This is a project to imagine what HP would have made today had they still been making calculators. It is unusual for a newly designed RPN calculator to be released, although there have been several re-releases of older HP models, such as the HP-15ce, HP-16c, and a series of calculators made by Swissmicros - DM-15L, DM-42, DM-32, but all based on designs dating back 30-50 years.
The R47 has been many years in the making and is a small open source project which has collaborated with the Swiss manufacturer of calculators, SwissMicros. It has a superset of functions over older HP models and many more too, including complex solve, default 34 digit decimal precision, 1000 digit integers, graphing, extensive complex support, etc and is substantially customisable.
I have no affiliation with the project, but excited that there is a new RPN machine commercially available.
I don't think HP would be making something like this.
The original calculators, from the discrete HP9100A onwards, pushed tech to its limits.
The HP65 (1975) was a jaw-dropping masterpiece. When most calculators were four function, and scientific calculators were still exotic, a pocket-sized programmable calculator with a magnetic card reader was beyond the imagination of most engineers, never mind most users.
This is more of a nostalgic tribute act. It's nice it exists. But it's looking backwards, not forwards.
Ooh, I'm going to have to download the emulator tonight and try this out. The swiss micro and 47calc sites both say "display with 4 stack levels", but I can't figure out if that is also the size of the logical stack.
The shift key on my HP28C died last year. I never used the advanced features (eg the entire left-hand keypad), but loved its effectively infinite stack, and haven't been able to go back to an HP42, HP35s or the like since.
I'm now using Plus42 on my phone with the big stack option, but would love to have a physical calculator again.
The C47/R47 appears to use the 4-level XYZT stack design by default, but it has an option to use an 8-level stack (XYZTABCD). I really like the unlimited stack option that can be enabled in Free42, but 8 levels might be enough to keep from feeling cramped in practice.
There was a time when I would have salivated over this. But now I can run iPython on my phone, and have numpy, sympi, scipy, astropy and countless other packages. Physical keyboards are great for calculators - much better than virtual keyboards on phones. But the keyboard advantage seems to me most valuable for quick calculations, not elaborate things like this calculator offers. If I'm going to do matrix calculations, I want to be able to put the data into a file with a real, and familiar, editor. I want to be able to grab tables of data from the web. If I make a plot, I want to be able to save it to a PNG file. I want a high resolution color display. A phone running iPython/Python seems much better to me, especially since almost everyone who would want to do what this calculator does already has a smartphone. Also, I can ssh into my phone and interact with it using my desktop computer's keyboard and monitor, eliminating the phone keyboard limitations when a full sized computer is nearby.
I don't really disagree with anything you've said, but I still feel a warm spot in my heart from projects like this. I still have (and use!) my HP48SX from my high school days, and it still works like it always has. There is something to be said for a device's limitations, and I mean that honestly. It's very powerful for what it is, but its processing limitations keeps me from overextending, which is something very easy to do with the pocket supercomputers we've all gotten used to carrying around over the previous decade. (And its keys are simply a delight to press compared to even the best glass touchscreen.)
Even with almost all of my work done on a computer, with Python, MATLAB, etc. available in a few keypresses, I still keep a calculator on hand. I haven't come across a desktop calculator (including direct 1:1 software recreations of classic calculators) that's quite as user-friendly and efficient as grabbing a scientific calculator off my desk and typing in there.
There are just some user interface advantages for me in having a physical calculator. The only thing stopping me from buying this is the price tag.
A physical calculator is a tool, so is your python interpreter, but they are different tools for different purposes.
Mathematica does everything your python interpreter does and more — but that doesn't mean python becomes useless because of that. It's good for certain things, while Mathematica is good for other things.
Similarly with calculators (especially HP calculators), which have become a bit of a lost art (an elegant weapon for a more civilized age). I use them all the time when doing any kind of engineering or hobby work. Good luck using your computer with python one-handed in a workshop next to a CNC.
One thing I do agree with is that plotting functions or working with larger matrices on calculators makes little sense.
Cool. I used an HP48SX in college, and when it finally died about 20 years later, bought 2 HP48Gs so I'd have a Lifetime Supply. (1 is on my desk, 1 is still in the box.) But I confess that hardly ever use my real HP48G anymore, because I have the Droid48 Android app, and the 99% perfect calculator that's always at hand is better than the 100% perfect calculator that's on a shelf way over there, most of the time.
So I doubt I'll buy this one, even though I'm happy someone made it.
Honest question but who would need this these days? Would this calculator still be useful for professors/mathematicians/etc or is this more for HP calculator enthusiasts?
Good question. I still use an HP42S these days, but it's an app on my phone or desktop not a separate device. Replacing batteries was a big pain on the original.
It's probably not a necessity - I'm sure I could adapt to just using my smartphone if I put the time into learning some of the math apps. I still use my ti-89 for everyday calculations. It's a handy device; more portable than a laptop, and better UI than a smartphone. I don't deny myself from using a tool I like.
