amstrad 6128.:P

Interesting reading, I used to own some old HPs.:thumbsup:

Cheers Marty

[Omaroo]

LOL! Too right have Gary! They're a bit of a luxo item these days - no change from a $grand! Geez it'd be nice though!

http://cgi.ebay.com/HP01-HEWLETT-PACKARD-HP-01-1977-LED-Calculator-watch_W0QQitemZ200396345082QQcmdZVi ewItemQQptZCalculators?hash=item2ea 88d8efa

http://www.oldcalculatormuseum.com/hp-01.html

[jjjnettie]

You're one sad puppy Chris.:lol:

I collect Coronation Albums and rocks shaped like feet.:)

[Omaroo]

LOL! I also collect Pugs Jeanette :lol: They "round" my obsessions off!

Foot-shaped rocks huh? Interesting......! :lol: And you call me nuts!:D

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol Chris now thats an odd thing to be collecting calculators i havnt heard of that before :thumbsup:

[chrisp9au]

I don't collect calculators, but I have a bit of an obsession when ever I see an old one, to see what happens when you divide a number by zero!

In the early days calculators would go off searching for the result, rather than give you an 'E', it was mesmerising to watch them work!:D

Cheers :thumbsup:
Chris

[jjjnettie]

Well, you know how it is.
I have a friend who collects sick bags from the airlines.
(unused of course)

[sheeny]

:lol: Good stuff Chris.

I was from the dark side... I still have my original TI-58 and the TI-59 and thermal printer that I upgraded to:P. All the programs on the magnetic cards still work:thumbsup:.

The main scientific calculator I use at work is an old Sharp fully solar powered thing I bought on a whim while I was at Uni... it amuses people who consult with me when I pick up the calculator, hold it at a particular angle, flex it's body until the tracks connect the LCD screen and then punch in numbers:lol:... for some reason they often ask "are you sure?" even when the answer is obviously correct!:lol:

I still have my original Microbee computer packed away in the shed:P. It started life as a 32k tape drive system, but after I finished uni I upgraded it to "chook-in-a-book" status:D. Sometime after that IBM came out with the PC...

BTW I used to have my father's slide-rule... but I haven't seen that for a few years now... I wonder where that went...

:)

Al.

[erick]

I remember! That was great - the display digits would keep flickering until you killed it.

[chrisp9au]

Showing my age again! :D
Chris

[Omaroo]

LOL!

So - what "words" did you display on yours - either right way up or upside down?

Here's a pretty good list: http://www.langmaker.com/calculatorwords.htm

[erick]

55378008 - that's me!

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol Eric :thumbsup:

[Astro78]

LOL Chris that's great :rofl:

happy hunting

Update: Just found this site, but take it you'd be well up to speed?

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/sumlock_anita.html

[jjjnettie]

You're a bad boy Eric.:lol:

[Omaroo]

No - hadn't come across that one! Thank you sir! :) Interesting reading. I'd luuurve a 1011!

[multiweb]

My dad still got the original TI-99 from texas instrument and the base with the print roll. It also had the slot on the side with the magnetic cards to save programs.

[troypiggo]

When I was at uni I had a HP42. Awesome calculator - fast, and you hit the buttons and you know they were hit and registered. Click.

Started work (structural engineer), decided to "upgrade" to a HP48. Nice clicky buttons, but bit slower.

Office fire, insurance money and I bought the latest HP49. Woeful. hit buttons doing fast calcs and they weren't registering, the nice click feel gone. Horrible.

Recently cracked it and bought the new HP35s. Nice clicky feel is back, pretty fast, but sometimes the buttons don't seem to register. Just slows things down when you're not 100% confident that because you felt a click, it registered.

Oh for my original HP42 back again... it was all downhill after that beauty.

I know the HP41 is a bit of a cult classic too.

[Omaroo]

I quite like the 35S Troy, and haven't had the need to question its key depressions as yet. Maybe I just don't use it as heavily as you do? I must say, the 41CV and 32E are brilliant in that regard - as is the 12C. I'd love an 11C.

[troypiggo]

Yeah, it cops a pretty heavy workout. And when you're doing calcs, you want to not have to look at the screen, fingers pretty much fly over the keyboard. You want the click to be a guaranteed register.

It does help now that I'm so experienced at the sort of calcs we're doing, you pretty much know the ballpark of the answers you're going to get anyway, so you know as soon as you see the result the calculator gives you if something was entered incorrectly. It's usually out by a factor of 10 at least - most calcs are multiplication type formulae, not addition if you know what I mean.

