HP Forum Archive 19

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I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #1 Posted by hecube on 8 Aug 2009, 1:46 a.m. I've been coming to the website for as long as I can remember (did it exist in 1996?) The question is: is everyone in here a collector?

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #2 Posted by Garth Wilson on 8 Aug 2009, 4:00 a.m., in response to message #1 by hecube Quote: The question is: is everyone in here a collector? No. I use my 41cx and 71 because they're a functional part of my work.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #3 Posted by DaveJ on 8 Aug 2009, 5:18 a.m., in response to message #1 by hecube Quote: The question is: is everyone in here a collector? Not really, I just like calculators, and designing them. I actually prefer Casio's (*gasp*) most of the time, but the fellow calculator enthusiasts on here is hard to beat, HP or not. Dave.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #4 Posted by Nigel J Dowrick on 8 Aug 2009, 7:34 a.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I teach Physics in a secondary school (ages 11-18) so I do need to use at least one calculator for my job. However, I definitely count as a collector as well! Although I like HP machines I collect many others too. I like the forum because there are so many interesting and knowledgeable people here. A lot of what is discussed is relevant to calculators in general, and not just HPs. Nigel

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #5 Posted by Andrés C. Rodríguez (Argentina) on 8 Aug 2009, 9:03 a.m., in response to message #1 by hecube A very small collection here, most are my own units, no longer in daily use. For everyday use, I have a 33S that I will not miss if gets lost or broken. On custody, I have 2 HP25 (one from a gift, other from cheap eBay purchase), my old HP41C, my 42S, a 32Sii, a 20S from a person who no longer uses it, a 200LX, a 35S from HHC 2007, a 17Bii+ and a 12C platinum from HHC 2007 door prizes, a 48G+ bought at a local electronics shop, and not much more. In the last years I put little effort (or money) in collecting, however they seem just to get together! The forum is a very nice place to find excellent friends and to learn more about calculators, math, electronics and many other things. The people who cames here make it great, and the MoHPC setup by Dave Hicks is superb. Welcome and thanks for your postings, I like all space-related issues and took many interesting points from your comments and from others' answers to them.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #6 Posted by Martin Pinckney on 8 Aug 2009, 1:11 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I am a working civil engineer. I have a small "collection" of HP calculators, which I purchased to use, not collect. But I found that I like different features on different models depending on the task at hand. I also have duplicates of my most frequently used models, as back-ups, because all of mine are older models no longer in production. I belong to this group for the information I get about the calculators, and because the posts can be challenging, interesting, and just plain fun.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #7 Posted by Tim Wessman on 8 Aug 2009, 1:50 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube Nope. I just build them for HP. TW

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #8 Posted by hecube on 8 Aug 2009, 1:54 p.m., in response to message #7 by Tim Wessman If your initials had been SW, I would have been flabbergasted...

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #9 Posted by Fred Lusk on 8 Aug 2009, 2:05 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I am also a civil engineer. My collection consists almost entirely of calculators I bought for use at school or work. In high school, I started with an HP-35 that I bought from my dad when he upgraded to an HP-45. I bought an HP-55 a few months before graduation. In college I purchased an HP-34C. After graduation I got an HP-41CV, then upgraded to an HP-41CX. I sold the CV to a co-worker to help fund the CX. That's the only calculator I ever sold. My dad later gave me his old HP-41C to add to my collection. In 1988 I bought an HP-42S, which is still my everyday calculator. Since then I have purchased an HP-48G and and HP-48G+ (both on sale for $25 and $29, respectively. The HP-48G+ is my secondary calculator and travel alarm. I bought an HP-32SII when they were being discontinued, and that was my home office desk calculator until I got an HP-35S. I also won and HP-10B in a contest and a friend gave me a non-op HP-21. Oh, and I have collected lots of excellent emulators and simulators for my PC, Palm TX and iPhone.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #10 Posted by Howard Lazerson on 8 Aug 2009, 2:06 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube use them almost daily for medical and astronomical calculations

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #11 Posted by Jeff Kearns on 8 Aug 2009, 4:06 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I am an engineer - first marine then general/mechanical - and bought my first HP calculator, a slightly used HP 15C in university in 1985. I have a small collection (a dozen or so - all HP with duplicates of the 15C and 42S) but they were all purchased to be used and not necessarily put on display. I keep a (relatively) discardable 33s in the office, I always have a 15C in my briefcase, and the remainder rotate through the office or are on stand-by at home. I often use my HP 21 that sits in a really nifty and well-made wooden stand as my main desktop calculator at home. Although my collection does not include a 12C, most programmables (except the 33E because it is a bit of a pain to program) have a TVM implementation at the ready. I love math/stats and physics and do try my hand at some of the interesting 'challenges' presented on the site, but I just like the posts. I often solve practical engineering problems either for work or fun. I can't wait to get my hands on Geoff's manual when he releases it so I can keep my small collection running for years to come! I just, as in yesterday, received my very first slide rule in the mail, a Hemmi 260 Advanced Engineering Slide Rule. Something new to learn and master. Haven't quite got RPL down pat... maybe someday. Jeff Kearns

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #12 Posted by Keith Midson on 9 Aug 2009, 12:16 a.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I started using HP's at University (engineering) over 20 years ago - starting with the 28S, then 48G, etc ... I have gathered a rather large collection now (well over 50!), but I still use them on a daily basis for work. So my collecting has been a direct result of using HP's throughout my career. I think that most HP collectors start out this way as humble users, upgrade, get interested in new/old models and end up with a collection - intended or otherwise. Cheers, Keith

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #13 Posted by Mad Dog ebaycalcnut on 9 Aug 2009, 2:35 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I'm just here for entertainment and to help educate others. Edited: 9 Aug 2009, 2:43 p.m.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #14 Posted by Joel Setton (France) on 10 Aug 2009, 12:05 p.m., in response to message #13 by Mad Dog ebaycalcnut Hi, I'm an ex-HP employee, with a strong interest in HP's products from the 60s and 70s. I have a dozen HP calculators (classics, Spices, Topcat, and a 9815A), plus quite a few HP test instruments including 3 oscilloscopes which I use quite often. Restoring and using vintage HP stuff is my life!!!!! Joel Setton

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #15 Posted by David Hayden on 10 Aug 2009, 1:56 p.m., in response to message #1 by hecube I'm a Software Architect on UNIX machines, but first got interested in programming on calculators in the 70's. I'm what you might call an accidental collector, having used a 41CV for 20+ years and kept a couple of old TI's as well. These days I play around with a 50G, doing moonlighting work occasionally.

Re: I'm a bit new around here (the forum anyway)... Message #16 Posted by Michael Meyer on 11 Aug 2009, 5:30 p.m., in response to message #15 by David Hayden It's a spiritual thing for me. Restoring, using, and just experiencing the most amazing computing machines of my youth. Other than an HP-25, and a friend's 19C, I could only dream of using them back then. Now, a whole collection is proudly displayed and still enjoyed. Preserved rather than disposed. It's definitely a spiritual thing.

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