The Devon Buy Collection of HP Calculators and Related Hardware

Hewlett-Packard make different categories of calculators, from Business and Financial to Scientific and Graphing.

I collect specifically only the Graphing variety as these have larger LCD screens, have more powerful capabilities, and can thus perform more complex calculations. Plus, they come in really handy in my engineering design work.

You will only see a handful of calculators here, but these items, regardless of their quantity, are considered collections when:

1. the items are of interests to some degree of passion
2. they are bought simply more for want than for use
3. the want or desire for such items extends beyond their mere functions or reasons of existence
4. such items have no true bearing on daily living, and are often considered unnecessary or a waste of money by people not in the know (great artwork and paintings come to mind!)
5. they are usually expensive and considered poor value by people who don’t use them, although not necessarily so

The larger screen of these graphing HP calculators makes easier viewing of diagrams, formulae and matrices, while the power for complex calculations means it will handle complicated engineering as well as financial calculations without a hitch.

Also, I prefer the Reverse Polish Notation (RPN) over the Algebraic method of computing, which works on a stack system and hence displays better on a larger LCD screen.

The Collection of HP Calculators and the Specifications

I apologise if some of you found your way here expecting to see the older calculators from HP, such as the HP-35 of 1972 or the HP-91 of 1976. I do not own any of the vintage pre-1980 ones.

Nevertheless, some of the HP calculators here are quite hard to come by that you can’t buy some of them off the shelves anymore. As listed below, you will notice that they were manufactured between 1980s to more recent times, and were acquired from various countries around the world.

HP GRAPHING CALCULATORS

	Model: HP 48GX Serial No.: 3605S00678 Made in: Singapore, 1993 Purchased: London, UK (1997) Price (new): £249.99 / RM1,000.00 Processor: 4 MHz Yorke Core: Saturn 1LT8 Memory: 128kB RAM expandable Expansion: 128kB and 4MB card slots Display: 131 x 64 pixel mono LCD Input: Reverse Polish Notation Prg Language: RPL Connectivity: 1×4-pin RS-232 Wireless: HP SIR Release Year: 1993 – 2003 Predecessor: HP 48SX Successor: HP 49G
	Model: HP 48GX Serial No.: ID73703820 Made in: Indonesia, 1993 Purchased: Portugal (29 January 2015) Price (used): US$150.00 / RM570.00 Processor: 4 MHz Yorke Core: Saturn 1LT8 Memory: 128kB RAM expandable Expansion: 128kB and 4MB card slots Display: 131 x 64 pixel mono LCD Input: Reverse Polish Notation Prg Language: RPL Connectivity: 1×4-pin RS-232 Wireless: HP SIR Release Year: 1993 – 2003 Predecessor: HP 48SX Successor: HP 49G
	Model: HP 48SX Serial No.: 3101A01747 Made in: USA, 1989 Purchased: USA (6 February 2015) Price (used): US$60.00 / RM230.00 Processor: 2 MHz Yorke Core: Saturn 1LT8 Memory: 32kB RAM expandable Expansion: 128kB RAM/ROM card slots Display: 131 x 64 pixel mono LCD Input: Reverse Polish Notation Prg Language: RPL Connectivity: 1×4-pin RS-232 Wireless: HP SIR Release Year: 1990 – 1993 Predecessor: HP 28S Successor: HP 48GX
	Model: HP 38G Serial No.: ID83100923 Made in: Indonesia, 1995 Purchased: USA (7 February 2015) Price (used): US$20.00 / RM76.00 Processor: 4 MHz Yorke Core: Saturn 1LT8 Memory: 32kB RAM Expansion: None Display: 131 x 64 pixel mono LCD Input: Algebraic Prg Language: HP Basic Connectivity: 2×5-pin RS-232 Wireless: HP SIR Release Year: 1995 Predecessor: None Successor: HP 39G, HP 40G
	Model: HP 50G Serial No.: CNA 81102078 Made in: China, 2010 Purchased: Kuala Lumpur (2010) Price (new): RM740.00 Processor: 75 MHz (203 MHz) Samsung S3C2410A Core: ARM920T Memory / Flash: 512 kB RAM / 2MB Expansion: 2GB SD Card Slot Display: 131 x 80 pixel mono LCD Input: Algebraic and RPN Prg Language: RPL, Algebraic RPL Connectivity: USB (micro-B) Wireless: IrDA Release Year: 2006 – 2015 Predecessor: HP 49G+ Successor: HP Prime
	Model: HP Prime Serial No.: 4CY3610DQR Made in: China, 2014 Purchased: USA (2 January 2015) Price (new): US$125.00 / RM475.00 Processor: 400 MHz Samsung S3C2416XH40 Core: ARM926EJ Memory / Flash: 32MB RAM / 256MB Expansion: None Display: 320 x 240 pixel 16-bit colour multi-touch TFT LCD Input: Algebraic and RPN Prg Language: PPL Connectivity: USB (micro-AB) Wireless: None Release Year: 2013 Predecessor: HP 50G Successor: None at time of writing