This sort of reminds me of the Numworks, except this feels a bit more artisan (and expensive).
In high school, my friends got onto the Numworks bandwagon, and we even used them on the SATs and AP tests (they were explicitly allowed). To be fair, this is before Numworks locked down their calculators and the alternative firmwares (Omega) died off, but maybe there are jailbreaks now and things are as they were before.
I still have my HP-42S 30 years after I finished engineering in university. Just an awesome calculator that still has that awesome tactile button feel.
I think I will stick with a TI-89. No RPN, but that’s not necessarily a problem. More importantly, it has a CAS (Computer Algebra System). I wonder why CAS aren’t more common on such calculators. The technology exists since decades and it’s great. I know it’s not allowed in some school exams, but calculators already have exam modes.
Yeah I won't give a serious thought to anything that doesn't have full symbolic support. I gave my nephew-in-law my old TI-89 Titanium last year, he was entering 8th grade and I got it midway through 9th grade and it served me well all the way through my CE undergrad. Arithmetic, trig, statistics, basic calculus, differential equations, laplace transforms, vector calculus, it handled so much, and it was easy to use TI Basic to add new functionality/shortcuts... Prior to that I was happy with a cheap non-graphing scientific calculator (I think it was a Sharp EL-531WBBK Translucent Blue). It was fine for algebra, trig, geometry, and pre-calc science courses.
My dad has an HP-15C that I've always thought was cool but I never really liked to use it for anything. This new calculator is also really cool but I can't imagine ever owning one. I don't need to do much calculation anymore anyway so it's not like I need any calculator at all (hence giving away my old calc). I'm also usually at my PC, or a laptop, or I can ssh to my home system with my phone (if the phone's basic calc app is insufficient). For simple calculations I've most commonly used a Python repl since like 2007, but for anything more advanced these days I'd pull out one of the PC programs I was exposed to in the later parts of college (e.g. matlab or octave+symbolic and other packages, or maxima). But I also have used Python + libraries or Lisp + libraries, and would like to someday redo my Stats education with R. Hand calculators just seem really antiquated to me now.
HP-28 series had CAS (first released in 1987), they were replaced by HP-48 series which also had CAS.
RPN was lovely because it was significantly faster to operate with. I remember showing up at math class having just received an HP-48G "because it's what the engineers use" and everyone else just got TI-89s because that's what the teacher had (TI gave teachers free TI-89s and did more marketing). The math teacher hosted an impromptu calculator speed contest and I beat out everyone else by a significant margin.
Is this the DM42n hardware with the R47 firmware preloaded? It looks identical, except for the colors of some of the keys, and I wouldn't think they'd have a separate hardware pipeline for it. I could be wrong, though! If someone were to obsess over their gear and tweak it until it was just so, this would be the company to do it.
Yes, it's the DM42n hardware underneath. The keyboard and overlay are different and the firmware is written from scratch using the WP 34S mathematics code. This has a lot more functionality than the DM42n does.
I'm sort of surprised by SwissMicros focus on the 42. I have a 42S and a 48GX and the 48GX is IMO far superior in almost every way. My only complaint is that the UI can be sluggish in places, but with a modern CPU this would completely go away, and it does on the 49, which I also have, but unfortunately its screen died and the keyboard stinks. The 48GX was the last model I have where they actually built it with some quality.
Still got my 48GX, 49G, 19BII and 28S. The 49G is the only that is unusable (rubber buttons? Really?).
49G aside, they all are good enough for use although probably no longer usable in some of their intended uses (re: any formal tests that would allow them?).
Maybe it's a generational thing -- I haven't had to use a standalone calculator in my professional life -- but what's the benefit of using RPN as opposed to the more common infix notation?
Beyond that... do RPN calculators like these usually include the option to use infix notation?
I have an embarrassing question... math has always interested me but by luck and circumstance I have had a pretty successful career without needing anything beyond college Algebra. Can anyone recommend a curriculum that a busy adult may be able to follow in their spare time? I just want to fill in blanks and explore what is possible.
Super cool! But I so rarely reach for the physical calculators I already have these days. Any recommendations on RPN calculators for Windows or Android? The one I've got on my phone right now has some little quirks that bug me.
RealCalc (Android) is the one I use all the time.
Emu48 (Android, Windows) emulates HP48GX hardware and runs an actual HP48GX ROM image.
NumWorks (Android, Windows, web) emulates a NumWorks graphing calculator - has some nice features, but not RPN.
I appreciate the quality of the engineering and design, and that the hardware is open to being tinkered with by means of firmware update. The price seems fair for what is offered, and the device looks like it would be very useful for anyone who doesn't have any computer at hand or readily available. Kudos to the project team!