[GrahamL]

no worries Jeanette :thumbsup:.. Does everyone else think they
look like a foot ? :P.

Had a family member show up out of the blue last week , hes collecting hills hoists :help:.. he'd had bought his latest aquisition off e bay for 50 cents and had just driven 250 kms to pick it up from round the corner from us.. while we were having a cuppa he spotted our old beaten up line out back and said .. "you know that peg baskets original".. "and they are hard to get hold of these days".. Saw him off with his dimantled ratty old clothsline filling the inside of his car .. and thought man I hope you didn't tell the people round the corner where we live .

calculaters are pretty tame chris .

[koputai]

Got a bunch of early TI's myself, mostly VFD and LED, plus a couple of old Japanese four function house bricks!
My favourite in the collection is the TI-76 "Spirit of 76", it's a red white and blue USA Bicentenial special issue.

Cheers,
Jason.

[Astro78]

Most strangely so do I now too.

I wont panic just yet, they're 'retro' and that's cool ;)

[Omaroo]

Dang!!!! Here's a 1000 going on FleaBay!

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Vintage-Sumlock-Anita-1000-LSI-Calculator-Nixie_W0QQitemZ260495350051QQcmdZVi ewItemQQptZUK_Consumer_VintageAudio _RL?hash=item3ca6bb9923

[jjjnettie]

Oh, aye, they do. Then they look at me kinda strange as they're backing slooowwly away from me.:screwy: :rofl:

[Astro78]

It's even got a HAL9000 type name. ANITA, she sounds a little evil, wonder if your likely to come home and have to argue to be let in through your front door. LOL - what am I on about??

[Jen]

:lol::lol: lol JJJ
I have a phobia of feet i cant stand them LOL :confused2:
Jen slowly backs away from JJJ too :rofl:
:scared3:

[marki]

Got quite a collection myself Chris. Everytime the curriculum changes so do the calculators so I have to get a new one each time as well as the inevitable evolutions along the way. Not a big fan of HP calculators although I have owned and do own a few. I used to have one with RPN which was a bit of a pain but was fully programmable if you knew HP speak. My all time favourite would be the sharp EL-548G. Even though it only had a single line display I somehow became one with that calculator and always knew where I was (memorised the menu's). Geek, hell yes :D.

Mark

[avandonk]

I have got a HP 33E and HP33 C if you want them? There are also some manuals and mathpac's somewhere. Found them! I have spent so much time using them before decent computers I have no love for them at all. I just could not throw them out though.

Bert

[Omaroo]

PLEASE Bert!!!!!! :eyepop::eyepop::eyepop: :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: :D :D :D

PM sent!

[DavidU]

Chris has probably had a heart attack !!! Chris are you there??:lol:

[Omaroo]

Oh! Flutter, flutter! I've recovered now! :lol:

Brilliant! :D

[DavidU]

I have a Casio fx-82L S-VPAM ,any good?

[avandonk]

I made Chris an offer he could not refuse!

Bert

[Omaroo]

Note to self: Bert is a really great bloke. :)

Thanks Bert - they'll be great additions to the growing collection. :thumbsup:

:cool:

[marki]

Now all you have to do is put them all to good use. Perhaps a solution to the gravity problem might be in order :P:D:D:D.

Mark

[Omaroo]

They were a good calc David. If I remember, Casio were trying to keep it smart enough to have plenty of scientific functionality without it being programmable as such. I suppose that it was another, like the HP32E, that hoped to make into lots of late high school school bags and exams because it could not pre-store formulae.

[avandonk]

Chris the batteries are most probably way past their use by date. I have only one AC adapter. Both calculators were working when the batteries were OK.

My first calculator was a HP35 in 1971?. I wore it out! At that time they were $135 when my salary was about $50 a week. At Kodak we had the mechanical Marchant caculators. They divided by subtracting. If you did not move the decimal point it would crank all day to get an answer. Tell that to the young people today and they won't believe you.

Bert

[Omaroo]

LOL! That's perfect Bert - thank you again! :)

Yes, there were some quirky workarounds that didn't take them long to figure out. I'd LOVE an HP35. As I said to Eric, they are around but a really good one is now a very rare and exxy item. :sadeyes:

[avandonk]

I just realized the Mathpac is for the HP 35. My memory is not as clear as I thought. A colleague at CSIRO Ekeichi Suzuki gave it to me so long ago. He died of cancer over twenty five years ago. Seeing both of these calculators again has stirred up memories I thought I had lost. I am glad they are going to a good home where they will be loved not abandoned in a drawer in the dark.

