HP 50G Graphing Calculator Review
Vložit
- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- An overview and review of the HP 50G graphing calculator.
In this video I talk through the calculator's basic operation, and functions such as the equation writer, equation solver, the filer, the equation library, the computer algebra system (CAS), and programming.
For more information about the HP 50G check out the following links:
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_49/5...
- support.hp.com/au-en/product/...
- www.hpcalc.org/
For a video about the 50G Tetris Easter Egg check out: • HP 50G Tetris Easter Egg
I also have another video on Reverse Polish Lisp (RPL) programming on the HP 48G: • HP 48G - Reverse Polis...
For more calculator videos, check out my channel / akuzi - Věda a technologie
I have one, this things are insane, the guy that designed and programmed this is a genius
Corvallis guys were far advanced aliens passing by this orbit, imho. Btw, the machine upgrade from Saturn to ARM 9 is impressive.
@@Helix751 we need a documentary on those guys.
I started in college with a 41CX. It was so intuitive but couldn't really do a lot. I bought a 50G a few years ago purely out of curiosity. Though it was remarkably versatile I got frustrated trying to navigate all of those menus. I was constantly referring to the online "manual". Granted I wasn't using it daily, but nothing was intuitive. It was like looking for groceries in an unfamiliar superstore after a hurricane.
Thanks for demonstrating how to actually navigate the 50g in order to utilise some facilities within the menus. I learnt a lot during 20min
Thanks - yeah there is a lot of functionality to cover. I use this calculator a lot and I hoped a quick overview would be useful to folks.
Really enjoyed your video on the 50G hope to see more esp dealing with RPL.
Thanks Richard. I'm planning to make another video about System RPL.
Love the HP 50g. But I prefer the HP 48G's keyboard.
This is the last "great" engineering calculator IMHO.
Man, calculators need to be appreciated.
I have two of these. One to use daily, and a spare in case the first one dies. It's a very powerful scientific pocket computer with a steep learning curve. However, once you learn how to use it, it can handle almost any problem you can think of. RPL is a very full featured programming language, unlike the previous generation RPN which was keystroke based.
Honestly the 50g is the pinnacle of calculators.
if only the Prime had full rpn support, that would be the best of the best. its been on the market since 2013 and has had 5 hardware revisions and 2 versions yet they cant upgrade a bit of the software to fully support rpn? pretty sad. so close yet so distant😔
@@outofahat9363 true
I loved RPL, personally, and used a 28S and a 48SX in school, but there seems to be a divide in the HP community between fans of RPL, and those of the RPN keystroke programmables (with the powerful 41C and possibly the 42S as the pinnacle). RPL was crazy powerful but with a degree of abstraction that was maybe hard to wrap your head around. And I guess it's been dropped in their more recent high-end calculators.
Great video - i instantly felt asleep by your voice. My insomnia is finally cured.
Glad I can help.
LOL... I also like the videos very much had hard times trying to stay put. Sometimes I had to go back to the begining of the video three or four time.
I really like the 50g. The only thing I'm missing is the large ENTER key. - Nice review, by the way... :D
Indeed yes. I keep getting SPC presses instead of ENTERs. Other than that, The very best HP calculator I have owned ever, having had the 48SX, 48GX, smartphone emulators and still own a 12C and 12C Platinum for financial operations.. and everything else I must admit.. Just can't get rid of RPN and HP's particular physical keyboard feeling at all
@@Helix751 I prefere the HP 48g because of the ENTER key and the somehow better display. Without acrylic glass the LCD looks better even though it has weaker contrast.
By the way: Of course I'm using Space to enter several numbers. I Like the big ENTER key as it's good for orientation... ;-)
Yes a big ENTER key...would really really help. You know it. Besides that this calc is superior to any newer HP crap and anything TI. The ability to enter a full xyz vector coordinate as a "single entry" is power. Nothing else can do that (if there is let me know).
Also, a bigger [SPC] key would be great, too.
There is a small mistake at 13:40, rightshift-I1 displays the current value in I1 it doesn't solve for it - leftshift-I1 solves and returns the correct solution of 16.6_A.
BTW, this thing can do CALCULUS!!!
You just enter the equation(there is a mode called "equation writer" that temporarily allows to go to Algebraic formula entry).
Also, did I mention it has a freakin Spreadsheet just like excel!!!
Amazing. Much faster than 48G. If 50G had the same keyboard quality than other "genuine" HP calculators, like 48G or 15C it would be much more sucessfull.
BTW, I bought and tried the HP PRime. I really wanted to like it, but it was a POS.
The 50g allowed me to seamlessly jump from geometry → vector statics in xyz → apply linear algebra(dot and cross product) → solving multiple linear variable equations without ever re-inputting the same equations or variable values. HP prime couldn't do that. I had to re-type equations and variable to do different functions. It was like using an HP and a TI calculator at the same time to do the same thing twice. Also, HP50g simple RPN entry and "programming" capabilities cannot be beat. The programming is like writing an excel macro. You just go through the steps one time, as if you are computing a number. No "scripts" or codes to memorize.
What flag setup is required to disable pop-up menus and keep only softmenus?! Thanks for the advice! :) - UPDATE: Flag 117
Thank you for this video! I like this calculator also! One note about graphics, from time 3:14. Calculator was not introduced in 2015, it was discontinued in 2015! Introduced it was in 2006. So, it resolution and clear contrast screen was very modern, for this time!
Hi, thanks for the vid. If I may ask, sometimes while I have to deal with pretty long equations during my exams and I get pretty lost using RPN in those cases, do you have any tips? My guess is that I'm thinking the wrong way every time I use RPN, making it harder and slower than it should.
One tip with RPN is to work from the inside of an equation, like you would do if you were working out the answer on paper. Also remember with 50G, you can always enter complex equations using using the algebraic equation editor.
Sim, eu tenho. Considere sempre os parênteses mais internos e obedeça a AOS (hierarquia algébrica: parêntesis, troca sinal, raiz, potência, etc tu podes usar propriedades matemáticas mas não perca tempo com isso, às vezes é melhor decorar) uma vez "mapeado" faça a sequência de cálculos exatamente como faria com papel e lápis. A HP50G é tão versátil que você pode deixar o AOS para ela, bastando usar um objeto algébrico (como se ela fosse uma Texas) e mais que isso, você pode usar o Equation Writer (assistente) para desenhar a equação como num livro e ela entrega o algébrico para você na pilha. A HP Prime não tem essa versatilidade. A HP50G mereceria uma continuação "expandida" em hardware através da incrível possível de existir MicroSwiss "DM50G".
50G screen better than the 48GX Black screen and far better than the 28S screen which even that was better than the later (1990?) 48SX! The 48S/SX screen was terrible, but the build the best of any HP Calculator. Modified slightly for the 48G/GX, dropped the separate nameplate and cut costs also in other ways. I own 2 x 28S and a 50G, 28S has best keyboard of any HP (almost like silk) but has numerous failure modes, all fixable but time consuming. Hint for 28S, use watch cells and dowel with aluminium foil - works great and relieves ALL the pressure on the door!
I hope micro swiss make hp50g with a cr232 battery (3 years without replacimg battery) and 32Mbytes flash memory in the slick box and ultra high contrast they use to use.
Great review.
I am kind of sad that today's calculator although it has a superior hardware, the software is inferior.
I much prefer a 50G than a Primer V2. The Prime is basically a computer.
Cheers
I feel the same way. I think the Prime is more approachable for a high school audience, but as a professional tool I prefer the 50G.
Even the hardware on the HP Prime seems to be built for the student market rather than professional. I would rather have fresh primary cell batteries than worrying about the prime battery not holding its charge in a critical situation.