But it's unlikely that I buy one because (1) I tend to be close to computers most of the time, (2) my favorite "HP calculator" is the HP9000/715 due to its sizeable HIL keyboard, its 21" CRT color screen, and its support for HP-UX, pun intended; and (3) most of the mathematics I need beyond paper, pen and blackboard can best be done in a Python Jupyter Notebook (statistics) or Mathematica (symbolic derivations).
I'd love to see a non-programmable version. If I recall it would be something like the HP 10C. It's because I just want the RPN part along with math functions.
A good example: Taking your FCC ham license exam does not permit use of your phone or a programmable calculator. They would have allowed me to use it.
I had practiced for the exams with my old HP 11C. It was jarring to have to switch to a TI calculator during the test.
The only calculator I still use is a business one (and these guys sell those too it seems!). It’s super handy for figuring out interest rate stuff, growth rate stuff etc. for anything simpler or more complex, it’s just easier to use a phone or more checkable to use a laptop.
41 comments
[ 5.3 ms ] story [ 72.5 ms ] threadThe R47 has been many years in the making and is a small open source project which has collaborated with the Swiss manufacturer of calculators, SwissMicros. It has a superset of functions over older HP models and many more too, including complex solve, default 34 digit decimal precision, 1000 digit integers, graphing, extensive complex support, etc and is substantially customisable.
I have no affiliation with the project, but excited that there is a new RPN machine commercially available.
[0] https://youtu.be/5A-pmjawJg8?si=11Ehf5SnzkZF79-e
The original calculators, from the discrete HP9100A onwards, pushed tech to its limits.
The HP65 (1975) was a jaw-dropping masterpiece. When most calculators were four function, and scientific calculators were still exotic, a pocket-sized programmable calculator with a magnetic card reader was beyond the imagination of most engineers, never mind most users.
This is more of a nostalgic tribute act. It's nice it exists. But it's looking backwards, not forwards.
Every time I use for more than a couple of calculations I think how much I prefer a RPN calculator.
The shift key on my HP28C died last year. I never used the advanced features (eg the entire left-hand keypad), but loved its effectively infinite stack, and haven't been able to go back to an HP42, HP35s or the like since.
I'm now using Plus42 on my phone with the big stack option, but would love to have a physical calculator again.
There are just some user interface advantages for me in having a physical calculator. The only thing stopping me from buying this is the price tag.
Mathematica does everything your python interpreter does and more — but that doesn't mean python becomes useless because of that. It's good for certain things, while Mathematica is good for other things.
Similarly with calculators (especially HP calculators), which have become a bit of a lost art (an elegant weapon for a more civilized age). I use them all the time when doing any kind of engineering or hobby work. Good luck using your computer with python one-handed in a workshop next to a CNC.
One thing I do agree with is that plotting functions or working with larger matrices on calculators makes little sense.
So I doubt I'll buy this one, even though I'm happy someone made it.
In high school, my friends got onto the Numworks bandwagon, and we even used them on the SATs and AP tests (they were explicitly allowed). To be fair, this is before Numworks locked down their calculators and the alternative firmwares (Omega) died off, but maybe there are jailbreaks now and things are as they were before.
My dad has an HP-15C that I've always thought was cool but I never really liked to use it for anything. This new calculator is also really cool but I can't imagine ever owning one. I don't need to do much calculation anymore anyway so it's not like I need any calculator at all (hence giving away my old calc). I'm also usually at my PC, or a laptop, or I can ssh to my home system with my phone (if the phone's basic calc app is insufficient). For simple calculations I've most commonly used a Python repl since like 2007, but for anything more advanced these days I'd pull out one of the PC programs I was exposed to in the later parts of college (e.g. matlab or octave+symbolic and other packages, or maxima). But I also have used Python + libraries or Lisp + libraries, and would like to someday redo my Stats education with R. Hand calculators just seem really antiquated to me now.
RPN was lovely because it was significantly faster to operate with. I remember showing up at math class having just received an HP-48G "because it's what the engineers use" and everyone else just got TI-89s because that's what the teacher had (TI gave teachers free TI-89s and did more marketing). The math teacher hosted an impromptu calculator speed contest and I beat out everyone else by a significant margin.
49G aside, they all are good enough for use although probably no longer usable in some of their intended uses (re: any formal tests that would allow them?).
Beyond that... do RPN calculators like these usually include the option to use infix notation?
> Battery type 1 × CR2032 3V lithium coin cell
Very nice. Impressive.
But it's unlikely that I buy one because (1) I tend to be close to computers most of the time, (2) my favorite "HP calculator" is the HP9000/715 due to its sizeable HIL keyboard, its 21" CRT color screen, and its support for HP-UX, pun intended; and (3) most of the mathematics I need beyond paper, pen and blackboard can best be done in a Python Jupyter Notebook (statistics) or Mathematica (symbolic derivations).
A good example: Taking your FCC ham license exam does not permit use of your phone or a programmable calculator. They would have allowed me to use it.
I had practiced for the exams with my old HP 11C. It was jarring to have to switch to a TI calculator during the test.