The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #1 Posted by mr-scorpio on 4 June 2011, 9:23 a.m.

I've recently become the proud owner of a mint HP 48GX (Black Screen, 2003 build)

However this has gotten me into researching other HP calcs etc. One thing that has struck me is that whilst the 48GX can be 'expanded' by loading a CAS app like Erable onto it (& eating up 80% of its storage), the 28S seems to have had some sort of simpler 'CAS' built into it already? - Meaning that is could symbolically Simplify and Expand epressions for example. In fact the user manual has a whole section on 'Simplification'.

My question is, the 48 series came out shortly after the 28S & dominated the 90's, but WHY did HP 'Drop' the seemingly Useful 'CAS' features that the older/simpler 28S had? - With HP calcs not getting CAS again until the more current models. Seems like a backward step by HP? OR 'CAN' the 48GX for example expand & simplify Algebraic equations (WITHOUT installing a prog), but calls it something else? Look forward to your insights.

Al

      
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #2 Posted by fhub on 4 June 2011, 9:51 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by mr-scorpio

Quote:
OR 'CAN' the 48GX for example expand & simplify Algebraic equations (WITHOUT installing a prog), but calls it something else?
Yes, the HP-48 can do such things! :-)

Just look at 'SYMBOLIC' (with <- and -> on the key 9) ...

Franz

            
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #3 Posted by mr-scorpio on 4 June 2011, 10:24 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by fhub

So to clarify: The 48GX can 'Simplify'?

                  
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #4 Posted by fhub on 4 June 2011, 11:07 a.m.,
in response to message #3 by mr-scorpio

Quote:
So to clarify: The 48GX can 'Simplify'?
Don't ask me about any details, because I've not used it since many years.
IMHO any 'CAS' on HP-calculators is not a CAS bust just a nightmare.
If you want to use a serious CAS on a handheld then there's only one choice: TI-92Plus or TI-Voyage200 (although I prefer the 92 because of its much better keyboard).
                        
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #5 Posted by Gilles Carpentier on 4 June 2011, 4:59 p.m.,
in response to message #4 by fhub

"IMHO any 'CAS' on HP-calculators is not a CAS bust just a nightmare."

I desagree. The 49 & 50G CAS is OK.

                  
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #6 Posted by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove on 4 June 2011, 5:21 p.m.,
in response to message #3 by mr-scorpio

The HP 48G series have the same ISOL, EXPAN and COLCT commands as the HP 28 series. At the time of the introduction of the HP 28, that was quite a feat, but it is of course nothing compared to the possibilities offered by Erable and ALG48 (or any modern CAS).

Edited: 4 June 2011, 5:26 p.m.

                        
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #7 Posted by mr-scorpio on 5 June 2011, 4:58 a.m.,
in response to message #6 by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove

Interesting that you mention that. I have another post requesting whether a comparison exists between Erable & CAS48 - might you know how they compare?

Would it be fair to say then that even though the 48G series 'isn't' touted as having CAS, it 'does' have numerous 'CAS-like' capabilities? Cheers

Edited: 5 June 2011, 5:06 a.m.

                              
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #8 Posted by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove on 5 June 2011, 4:06 p.m.,
in response to message #7 by mr-scorpio

ALG48 and Erable share a lot of functionality; in fact Erable is in part derived from ALG48. Head over to hpcalc.org and read the Erable and ALG48 documentation to find out more about the differences (specifically section 3.3 of the Erable documentation). Main point is: if you can have the two of them on your HP 48, do not hesitate.

                        
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #9 Posted by mr-scorpio on 5 June 2011, 5:11 a.m.,
in response to message #6 by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove

I've yet to get a serial cable for my 48GX, but when i do....

It is possible to get both Erable AND ALG48 on the 48GX at the SAME time? - How much free memory is left when one or both are installed? Cheers

                              
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #10 Posted by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove on 5 June 2011, 4:13 p.m.,
in response to message #9 by mr-scorpio

Well, I only own a physical HP 48G, so I do not have any experience. I stuffed Metakernel, ALG48 and Erable into my Emu48 emulation, but I do not know which memory card you need to accomodate ALG48 and Erable on your HP 48GX. Erable needs 120K and ALG48 4.2 requires 50K, so you obviously need a memory expansion to accomodate both of them.

                                    
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #11 Posted by mr-scorpio on 5 June 2011, 5:38 p.m.,
in response to message #10 by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove

Many thanks for the responses. What about 'CAS48', have you heard about this CAS system as well? Any idea how it compares to Erable / ALG48? Cheers

                                          
Re: HP 28S - Partial CAS?
Message #12 Posted by Jeroen Van Nieuwenhove on 5 June 2011, 5:54 p.m.,
in response to message #11 by mr-scorpio

I guess the reason why ALG48 and Erable are mentioned together so often is because these two applications were integrated in the later HP 49 and 50 series.

CAS48 and its manual can be found under the link I posted earlier. I have no experience with this application, but the documentation contains a list of its CAS functionality. You also might want to post your questions on comp.sys.hp48, which is a more specialized forum for this.

Cheers, Jeroen

Edited: 5 June 2011, 5:59 p.m.


[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall