The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 15

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My First HP!
Message #1 Posted by Samuel Heddle on 27 Oct 2005, 2:57 p.m.

I just recieved my first HP calculator, a good condition HP-28S on ebay for just $53, good price considering ebay's other prices. It included the owners manual, a refrence manual, and a probability and statistics book. It also included the leather case.(No word weather it is "rich" or "corinthian")I'm currently learning RPN, and am excited to get into this new style of calculator!

      
Re: HP Calc. Promo
Message #2 Posted by bill platt on 27 Oct 2005, 3:31 p.m.,
in response to message #1 by Samuel Heddle

Congratulations! Welcome to the "club". Best of luck. You can find a lot of information here--great stuff.

      
Re: My First HP!
Message #3 Posted by db (martinez, ca.) on 28 Oct 2005, 12:33 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Samuel Heddle

Or maybe "welcome to my nightmare". Welcome in any case. You may have made a good first choice, since your 28 is more an RPL than an RPN and what you learn in programming it will help you directly with the new models.

            
Re: My First HP!
Message #4 Posted by Bram on 28 Oct 2005, 3:44 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by db (martinez, ca.)

Quote:
your 28 is more an RPL than an RPN

True, but let's not confuse Samuel. RPN can be learnt without knowing anything of RPL. RPN is a good start to get to know the calculator. RPL will follow at a later date. No doubt about that.

                  
Re: My First HP!
Message #5 Posted by marais on 28 Oct 2005, 3:55 a.m.,
in response to message #4 by Bram

Congratulations for acquiring the 28S, which was also my first HP 16 years or so ago. A pleasant machine, and of historical significance. Just be careful with the battery door, about the only flaw of the machine - the forum discussed this at length.

Andreas

      
A Toast to Samuel!
Message #6 Posted by Eddie Shore on 28 Oct 2005, 7:58 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Samuel Heddle

Welcome to the club of proud HP calculator owners, Samuel. Feel free to send any questions if you need help.

      
Re: My First HP!
Message #7 Posted by Stephen Easterling on 28 Oct 2005, 9:43 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Samuel Heddle

So you're the one that outbid me for this calc! I was bidding just for the sake of getting that leather case, which are hard to come by these days and can sell for more than you paid for the entire package. Oh well, no hard feelings, really! My first HP was also a 28S I got about fifteen years ago and I used it quite a bit. I still have it and all the manuals in mint condition. I've retired it now but use other HPs for work and home. Enjoy your 28S, but don't let you batteries run down too low or you'll lose everything in memory. (I lost almost 30k worth of programs in mine when the batteries ran too low!) Preplan how you want to set up your directories to organize them well so you won't have to move too much info around downstream. The 28S is unique and more powerful than most folk give it credit for. Being more of a RPL guy compared to RPN anyway, I'll always have a soft spot for the 28S.

      
Re: My First HP!
Message #8 Posted by GE on 28 Oct 2005, 10:22 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Samuel Heddle

$53 is just small change if you happen to be biten by 'the bug'...
I'm not sure how much this craziness cost me all in all but maybe i could have a (much) bigger car by now were it not for this.
Congratulations on the 28S, it was my second HP after the wonderful 42S, and was a pleasure to use. It scored many firsts, a revolution like the 41 before it : symbolic calculation, curve plotting, directories, RPL (yes, yuck !), large memory, folding... and the infamous battery door.

            
Re: HP Calc. Promo
Message #9 Posted by bill platt on 28 Oct 2005, 11:42 a.m.,
in response to message #8 by GE

I put a spreadsheet together to track what I was up to...

I have spent over $2,000 on Calculators and ave over $1,200 in them, after selling off some!

I did not show my wife the sheet....

                  
Re: HP Calc. Promo
Message #10 Posted by Stephen Easterling on 28 Oct 2005, 3:20 p.m.,
in response to message #9 by bill platt

Don't feel too bad. I have over $4k in my HP calculator collection!... if I include a printer, expansion cards, and cases. I still need two calculators to finish my collection, though.

                        
collection
Message #11 Posted by bill platt on 29 Oct 2005, 1:38 p.m.,
in response to message #10 by Stephen Easterling

Hi Stephen,

To "complete" your collection....Do you have a comprehensive collectio n, or in otehr words, what defines your collection as complete.

If you have only spent $4k ahd have one from every modle, then I'd say you've done very well indeed!

                              
Calculator collection
Message #12 Posted by Stephen Easterling on 29 Oct 2005, 8:31 p.m.,
in response to message #11 by bill platt

Prior to collecting, I wanted to set some rules so it didn't get out of hand. One thing in common with all I have is that they are all in mint or new condition with cases and manuals. Also, the only models I picked up that were not in the original plans are a few of the Voyagers. Essentially, I have all of the Pioneers, the 48SX, (just sold a mint 48G), 48G+, 48GX (with infrared printer, 2M card, Math, Statistics, Calculus, Chemistry, & Physics cards), 49G+, 33S, 11C, 12C, 15C, and 28S, which was my first 15 yrs ago. I have many books on the 48 series, too, and even a nice poster and a couple of wonderful calculator collection / documentary books. I rotate each of them in/out of office and home use and stay on top of the battery situation. The three that get the most use right now are the 12C, 33S, and 49G+. Reasons for this are partly because they are currently easily replaced. The others are not easy. I can't say that I didn't have to spend much on Ebay. I think I have about $1500 tied up in the 48GX with books and accessories alone!... but I bought it brand new a couple months ago, too. I'd like to get a 10C and 16C to end the collection, but I have to be honest with myself and say that I don't think I'd ever use the 16C in the way it was meant to be used. As a working physicist, I get use out of all of the others.

            
Re: My First HP!
Message #13 Posted by Samuel Heddle on 28 Oct 2005, 11:54 a.m.,
in response to message #8 by GE

Thanks, everyone for the replys! I currently am enjoying my calculator, and am reading the owner's manual cover to cover. I am kinda confused about the FORM command, but hope to get it down in memory. :)


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