How much I love this stupid piece of plastic and silicon ❤️ and she looks gorgeous.
I have a variable under CASDIR I cannot delete, called VX. Any ideas how to deal with this,remove or leave it alone? ANy help is appreciated. Cheers.
Yeah, VX a default variable used by the CAS engine for a number of functions that require a variable to solve for. Usually it is set to 'x'.
I bought a new one some 4 yrs ago, have hardly used it. It just came out of storage and I am learning how to solve equations and matrices with it. The buttons are terrible, I miss the 48s large enter button in the middle left (even my Hp35s feels better), and there is one variable XV I cannot delete even after removing batteries and resetting the calculator. Another issue is having to delete the PPAR and other variable created after a plot or other function. It is ridiculous. My pride and love of RPN keeps me from buying a TI device, as going algebraic is evolution in reverse. If they are still in business, I am considering buying a Swiss Micros calculator, even if the display is smaller and not graphical, due to the shortcomings of the 50G, or just outright getting an old used 48G and putting up with the slow processor for graphing.
Check my answer here under
Do someone remembers the Ford Taurus SOHO of the HP48s? My two younger brothers bought HP-48g+, kind of 48g's with 128kB
Yes, I have one. I love the high contrast screen.
I own two HP 50 g calculators. When did HP discontinued making this model? Were there any variations in the models, just like the HP Prime came in Version 1 and later Version 2?
There were only two versions i'm aware of, the F2229A which is in the video and the NW240AA blue and white version. According to some sources cited in Wikipedia the 50G was discontinued in 2015.
There were definitely some hardware changes over the years. I have 3 of these, and the oldest has louder, clickier-feeling keys than the others. The color of the orange lettering above the keys is also slightly different. Even though I prefer the tactile feel of the oldest one’s keys, it’s the only one whose keys have started to get unreliable. The newer ones with mushier-feeling keys still work perfectly.
How did you change the color on your Prime? My main bitch about it is the lack of any customization of the theme. I want my own fonts and colors.
If you go into Settings there a "Color Theme" setting on the second screen.
the 50g is THE BEST....but a few frustrating issues:
1.) Never ever put a dust plug into the bottom sd card slot. It disables the calculator. Why?
2.) When using [SOLVE VX] which is in the symbolic solver tab [S.SLV]. This freaken resets the calc back to RAD mode for any angle inputs. Why? So, if you didn't pay attention using it to solve a simple trig equation...it will drive you crazy.
[SOLVE VX] is a very handy command that can quickly solve simple algebra equations. So, I don't have to waste pen/paper just to move a variable to one side and solve for it. Ofcourse, you have to learn how to use the equation writer in the 50g. A minor inconvenience but easy to master.
The integration of ALG capability within the 50g is another amazing feature. It's not a RPN/ALG dilemma within the calculator, it "strangely complements" the RPN dominant calculator.
With which cable can i connect this to laptop? Usb mini b female?
Yeah USB Mini-B
My ideal calculator is hp 50g with Casio's Keyboard
That's an interesting one... most seem to prefer HP keyboards. Which Casio keyboard in particular do you like?
why are there no subtitles in some of your videos? they are very useful on many occasions.
Yeah I agree. I haven't changed any settings to prevent them.
@@CalculatorCulture - Yes. As someone with hearing issues, they are MANDATORY for me!
To me, the HP50g is the ultimate calculator. Why? Because of the fundamental problem with graphing calculators: almost no one needs them.
Back when the HP48 came out, people really did use graphing calculators professionally. PCs were just starting out and were pretty expensive, Windows 3 just came out. You couldn't give an entire department of engineers a desktop PC each, but you could give them a HP48. Maybe. They were still not cheap.
