71B vs 75D

[rprosperi]

(04-13-2021 03:47 AM)dhe Wrote:  I found an ATT 75D pretty cheap on ebay, and thought it might be a nice companion to my new to me 71B.

Anyone have any thoughts of 71B vs 75B? I think the 71B is the better looking and better sized unit.

As a long-time 71B user, I acquired some 75C units in ~2015 to explore and get educated on them. I had always believed the 71B was simply better in all ways, but this turns out to not be true, the 75C is faster (for math) easier to type on, has some capabilities beyond the 71B and some other unique features too.

I did a presentation on the 75C at an HHC meeting in 2017, summarizing many of my findings; a video is available on YT here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndwek0QKqrU

TL;DR - The short version is I recommend you to get it, it's really a very interesting machine, with its own charm and unique personality, and they can usually be acquired for less than a 71B (plus they have HP-IL built-in so no need to purchase that too).

If you like using emulators, you can also check out Jean Francois Garnier's EMU75 here: http://www.jeffcalc.hp41.eu/emu75/. The user experience on an emulator is clearly quite different from a real device, but EMU75 provides an extremely accurate reproduction of the 75C's behavior and capabilities.

If you do get it, come back and share your experiences...