What's the current go-to calculator for electrical engineers?

[armandine2]

I did a reset on my HP Prime the other day (not so easy to press three of the front buttons and poke a paper clip in the backside LOL). It did get the Geometry App to work again, though.

Re Swiss Micros - close but no cigar

[BreakingOhmsLaw]

So the ideal calculator is really a lot about personal taste.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I did not yet find a way of efficiently converting decimal/binary/hex on the HP Prime. If anyone knows a good practice, please let me know.

[SiliconWizard]

The RPN thing is mostly because old calculators often used it and people got used to it, especially the financial calculators, then HP used it on a lot of calculators too and they got pretty popular too. People get used to it and just prefer it.

At the time, compared to a typical "non-RPN" calculator, I must admit it was a big improvement. Mainly because said "algebraic" input was really an odd mix of stuff. You'd still not exactly press buttons in the order you'd write algebraic expressions, for instance regarding functions. And since they didn't display the whole expression anyway on screen, it was really hard to see what you were doing and keep track of it.

Of course, with modern calculators with much larger screens which show full expressions as written on paper, this is something completely different, and as I said, the ability to see full expressions, and an history of them, is much more practical than just RPN entry with a stack of numbers. Things change.

So the ideal calculator is really a lot about personal taste.

Yes of course. And habits.

[tooki]

So the ideal calculator is really a lot about personal taste.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I did not yet find a way of efficiently converting decimal/binary/hex on the HP Prime. If anyone knows a good practice, please let me know.

Pressing Base (Shift + minus sign) twice in a row (from the empty command line) opens the Edit Integer window. Press the Edit soft key and all the numbers become editable. Handy for bit masks and stuff.

[emece67]

.

[TimFox]

The Swiss DM41X I mentioned above does display the second column of your proposal (four numerical values in the stack), but not the third column (expressions).
The first time (around 1971) I encountered RPN was in a (huge) Friden 132 desktop calculator (with CRT display), introduced in 1965 after adding the square root function to the earlier 130.
It also displayed all four levels of the stack, as in the DM41X.  However, it was inherently fixed-point: a thumbwheel switch shifted the decimal point on the display, but all lines had the same position.
Prior to that, I did learn non-reverse Polish notation in a symbolic logic class, where the operator is placed ahead of the operands.  It had several advantages over "Russel-Whitehead" notation for symbolic logic, including no special characters and no parentheses.  As immature students, we joked that it was called "Polish notation" because none of us could pronounce "Łukasiewicz", especially backwards for reverse Polish notation.

[tooki]

Also, some more HP Prime tips and tricks:

- One of the first things I did was to program a few user functions for calculating parallel resistors. (I named them PAR2, PAR3, and PAR4.) Saves buttloads of time: I just type e.g. PAR2(1E3, 4E3) and Enter to get 800.

- The Triangle Solver app added in the May 2021 OS update is basically a trigonometry app that doesn’t say it’s trigonometry. Useful for vector addition.

- Entering units is clumsy, but useful on occasion nonetheless. But it won’t automatically parse units themselves (as in, if you calculate volts divided by amps, the output will be in volts over amps, not in ohms.) But the USIMPLIFY (unit simplify) function will do it, so enter USIMPLIFY(Ans) and it’ll tell you the output is ohms.

- The Sketch command in the menu of the graph (in the standard Function app) isn’t to let you doodle on a graph. You draw a curve and it attempts to find a formula to fit it! If you first set the scale accurately and then draw carefully, it’s surprisingly close. (For the handful of formula types it recognizes, like linear, quadratic, and sine functions, that is.)

- The Help is quite useful. You can press it pretty much anywhere and get a basic description of a feature.

- The May 2021 update added the ability to save and load your calculation history, which can be handy if you are working on different things alternately. But equally useful is the ability to duplicate apps. For example, if you’re working on some task that requires you to solve two different sets of linear systems, you can duplicate the Linear Solver app so that you can keep one set in one instance and the other set in the other instance, instead of clearing and re-entering the unchanged data over and over.

The top right corner is a tappable button that brings up the battery percentage, buttons to switch between degrees and radians, and the time and date, which you can tap again to bring up a calendar.

[rsjsouza]

So the ideal calculator is really a lot about personal taste.

Truer words have never been spoken.

I did not yet find a way of efficiently converting decimal/binary/hex on the HP Prime. If anyone knows a good practice, please let me know.

Indeed. Over the years I always used one of the advanced RPN calculators mentioned here for such base conversion operations (HP48SX/GX, HP35S), but a few years ago I got a vintage TI programmable that is tailored for this and has single button operations for base conversions and logic operations. The only two limitations are battery consumption (I have the older model with LED display, but there is a newer with LCD) and 32-bit only (covers 90% of my needs).
Result: I ended up with two calculators on my main desk and a few others sprinkled around my workstations.

[blacksheeplogic]

Indeed. Over the years I always used one of the advanced RPN calculators mentioned here for such base conversion operations (HP48SX/GX, HP35S), but a few years ago I got a vintage TI programmable that is tailored for this and has single button operations for base conversions and logic operations. The only two limitations are battery consumption (I have the older model with LED display, but there is a newer with LCD) and 32-bit only (covers 90% of my needs).
Result: I ended up with two calculators on my main desk and a few others sprinkled around my workstations.

I have a both an HP Prime and TI nSpire. The TI nSpire always needs charging and the HP Prime is better in every way to use. But for quick and easy I use a Sharp EL-515S. It's 3 decades old 10 digit LCD, thin & small. For quick calculation esp base conversions I'm done before any of my newer calculators boot.

[PlainName]

The FX-991ES is single-key conversion between bases (the primary reason I got this model). I though the Prime looks nice and have had the simulator on my desktop to try out and can't believe how difficult it is to do this kind of stuff. Even just entering a hex digit, for instance, needs FIVE extra keys not counting the actual number! It's ridiculous.

[rsjsouza]

Indeed. Over the years I always used one of the advanced RPN calculators mentioned here for such base conversion operations (HP48SX/GX, HP35S), but a few years ago I got a vintage TI programmable that is tailored for this and has single button operations for base conversions and logic operations. The only two limitations are battery consumption (I have the older model with LED display, but there is a newer with LCD) and 32-bit only (covers 90% of my needs).
Result: I ended up with two calculators on my main desk and a few others sprinkled around my workstations.

I have a both an HP Prime and TI nSpire. The TI nSpire always needs charging and the HP Prime is better in every way to use. But for quick and easy I use a Sharp EL-515S. It's 3 decades old 10 digit LCD, thin & small. For quick calculation esp base conversions I'm done before any of my newer calculators boot.

Quite interesting. In a modern professional environment, the concept of booting a "standalone" calculator is mind boggling.

I remember in early 1990s the PC-based dictionaries sold for a pretty penny and they weren't very common in the households due to the presence of a real, paperback one in a shelf: "why would you power up the computer and wait all that time to just look up for a word?" was the common motto for the detractors at the time. This was before computers were left powered on all the time and took quite a long time to boot and load a program.

[David Hess]

The FX-991ES is single-key conversion between bases (the primary reason I got this model). I though the Prime looks nice and have had the simulator on my desktop to try out and can't believe how difficult it is to do this kind of stuff. Even just entering a hex digit, for instance, needs FIVE extra keys not counting the actual number! It's ridiculous.

I would have liked something like an HP48/HP50 but oriented more toward engineering and programming, with easy access to base conversions.  The way HP did it was kind of cumbersome.

I remember in early 1990s the PC-based dictionaries sold for a pretty penny and they weren't very common in the households due to the presence of a real, paperback one in a shelf: "why would you power up the computer and wait all that time to just look up for a word?" was the common motto for the detractors at the time. This was before computers were left powered on all the time and took quite a long time to boot and load a program.

The first dictionary and "encyclopedia" CD-ROMs were pretty expensive also, like the first movies on videotape.

[PlainName]

The first dictionary and "encyclopedia" CD-ROMs were pretty expensive also

They still are if you want authoritative ones!

[SiliconWizard]

The first dictionary and "encyclopedia" CD-ROMs were pretty expensive also

They still are if you want authoritative ones!

Yep. These days they'll come in DVD form and are not cheap.

[Berni]

Pretty sure the vast majority of calculator sales these days are to students because a calculator is the only tool they are allowed to use in class/tests.

It's the reason why i bought that TI Nspire back then. It was the most capable piece of electronic help i was allowed to use. Didn't actually end up using it that much afterwards and has now been collecting dust on a shelf for years. I kept using a TI scientific calculator for a good while because its fast to use. But these days i use SpeedCrunch or my phone.

The classical math teacher line "You won't always have a calculator in your pocket".. well not only we do have one constantly in our pockets, it  also has more computing power than those supercomputers from the 80s.

[mansaxel]

Quite interesting. In a modern professional environment, the concept of booting a "standalone" calculator is mind boggling.

The SwissMicros DM42 is instant-on. No waiting. (it also retains the stack, which is quite useful.) Takes far less time than launching the Free42 app on my phone. Unless, of course, I have to go fetch the calculator. Then phone wins easily, assuming I'm carrying the phone.

Yes, the practice of having a standalone is relegated to old farts, people who hate computing (sic) and exams. And, people who love and support the project of building new RPN standalones.

[2N3055]

Pretty sure the vast majority of calculator sales these days are to students because a calculator is the only tool they are allowed to use in class/tests.

It's the reason why i bought that TI Nspire back then. It was the most capable piece of electronic help i was allowed to use. Didn't actually end up using it that much afterwards and has now been collecting dust on a shelf for years. I kept using a TI scientific calculator for a good while because its fast to use. But these days i use SpeedCrunch or my phone.

The classical math teacher line "You won't always have a calculator in your pocket".. well not only we do have one constantly in our pockets, it  also has more computing power than those supercomputers from the 80s.

I also bought Nspire years ago and after initial playing with it, I used it very little. Casio FX61F is just much simpler for fast and quick ( and has impedance mode with parallel operator no other calc has ). For more complicated stuff I go to PC or phone.
I like HyperCalc and RealCalc (Casio emulation) on a phone.

My son used Nspire some in last few years because of symbolic math, but also drives fx991 and piece of paper as his daily driver. For anything more complicated he goes to PC too.

[blacksheeplogic]

My son used Nspire some in last few years because of symbolic math, but also drives fx991 and piece of paper as his daily driver. For anything more complicated he goes to PC too.

The Casio fx-CG10 is not a bad upgrade, I used it for a while. The NSpire CX is about the worst I've used.

[rsjsouza]

I would have liked something like an HP48/HP50 but oriented more toward engineering and programming, with easy access to base conversions.  The way HP did it was kind of cumbersome.

Although the HP48 relegates the base conversion to a submenu of the Math button (understandable given its main focus), the data entry with a preceding hash symbol to denote base notations is easy enough for my taste. Sure, it is not as straightforward as a specialized calculator, but given it remembers the menus through a power off helps keep the functionality at hand. Also, being programmable, it helps that you can create your own routines for fast access.

The first dictionary and "encyclopedia" CD-ROMs were pretty expensive also, like the first movies on videotape.

Indeed - their price was very inflated due to the novelty of the technology. We also didn't have encyclopaedias as everything was in English back then.

Casio FX61F is just much simpler for fast and quick ( and has impedance mode with parallel operator no other calc has ). For more complicated stuff I go to PC or phone.
I like HyperCalc and RealCalc (Casio emulation) on a phone.

I never understood the fixation on the FX61F and its "electronic" functions. Sure, it is a "fit for purpose" gadget and was a cute novelty at the time, but even back then I was already doing that and much more in my dad's (already ancient) TI-59 programmable calculator.

[2N3055]

I never understood the fixation on the FX61F and its "electronic" functions. Sure, it is a "fit for purpose" gadget and was a cute novelty at the time, but even back then I was already doing that and much more in my dad's (already ancient) TI-59 programmable calculator.

I could say same about RPN... :-)

I wouldn't call it fixation :-).
And it is not about programmable either.

As I said, the "parallel" operator allows you to type dc networks pretty much directly into calculator...
Also it has Si sufixes.

It's just easy to use for simple stuff..
I already used Mathcad III on DOS for more complicated stuff looong time ago...

[SiliconWizard]

Pretty sure the vast majority of calculator sales these days are to students because a calculator is the only tool they are allowed to use in class/tests.

Yes. And it's easy to see. Almost all calculators released in the last 10 to 15 years are calculators designed for students.
Swissmicros is an exception - it's just a niche company for a niche market.

[rsjsouza]

I never understood the fixation on the FX61F and its "electronic" functions. Sure, it is a "fit for purpose" gadget and was a cute novelty at the time, but even back then I was already doing that and much more in my dad's (already ancient) TI-59 programmable calculator.

I could say same about RPN... :-)

Care to elaborate? Are there any other methods of data entry apart from RPN?

I use both methods without problems, but indeed prefer our Polish's friends M.O.

At any rate, it was not a jab at you but instead a remark about the frenzy caused when Dave mentioned the FX-61 several years back in a few random videos...

I already used Mathcad III on DOS for more complicated stuff looong time ago...

Ah... Those were the days: Mathcad, Matlab... And then we got ahold of Wolfram's Mathematica that blew our minds - terribly slow and only worked with Postscript graphics, but impressive at calculating Pi with any arbitrary number of decimal places. All this was followed by Chiwriter, Electronics Workbench, PSPICE, OrCAD (all DOS)...

[Terry Bites]

Slide rule 9000.

[Vtile]

The machine you do describe is RPN/RPL native 48x -> 50g family, with algebraic expression support (as object in stack) and unlimited stack depth (by RAM limit)...
In theory RPL, but it is more semantic.

Anyone reading I would suggest Droid48 if you like RPN or are interested (HP48 simulator, Android app, free).

Also interesting project is NewRPL OS, which have native support for 48x series command set. I think there is now versions for HP prime HW also.

SwissMicros DM42 (1980s + 2020s) or DM15 (1970s) for rpn machines, which support complex numbers. Someone will mention DM41, but those are more for HP fans who have prior experience of the original.

I use mainly RPN machines. Find it faster and easier, maybe because I find it more suited to «translate» the calculation I want to perform to keystrokes.

But having a log of previously entered expressions is a really nice, even more if you can recall such expressions and re-evaluate/edit them.

So I'm now thinking if it wouldn't be a way to combine both models. Say a machine where you use RPN to perform the calculations, and the machine keeps two stacks, one with the numerical value of the calculations and another one with the algebraic expression (obtained from the RPN keystrokes) that evaluates to such number. Say:


Nice or brain fart?

[armandine2]

interesrested.

like most people, who are interested in purchasing as consumers, quality and attention to the details go a long way to satisfying our needs.