Fast forwards to today. No one actually needs a graphing calculator. Our numerically intensive tasks have move over to PCs, laptops, tablets, and even phones. All of the number crunching people had to do on a calculator is now automated. You just describe the problem to the software (either by building a 3D model, or a diagram, etc), and the software figures everything out for you. All we're really doing on calculators these days is simple arithmetic, and there's no end to calculator apps, so you don't need to carry around another device. What's more, you can even have a fully fledged graphing calculator on your phone, if that's what you want. So the bottom line really is that no one uses graphing calculators these days. Except American students. Not cause they need them, but because they have to. And after they finish their education, they never use them again.
Even so, this hasn't dissuaded the two big names in calculators: HP and Ti. But it has influenced them a great deal. Ti have always made graphing calculators aimed at education. They put a lot of effort into getting all coursework to be aimed at basically the Ti-84, and they're reaping the benefits. Good for them. HP is trying to muscle its way into that field with the HP Prime, offering all the modern conveniences kids these days are used to: shiny touchscreens, colour graphics, snappy software, and pretty explanations. So it's clear that if you buy a HP Prime or an nSpire, you're getting something aimed at students. Which is not necessarily bad, if that's your thing.
And this brings us to the HP50g. It's a bit of a "vestigial appendix". It took HP 15 years to get the technology they needed and to work out (most of) the kinks, so the HP50g is what the HP48 should have been but never was... except 16 years too late. People needed graphing calculators in 1990, but not in 2006. The market was already dying at that point. And the HP50g didn't have the impact needed to make a dent in Ti-84's monopoly. It was the right calculator at the wrong time.
And that's why I think the HP50g is the ultimate graphing calculator. It comes from a line of serious calculators, aimed at doing real work. It fulfilled the goal of what the HP48 should have been, had technology been available. It's modern looking enough and snappy enough to provide a nice experience, but it's old enough to still have a retro feel to it. It's the best of both worlds, really. It's like buying a modern valve guitar amplifier. It's old technology with all the charm that comes with it, but with all the annoying issues ironed out.
Truer than true. My old faithful HP48g from 1997 is dying.
Havent used it heavily on the last 17 years. Have a CASIO fx-5800p, does most of what's needed. But gosh, I do miss the HP power!
Discordo de ti quanto ao uso de PCs, laptops, tablets e telefones. Todos esses equipamentos possuem problemas insanáveis. Um é a obsolescência programada. Outro é a quantidade absurda de inutilidades que não podemos tirar, sendo que antigamente os computadores não tinham esse problema, mas passaram a imitar smartphones e nos empurram trastes como netflix, xbox, games que profissionais odeiam e mais... e não adianta dar um jeito de remover, porque na próxima atualização do windows esse lixo volta.
Aliás, o windows se tornou especialista em ficar farejando atualizações 24 h por dia para inutilidades que nunca usamos. E não temos como alterar isso. E trava que é uma desgraça, por melhor que seja o hardware. A única solução para o windows é remover ele e usar um Linux, com a penalidade de não podermos usar todos os programas que precisamos, a não ser por emulação.
Do lado dos telefones, temos a necessidade de estarmos online. Se a rede cai, perdemos funcionalidades.
Eu tenho uma HP 50g física e tenho o badalado emulador Emu48 nos meus dispositivos Android. Claro que há diferenças no uso, mas é praticamente a mesma coisa. E tenho outros aplicativos de calculadoras no Android que fazem muita coisa boa.
A meu ver, as grandes desvantagens da HP 50g são a baixíssima resolução da tela, a alimentação que não usa bateria recarregável e a baixa qualidade de conexão com computadores e baixa capacidade de memória e de cartões SD (que não se acham mais no mercado...).
De resto, tirando pequenos detalhes nos recursos dela (como a falta de indicadores de graus, minutos e segundos no lugar de aparência decimal ou a representação de coordenadas polares/retangulares muito complicadas e sem conversão fácil), a HP 50g continua imbatível em capacidade e utilidade.
O grande erro da HP, a meu ver, foi ter usado uma linha de calculadoras inferior para criar a HP Prime. Se eles tivessem evoluído a HP 50g com os recursos modernos, seria uma máquina absurdamente fantástica.
Quanto à tua visão de que os profissionais não precisam de calculadoras gráficas, eu não sei. Sei que os recursos de computadores e telefones são de difícil transporte (caso dos computadores) e entulhados de lixo que desviam o foco do trabalho. Calculadoras ainda são melhores nesses pontos.
---
I disagree with you about the use of PCs, laptops, tablets and phones. All of this equipment has irremediable problems. One is planned obsolescence. Another is the absurd amount of uselessness that we cannot remove, considering that in the past computers didn't have this problem, but they started to imitate smartphones and push us junk like Netflix, Xbox, games that professionals hate and more... and there's no point in giving a way to remove it, because in the next Windows update this garbage comes back.
In fact, Windows has become an expert at sniffing out updates 24 hours a day for useless things that we never use. And we can't change that. And it crashes like a disgrace, no matter how good the hardware is. The only solution for Windows is to remove it and use Linux, with the penalty of not being able to use all the programs we need, except through emulation.
On the phones side, we need to be online. If the network goes down, we lose functionality.
I have a physical HP 50g and I have the popular Emu48 emulator on my Android devices. Of course there are differences in usage, but it's practically the same thing. And I have other calculator apps on Android that do a lot of good things.
In my opinion, the major disadvantages of the HP 50g are the very low screen resolution, the power supply that does not use a rechargeable battery and the low quality of connection to computers and low memory and SD card capacity (which are no longer on the market. ..).
Furthermore, apart from small details in its features (such as the lack of degrees, minutes and seconds indicators instead of a decimal appearance or the representation of polar/rectangular coordinates that are very complicated and without easy conversion), the HP 50g remains unbeatable in terms of capacity and utility.
HP's big mistake, in my opinion, was using an inferior line of calculators to create the HP Prime. If they had evolved the HP 50g with modern features, it would be an insanely fantastic machine.
As for your view that professionals don't need graphing calculators, I don't know. I know that computer and telephone resources are difficult to transport (in the case of computers) and are cluttered with rubbish that diverts focus from work. Calculators are still better at these points.
@@WiltonSilveiraWell, I disagree too.
My computer is 7 years old. Most of the technology in it is 8 years old at least. And yet I can still play the latest games on it, in satisfactory detail. It's not the technology that has planned obsolescence built into it. Rather, technology improves faster and we always want the latest and greatest. But there's no reason why you couldn't keep a PC or phone going for 3-5 years if you wanted too.
My Windows is also just as old. I installed it 7 years ago, when I built my PC, and I have no reinstalled since. It is a very rare occurrence to get a crash. I think the reason why most people get crashes is because they're doing something they should really not do, they make the system unstable, and then they blame it on the OS instead of on their own misuse. Also, as someone that also uses Linux I can tell you that it is not a replacement for Windows. Not by a long shot.
Yes, you do lose functionality without a network. So what? That's to be expected when you're using online services. But that is, once again, more your fault than the phone's. You can, for example, download offline maps quite easily, and you no longer need a network connection to navigate.
The HP50g is a product of its time. Nothing back then had a good PC connection. Every single phone manufacturer had their shitty proprietary cables and even worse proprietary software that was an absolute pain to use. It wasn't until much later that Android brought standardisation to the masses with standard USB connectors and cables. Same goes for the screen. Have you seen what screens mobile phones were using in 1999, when the 49/50 series was launched?
And the lack of battery recharging is also a product of its time. There just weren't great options for rechargeable batteries back then. Nothing that would make sense to use in a calculator. And the connector would most likely need to be a big, ugly DC barrel connector, even bigger than what you used to find on laptops up until USB-C became a thing. There was no option to use USB back then for power. Even so, you can use modern rechargeable batteries in your 50g.