Below are Casio calculators I have used over the years, added here simply for info. The classic Casio fx-580 was a gift from my uncle when I was about 11, and the cfx-9800G was bought when I couldn’t use the HP 48GX in my university examinations. The fx-570MS was provided by a previous employer, but was never used as I always had one of the HP above in hand.

NON-HP SCIENTIFIC CALCULATORS

	Brand: Casio Model: fx-580 Serial No.: 8H110A Made in: Japan Type: Scientific Functions: 60 Keys: 44 Precision: 12 digits Logic: Algebraic Display Type: Monochrome dot matrix Display Size: unknown Power Source: 2 x CR2025 Dimensions: 138 x 44 x 10 mm Weight: unknown Yr introduced: 1982 Yr discontinued: 1985
	Brand: Casio Model: cfx-9800G Serial No.: 499214 Made in: China Type: Graphing Functions: unknown Keys: 58 Precision: 10 digits Logic: Formula Display Type: Colour LCD Display Size: 126 x 64 Power Source: 2 x AA and 1 x CR2032 Dimensions: 172 x 85 x 20 mm Weight: 160 g Yr introduced: 2000 Yr discontinued: 2005
	Brand: Casio Model: fx-570MS S-V.P.A.M. Serial No.: 201006 Made in: China Type: Scientific Functions: 401 Keys: 50 Precision: 12 digits Logic: Formula Display Type: Monochrome LCD Display Size: unknown Power Source: 1 x LR44 Dimensions: 154 x 77 x 10 mm Weight: 145 g Yr introduced: 2000 Yr discontinued: n/a

HP Expansion Cards are ROM cards with built-in programs and data references made to be used in the expansion slots of the HP 48SX and HP 48GX calculators. The “X” suffix in the model names denotes eXpandable.

The ROM cards vary in pricing from the basic New Mathematics Pac 1 at US$49 to the more complex Super Civil Engineering Program at US$275. Other than the usual engineering and mathematic programs, various other cards exist that make these calculators usable for geometry, surveying, celestial navigation and oil cargo calculations.

Coupled with a Garmin GPS module via the serial port, the HP 48GX could also run flight navigation programs. On a calculator. In 1995!

The expansion ports on the HP 48SX and HP 48GX also allow the user to increase the RAM and memory on the calculators, with Memory Expansion Cards ranging from 128 kB RAM at US$59 to a “gargantuan” 1 MB RAM at US$285.

These were the prices in the mid-1990s. The prices for these cards are not cheaper today.

Like collectibles, they have increased in pricing by about 20% to 50% over their original pricing 20 years ago, despite being of obsolete technology. The prices listed below for each card are the prices in 1997 when I bought them.

HP EXPANSION CARDS

	Card name: HP Solve Equation Library Model No.: 82211A Released by: Hewlett-Packard Released in: 1990 Price: US$99.95 Features: Adds the Equation Library feature to the HP 48SX. The card became redundant when the Equation Library was built-in into the ROM of the HP 48GX, which also resulted with the G- and GX-series calculators banned from certain examinations.
	Card name: Math*Pro Model No.: 10201-1A Released by: Sparcom Released in: c.1995 Price: US$99.00 Features: Nearly 1,000 equations used by mathematicians, engineers and science students covering the topics of Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Hyperbolics, Calculus, Analytic Geometry, Quadric Surfaces, and Transforms (Laplace, Fourier and Z).
	Card name: Mechanical Engineering Application Pac Model No.: 10051-1A Released by: Sparcom Released in: c.1995 Price: US$99.00 Features: Over 300 equations from core subject areas of mechanical engineering, with eight subject areas on Beams, Gas Laws, Mechanics, Heat Transfer, Fluid Mechanics, Machine Design, Stress Analysis, and Vibrations.
	Card name: Mechanical Engineering Reference Pac Model No.: 10061-1A Released by: Sparcom Released in: c.1995 Price: US$99.00 Features: Over 3,000 entries with subject areas covering Mechanical Properties, Liquid Properties, Gases and Vapors, Refrigerants, Elastic Properties, Thermal Conductivity, Specific Heat, Composition of Metals, Fuels and Combustion, and Environmental Control.

Many books and reference materials were published for the HP 48 series of calculators. I have only five of them, with prices in 1995 indicated below. Like the collectibles they are, most books on the HP 48 have gone up in pricing, such as The HP 48 Handbook by James Donnelly which went from US$19 in 1995 to almost US$100 today, 20 years later. To check or buy books currently available for the HP 48 series, click here.

HP DOCUMENTATION AND RELATED PUBLICATIONS

	Title: HP 48G Series User’s Guide Published by: Hewlett-Packard Published in: December 1994 (8th edition) First edition: May 1993 Printed in: Singapore No. of Pages: 564 + 32 (index pages) Part No.: 00048-90126 Price: included with the HP 48GX
	Title: HP 48G Series Advanced User’s Reference Manual Published by: Hewlett-Packard Published in: May 1994 (3rd edition) First edition: July 1993 Printed in: USA No. of Pages: 733 + 21 (index pages) Part No.: 00048-90136 Price: US$19.00
	Title: The HP 48SX Quick Reference Guide Published by: Hewlett-Packard Published in: 1990 First edition: 1990 Printed in: Canada No. of Pages: 72 Part No.: 00048-90079 Price: included with the HP 48SX
	Title: The HP 48 Pocket Book Authors: James Donnelly Published by: Armstrong Publishing Company Published in: June 1993 (1st edition) First edition: 1993 Printed in: USA No. of Pages: 56 ISBN No.: 1-879828-05-7 Price: US$8.00
	Title: The HP 48G/GX Pocket Guide Authors: Chris Coffin and Thomas Dick Published by: Thomas Dick and Grapevine Publications, Inc Published in: June 1998 (2nd edition) First edition: 1996 Printed in: USA No. of Pages: 80 ISBN No.: 0-931011-45-0 Price: Unknown
	Title: BB Marketing Catalog Authors: N/A Published by: BB Marketing Published in: 1997 / 1998 (5th edition) First edition: Unknown Printed in: Oslo, Norway No. of Pages: 66 ISBN No.: n/a Price: n/a

Why I Have Two HP 48GX

The HP 48GX is arguably the best calculator ever to have come out of the Hewlett-Packard foundry, and while its successors have been released with greater RAM and processor speeds, the HP 48GX remains the best built calculator and feature-rich for its class. If you’ve held an HP 48GX, you’re likely to say they don’t build calculators like they used to anymore.

My first HP 48GX is a 1993 model made in Singapore. I bought this as a university student in the UK in 1997. The HP 48GX cost a whopping GBP249.00 (RM1,000) – a hefty price to pay for a calculator in the 90s, and even today.

However, it was banned from examinations, simply because it was…are you ready for a cheesy phrase?…”too powerful”. At least this was what my university examiners had told me.

Not surprisingly, as the HP 48GX is equipped with a powerful long-range IR port that made transferring of data across desks possible. I had better use for the IR port, and ran a remote control program that allowed the HP 48GX to be used as a universal remote. Switching TV channels at public areas had always been fun. I eventually got a Casio calculator as a replacement for exams, while still using the HP 48GX in class and outside of exams.

I used this calculator for more than 10 years, from my university days right up into the early years of my engineering career. I eventually switched to the newer HP 50G, which was more or less a modern and faster version of the HP 48GX.

Still, I alternated between the HP 50G and the HP 48GX.

By 2013, my HP 48GX had started to show signs of LCD leakage underneath the screen. It fully leaked, covering the entire screen by end of 2014, making the calculator almost impossible to use even though it is fully functional.

I realise that, even with its dated appearance and slow processor by today’s standards, the HP 48GX is still the calculator of my choice.

In my opinion, this is the most important calculator ever to be released by Hewlett-Packard since they began their calculator department, and has somewhat achieved a cult status amongst HP graphing calculator users.

Its old-fashion design is itself a thing of interest, much like vintage cars driven on today’s modern streets. The processor may be slow, but for the less complex calculations that I do, and small matrices if any, this calculator is certainly enough.

For engineering people, both professionals and students, it is definitely a dream device that packs a punch. Many punches.

I bought the new HP Prime in 2015, and found myself disappointed with it upon initial use. It seems it was targeted more towards the student-examination group, rather than for the matured engineer.

Longing to replace my old HP 48GX, I set out to purchase a second-hand HP 48GX, and found an engineer from Portugal who was selling off his 20-year-old HP 48GX at a very reasonable price.

This second HP 48GX is the default calculator that sits on my desk now. Sometimes, very rarely though, I switch over and use the HP 50G, if I need the speed.

For those times when light level at my desk is low, I put the backlight display of the HP Prime to good use.

Every HP calculator, it seems, has its strengths and purpose.