The Museum of HP Calculators

The HP programmables; or how to make a one-time investment in a machine you won't outgrow.

Users of preprogrammed hand-helds who seek to extend their problem-solving skills can find themselves stalled by their machines' built-in limitations. For users whose needs are evolving, the practical entry-level choice for personal data processing may well be the programmable machine.

Until about four and a half years ago, the slide rule was the personal number processor "of choice"-- by necessity. Then, in 1972, Hewlett-Packard introduced an alternative: the first of a series of preprogrammed. hand-held calculators that virtually revolutionized numerical data processing.

Since then, we have pioneered another alternative: hand-held programmable machines that expand their utility beyond the power resident in the key functions, and thus offer the capacity to deal realistically with a user's evolving needs:

• The keystroke programmable. The HP-25 ($145*) can be programmed by a series of keystrokes to solve automatically the repetitive problems every scientist and engineer faces. Its capabilities include branching, conditional tests, full editing, and eight addressable memories. It also has 72 built-in functions and operations, which can be incorporated into your programs to save program steps, or used "as is."
• The programmable with continuous memory. The HP-25C ($200*) adds a continuous memory to the HP-25, so that it can retain programs or data even when it is turned off.
• The fully programmable.The HP-67 ($450*) is the most powerful hand-held programmable HP has ever built. Programmed by prerecorded magnetic cards, or by keystroke for programs you develop (which can also be stored on magnetic cards for re-use), the HP-67 handles routines of up to 224 steps. But of even greater importance is the HP-67's capacity for automatic merging of keycodes (squeezing as many as three keystrokes into one step of program memory). There are program packages for math, stat, EE, ME, clinical lab and nuclear medicine, and surveying, available at $35* per pac.
• The fully programmable with thermal printer. The HP-97 ($750*) has all the capability of the HP-67, plus a built-in printer. Besides generating a permanent record of your results, the printer can aid significantly in programming, listing all or part of your programs complete with key memories, or tracing operations and results of each step of a running program to facilitate editing or debugging. While larger than pocket-sized, the HP-97 is small enough (8 by 9 by 2.5 inches) to fit very portably into your briefcase.

A few words about machine "language."

All our hand-held and portable programmables incorporate HP's special RPN logic system. It's simple, direct, and trustworthy. You can work involved equations in the order you find natural, without having to enter or keep track of parentheses and brackets. And you get answers you can trust! Programs using HP's logic system are generally shorter than those using the logic systems of most other machines, making the most efficient use of program memory space. This, plus fully merged keystrokes, makes each programming step a stride, not a hobble.

And added value.

If you are a professional, or aspire to be one, there's a programmable with the range of power and features you need. Plus the engineering quality that assures reliable performance. Plus worldwide service. Plus manuals and aids to make programming a snap. If the notion of having a personal computer in your pocket or briefcase seems attractive, the next step is up to you.

*Domestic USA prices only.

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