And I really disagree about the SD cards. For starters, why are you complaining about the capacity? It's not like you can add a lot to it. Secondly, you can use SD cards up to 2GB in size which are still readily available.
Bottom line is that the 50g was the last in a line started in 1999. They didn't have ubiquitous USB connectors back then. In fact, USB mini wasn't a thing until 2000, and there was no way you could fit a massive USB-B on a handheld computer. They didn't have proper rechargeable batteries. They didn't have proper screens. That's just the technology of the time. If HP were to make a 50g today, it would have an internal batter, it would connect with USB-C, it would have a high resolution colour touchscreen, and it would have a large internal memory... like the HP Prime.
Yeah... My HP48SX got stolen decades ago but I have an emulator for it on my phone... and for all the power it has, I find myself only using it for basic calculations where I want to enter the numbers in RPN (for this kind of thing I still prefer it to the calculator app that came with the phone). For any kind of computer algebra manipulations, I'm going to use Wolfram Alpha (which has a three-dollar phone app) or Sagemath (free software). And for just evaluating an expression, I'm more likely to just type the expression into a web browser's URL bar, which to the me of 30 years ago would have sounded insane, but it's the method that's most available most of the time.
(The situation in the early 1990s was peculiar, really: bulky desktop and tower PCs were already pretty much ubiquitous especially in technical fields, but laptops were way more expensive, and specialized technical software to do the kinds of things HP calculators could easily do was very expensive. The widely available number-crunching tool was the spreadsheet, which was more aimed at business calculations. And there were no tablets or smartphones. So even though you probably had the raw horsepower to do any calculations you wanted with a PC, there were still a variety of reasons to have a powerful calculator. I think the things that really changed it was that the Web made apps for specialized calculations freely available on an ad hoc basis, and various mobile and portable devices with something like PC power proliferated as basic consumer items.)
Loved my 48 until stinking Duracell batteries killed it. Had to get a 50 to replace it but miss a printed instruction book I need to get the most of it.
Looks like my 49g+. I have ordered an HP prime which looks like an easier menu system. I would trade them both for an hp41c with a math pack I had 35 years ago. I knew where all the functions were and zipped through exams in no time. Just pure rpn. I wonder why they make the old 35s but not the 41?
You might want to check out my videos about the SwissMicros DM41X, a modern clone of the 41C.
@@CalculatorCulture I was going to comment that!
The the hp49g+ and the HP50g are functionally identical. The HP50g is simply a new kind of case for the HP49g+ The one has a gold painted case where the paint deteriorated.
Are Swiss Micros still in business? They don't reply to emails. I think the 42 for me will be the way to go, unless i opt for the cheaper 15.
@@amramjose I am not sure. I went with the prime after trying the Swiss micro 41 and even the TI 36, and casio fx cg50. The hp prime has a huge manual I printed out.
Always wondered why the 50g shows decimal marks even when there's no fraction part, like this:
4: 3.567
3: 2.
2: 'A+B=C'
1: 16_km
It even shows up in your video, see czcams.com/video/eBK60gQjeIA/video.html
The 50G has two calculation modes, exact (symbolic) and approximate (real). In approximate mode integers are always displayed with a decimal point.
@@CalculatorCulture Aaaaaah, I hadn't thought of this. I'm assuming you mean under the CAS menu -> Approx: checked vs unchecked?
I am so unworthy of owning this class of calculator. Should have stuck with my hp21 !
Your HP50G display looks very dark......mine looks a little washed out....Is my calculator on it's way out?
It might just a contrast issue, you can adjust contrast with $ and +/-.
@@CalculatorCulture How do I use the $ sign to darken?
@@stefos6431 apologies, hold down the ON key, and then tap + or - to darken and lighten the constrast.
@@CalculatorCulture That only darkens the entire screen..I think its just me sir...Thank you for your kindness:)
Shamed to say I can use less than 5% of what this calculator is capable of.