Bert

[mac]

:shrug: I don't really understand the appeal of calculators, but hey, each to their own!

[MrB]

Hold on to that, it's an important part of Australia's history.


Believe it or not... they still do ;)

[Omaroo]

Matt, vintage calculators are snapshots in time, which in itself is very interesting. When they first came out they were technological marvels of the age. Each subsequent model that came out reflected the amount of development that had occurred since the previous one. It was brilliant seeing it all happen back in the 70's and 80's. Much like watching the desktop computer bloom over that time too. It's all to be taken for granted these days.

[DavidU]

In the early 70's a family friend flew over from the US and showed me this wondrous thing ( I think was a Texas Instruments DataMath).I stayed up all night playing with it. It had rechargeable battery's. Wow that was long ago.

[Davros]

Well at least you dont collect old landrovers :shrug::shrug: they take up much more space.

[Omaroo]

Yep Al - I have a Microbee and its predecessor - the Z-80 based S-100 bus system from Applied Technology in Lindfield. This bus structure was used most famously by both Altair and Imsai as the underpinning of the first real home computers running CP/M and MP/M. I built mine up from component level - piece by piece around 1981. Great fun!

[avandonk]

What was that line in Red Dwarf from Kreiten for his proof of robot heaven when asked about the existence of a robot heaven.
I think his answer was something like 'where do all the dead calculators go?'

Sorry!

Bert

[Omaroo]

But I do... :lol:

[Astro78]

How on earth, who collects land rovers( ;) Chris), how'd you call that one Mick?

[michaellxv]

Was that you I saw on the Collecters a few weeks back?

Personally I prefer to look at other people's collections.

Michael

[erick]

Bert, I remember using a mechanical calculator at CSR in 1973/4. It was fascinating watching it do division. The wheels clunked round and round!

It was something like this, I think:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A80u6dFpfVw

Sorry Chris, have gone all pre-electronic on you, but not pre-electrical!

[Omaroo]

I have a couple of these too Eric! :)

The Magic Brain calculator:

[erick]

My goodness - you are a sick puppy :lol:

Ain't that cute!

Now, what about your slide rule collection? :rolleyes:

[avandonk]

Erick the Marchants were 20 digit accuracy and when it was in action stand clear! As young bad lads we would have competitions to see who could do the most dynamic computation!

Bert

[Davros]

I have ways of knowing, Chris and i share that particular affliction. :D:D

[stephenb]

Chris, I know where you are coming from, mate.

My father, who worked in the financial sector for most of his life owned just about every single model of HP caluculator. He still have a couple left. I think I have one tucked away.

I used to collect vintage home computers, including:

IBM XT
IBM AT
Televideo TPC
various laptops from the mid-late 1980's
One each of Pentium 286, 386, 486 etc.
Apple IIe's
Apple Lisa and original Macs
Spectrum Z80 / Dick Smith VZ200/300
Tandy TRS80 and Commodore Vic 20 and 64.

All in mint condition, all working perfectly, and all with the software installed from their era. I started talks with another person about opening up a museum/permenant display somewhere, but never eventuated, so I sold them all to other collectors.

I still have a small collection of 5.25, 7.5 floppy discs, hard drives, and memory chips and have archived all the software I have owned from the last 25 years.

Back to calculators, about 30 years ago I owned a manual adding machine. It was about the size of a small typewriter but with only numbers and symbols. Along the top (where the ribbon would be in a normal typewriter) were a series of rotary dials with nuimbers on them. One the side was a lever (that was the "equals"). I wish I had of kept that, but like all young boys, I pulled it apart.

[Omaroo]

Very cool Stephen! :)

They would all have been hard to part with, but you sold your Lisa :eyepop:

[Omaroo]

That's officially freaky Mick! LOL! :lol:

AULRO?

I've my eye on another ex-Army S2A at the moment too... in proper camo. :thumbsup:

[stephenb]

Regrettably yes, Chris. They have all gone (hopefully) to other collectors. I have a real fascination for computers, and calculators and any other associated technology from the last 50 years. These sort of items should be preserved in some way before they are forgotten about. Fortunately there are people around the world who are doing this, including yourself ;)

I also used to have a small collection of digital watched from the 1970's with LED digits, but they went long ago.

[Omaroo]

Yes, I too have always thought of a museum - or at least one that I'd have access to in order to use the equipment from time to time. I hate to see all the super-innovative, uber-cool stuff from the early days of personal computing just fade away.

