Best calculator for the working engineer

[Claudio L.]

(07-10-2016 06:40 PM)Vtile Wrote:  All I want to say that 50g even in its discontinued state is the (last) calculator for the working engineer. Unfortunately its formfactor and mentality in many ways is from the beginning of 1990s, not 2010s. The calculator for a working engineer in my eyes is $4 scientific or 50g-level of calculator, there is nothing between these days (of course with exceptions).

I tend to agree with this statement. I work with a 50g daily. Yes, I use computer software all the time to properly document and fine-tune the designs, but the 50g sits next to the PC keyboard. Not just for general number crunching but for simple approximations using design programs in RPL. "Design and document in one step" is merely a promise from software companies. Truth is, is quite common to spend precious hours inputting your data on the greatest program ever invented, only to realize after looking at the solution, that you started from a bad idea which you need to trash or heavily modify and re-input.
I do initial approximate designs on paper/pencil + 50g to make sure the idea is worth exploring. Then and only then I create the model in more advanced software.
So the 50g is a very valuable engineering tool for me, with a few libraries, my own programs, and custom keyboard shortcuts all over the place. All of it properly backed up to an SD card, so even after a catastrophic data loss I'll be back to work in a few minutes.
I also agree with Csaba: Sorry, but a calculator where I have to re-type all my programs after a disaster is not "for the working engineer". Let me store my programs somewhere (punched cards, magnetic cards, SD card, anywhere!).