I've told you guys before, but I remember actually unpacking the VERY first IBM PC ever to come into the country when I was at IBM in Kent St Sydney. A fellow systems engineer and I opened the boxes and out came a little beige thing and a monitor. We looked at each other and solemnly said "this is a toy and it'll never catch on - the mainframe is here forever."

I've thought of collecting IBM System 360 and System 370 mainframe components too, but I simply don't have the room. I'll just lament the fact that I know they are all crushed for their metals after a long life in a bank. :sadeyes:

[Ric]

55378008 :confused2::confused2::confused2:

Oh now I get it. :lol:

I've only had one coffee this morning, thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it. :D :P

Cheers

[kustard]

Silicon Heaven. He used the line "There is no Silicon Heaven" to trigger an overload in his replacement :)

[koputai]

Ooh, I have one of those, twin 8 inch drives, rack width, two foot deep, and about 10 inches high. Can't remember what brand it is, possibly Cherry. Was SuperBrain the Lindfield company?
Also got a VZ200 and a VIC-20 in the shed. The VIC-20 I bought new when I was about 13, but hadn't saved enough to get the tape drive, so every time I wanted to use the computer I had to type the program in! It was about three months before I had enough to get the tape drive, but I used the computer many times every day in between!

A couple of mates and I bought a DataSaab D16 in our early 20's, but that went years ago. Look that one up in your Funken Wagnells!

Cheers,
Jason.

[freespace]

I don't exactly collect calculators, but I collect CPU architectures :)

Nothing large atm, just MIPS, alpha, 68k, ppc, x86.

I am a fan of HP calculators too, though I only have a 35S to my name :)

Your collection is pretty awesome.

[Davros]

Yep Chris AULRO. Still just have the lightweight and the 80 inch. Have zero space for anymore. Dont think i would push my luck either.

[Omaroo]

Well.. the HP33's have arrived from Bert. Once again - thanks so very much Bert!

I've just dismantled the 33C and refurbished it inside and out. It's clean as a whistle (down to the last key) and works wonderfully on 1.5v AA's. I'll go down to Jaycar tomorrow and buy some new 1.2v NiCd batteries for it and the 33E, which I'm just repairing (re-rivetting and soldering) the spring contacts on before it'll go too.

The 33E is a fair whack heavier than the 33C which surprises me. It's of totally different construction internally, with removable LED array and steel-encased logic. Looks like they really revamped their construction techniques on the 33C and made them lighter and I dare say more cost effectively.

The museum collection has started, and Bert - they've come to a good home. :thanx:

Cheers
Chris :D

[avandonk]

Pictures or it did not happen!

Amazing that they got there in less than 24 hrs.

Anyway enjoy them Chris. I am sure that the alternative would be that some ignorant relo would throw them out after I croaked.

Bert

[Omaroo]

Cheers Bert :) Will do!

Here's the 33E being stripped and cleaned with the 33C back together and running on the right. The glass is full of keys and other bits and pieces soaking. The keys came up very well on the 33C, but the 33E's keys are UV-affected from a lifetime of hard work! They'll be fine though when I'm done. :thumbsup:

[DavidU]

Awesome ! That's real nice of Bert.

[Omaroo]

You bet it is Dave :)

Here they are - refurbed. HP33E on the left and HP33C on the right.

The 33E's battery compartment has been repaired and it runs very well! :)

[avandonk]

You have done a good job there Chris. They look like new. They have gone to a good home. As I said I spent far to much time using them (and others) before decent computers were developed.

You are quite correct that it was the positive feedback from the keys that saved a lot of time as you just knew each keystroke was good.

The RPN always appealed to me as well as it was far more logical than the foolish answer (=) key.

They both look as good as I first saw them all those years ago.

Bert

[Omaroo]

Cheers Bert :)

They're both in great nick and will be shown from now on without batteries for fear of contamination or leakage.

Yes, RPN notation is brilliant. Far more logical (to my mind anyway) than algebraic. Always was since 1979/80 when I had my first RPN calculator - the HP32E.

[PCH]

Chris,

nice job :thumbsup: How come the display in the 33E is red in the refurbished post, but seems green a couple of posts back from that when you've just received them from Bert?

[Omaroo]

Cheers Paul :)

Green? Which photo? They all look red from here. :)

[PCH]

Hi Chris,

post #82, - the right hand side picture, but the left hand calc on that picture. It says "11424" in big green numbers. Definitely looks green on my screen :confused2:

[PCH]

Hi Chris

it's confession time. After a closer look, I don't think that's the display at all. It looks to be some sort of writing above the display area. Sorry for the confusion.

Cheers

[Omaroo]

LOL! Gotcha :)

That's a Dymo label stuck on above the red LED display. These are ex-CSIRO, so I gather that the label was an asset number.

[h0ughy]

Chris

if your that much into calculators and you can work magical wonders then you can have my old workhorse. this is a unique package as you can see, I have had the motherboard changed once to the upgraded model after the c. i bought a new set of batteries for it a few years ago, went to use it one night and it didnt work, opened the back and then i cried - one battery failed bigtime......... I loved my 41C. you can have new PC's but it doesnt take away the feel and accomplishment of the 41. my current calculator is a 32S2 - functional but not what i really like.

[Omaroo]

:eyepop:

Dave! You legend! I can't believe it! Thank you! What a generous gesture and a great system.

I'll have the museum going in no time! :D What a top bunch of blokes you are. :hi:

I really love refurbing these things - there's a great sense of accomplishment to be had.

[h0ughy]

i used to have the magnetic strip reader but i loaned that to a old work mate many years ago - it got burnt in a garage fire he had at home - is home office was at the rear of the garage. it was worth a small fortune and had all of my programmes with it on strips.

PM me your address again mate

[Omaroo]

Firstly, a big thanks to H0ughy for his old HP-41CV. I completely tore it apart to detoxify all the internal contacts after the battery conniption, and now it's working - for most of the time. On occasion it will flicker and reset itself, but it's becoming more reliable the more I work on it. It's not one you'd probably want to rely on any more, but it works fine as a museum piece! :thumbsup:

Secondly, my Elektronika MK-61 arrived from Russia today. It's a beast. It's a programmable RPN calculator that the Russians have obviously modelled off something like an HP-33. The buttons are lousy, and the construction is, well, cold-war Russian - but it's a VERY cool item! It works very well and I like the green fluoro display. Note-worthy is the inclusion of the total circuit diagram, in case you need to fix it yourself. Love it!

Noice! :D

[avandonk]

Won't be long that you will be a star on Collectors. Just don't let Gordon touch the keys!

Bert

[MrB]

HAH! Love that show.

Whats the tally now Chris?

EDIT: cool, they included the schematic!

[supernova1965]

Hey Chris

I was just at our local recycling center and found two manuals one is for Casio fx-8500G and the other is for a POWER GRAPHIC fx-7400G do you want them for free

[starlooker]

Here's mine. Casio DBC-30

[asimov]

You're a sick man Chris, SICK!

I collect.....:question:............ Planet images....;)

[Omaroo]

Geez John - that's disgusting!

:lol:

[Omaroo]

Cheers Warren - and thanks so much for the offer, but I'm only really collecting RPN calculator stuff. :thumbsup: I really appreciate the offer though!! :)

Simon - I now have nine HP's in various flavours. Nowhere enough. LOL! I'm on to http://www.hpmuseum.org/ and have put a few posts up asking whether anyone has a rare HP-10C for sale. Hmm... rare..... (Homer-style throat gurgle effects).

[supernova1965]

Forgive my ignorance but as a non aware non calculator collecter what is RPN.:thumbsup:

[Omaroo]

Essentially - there's no "equals" key. :)

I, and many others, find that RPN, or "Reverse Polish Notation" is a more fluid and efficient way of keying in your queries than in algegraic mode, which most calculators use.

For instance, to add "15" and "25" on an algebraic calculator you'd hit the following sequence:

"15", "+", "25", "=" and get your answer "40".

On an RPN calculator you do this:

"15", "ENTER", "25", "+" - and on hitting the plus key you get your answer, 40.

15 is entered by you, and when you hit "ENTER", it's loaded into a "stack" above the display register. Then you type 25 and press the plus key. The plus key triggers an addition between what's currently showing (i.e. 25) and the number stored in the stack register above it. Beautiful!

For an equation (15+25)x(34-6) you'd key:

"15", "ENTER", "25", "+", "34", "ENTER", "6"", "-", "x" and on hitting the final "x" you'd get 1,120, your answer by multiplying the results of the two equations that you solved along the way already. You just start on the left and go straight across. The beauty of it is that you get to see intermediate results as you go as they move up and down within the stack registers. Each set of parentheses is solved in order and then the operands keyed in between them finalise the result.

Here's a good explanation of how this works by showing you how the "stack" registers work: http://www.hpmuseum.org/rpn.htm#learn

[Omaroo]

Simon - the latest.

There are two more tucked away in storage, which are an HP-15C and HP-70.

I threw the iPhone in as it has both HP-41C and HP-12C emulators loaded. It's actually very good. :)

[troypiggo]

:lol: I didn't read your post first and did a double-take on the iPhone "calculator" thinking "WTF?".

12C and 41C FTW!

[Omaroo]

Yep the emulators are FULLY functional - programming abilities, registers, the lot. HP actually sell a fully-functional "soft" HP-12C for the iPhone as a real calculator model - albeit cheaper than the hardware version, of course. The screen resolution of the iPhone (160dpi) is well-good enough for it to be a pleasure to use. Crystal clear.

[MrB]

Love the iPhone app, very cool.

Found this website.... http://www.hpcalc.org/hp48/games/arcade/
I can play Boulderdash on my 48G!
Also Arkanoid, Tetris, Mario Bros... DOOM! :lol:

[avandonk]

Chris
I was ratting around in some boxes of junk and found this.

Bert

[Omaroo]

:eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop: :eyepop:

Jeez Bert! LOL!!!!! A 35! :)

Looks like it's in need of a vigorous restoration! :)

I'm sure that it'd come out nice and fresh!

Does it have a red dot which shows through a hole to the right of the power switch? The dot does not light up.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

[avandonk]

I can't see anything to the right of the on/off switch. I will send it up to you in the next couple of days. Same deal as before. I will leave it alone and send it up as is.

Bert

[Omaroo]

That's brilliant of you Bert. Thank you :thumbsup:

I'll do my best to fully restore it and add it to the museum collection - which hasn't had a classic HP-35 in it up until now. :)

:thanx:

[avandonk]

I just did a scan of what is left of all the old hard drives in my head and figured out it is not my original HP-35. It was given to me a very long time ago and was just left in a drawer in my desk as I then had the later models with more features. It ended up in a box with other stuff you collect after working at the same place for thirty years. I was looking for something else and was amazed to find it. I have no idea whether it works. I will leave that for you to figure out Chris.

Bert

[Omaroo]

Thank you Sir :) I'll do my best!

From the Hewlett Packard Calculator Museum

[gts055]

Omaroo, i have a sore head thinking about trying to use your RPN calculators :) I have an addiction to collecting old telescopes and brass microscopes. Mark

[Omaroo]

Bert (avandonk) has done it again and sent me a rather historic calculator for my HP Calulator Museum - the original (i.e. very first) handheld calculator - and it utilised RPN from the outset.

I'd really like to thank Bert for allowing me to restore to working order a significant piece of electronics history which is nearly 37 years old.

Cheers Bert :thumbsup: and thank you :)

Restored and original:

[jjjnettie]

Bert, you're a champ.
It scrubbed up nicely Chris.

[spacezebra]

What an excellent collection Chris! and great work on the restoration!

Cheers Petra d.

[avandonk]

You have done a great job of restoration there Chris. It just occured to me that thankfully I started 'collecting' HP calculators before you, otherwise you would not have them now.

I spent many hours using all three before computers were practical. It was easier and far more accurate to do calculations with a HP than sit down and write the machine code as memory was very limited in those days. Ever tried to use a DEC PDP8 with 2k of memory?

It gives me a lot of satisfaction that they are in better condition and in safer hands now. The fact that in your capable hands they are working as well is a real bonus!

My ex wives used to tell me off for never throwing anything out. Seems like they were the only ones that were.

Bert

[JimmyH155]

Yes, RPN is great :D- I love using my HP48GX. :DI have had it for over 14 years, and it has never missed a beat. I do quite a lot of programming with it - again I love doing that. I also have the infra red printer for it so can print out all my programmes. Also all the programming manuals.
Nobody has mentioned the HP48GX. Why? Is it too "modern"?:shrug:

[Omaroo]

LOL! In a word - yes. :lol: The HP-48 range started in 1990 or thereabouts and went through to (was it) 2003 I guess? The HP-35 that I've just restored was the worlds first handheld calculator - let alone it being scientific or RPN. It dates back to 1972 - fully 20 years before the 48. Nothing wrong with the 48, it's just a bit "modern" for the museum yet. :thumbsup:

[avandonk]

Chris what did you feel or think when the HP35 actually fired up for the first time in over 25 years and was fully functional? They don't make them like that anymore comes to mind.

Bert