DM42

General discussion about calculators, SwissMicros or otherwise
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dm319
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Re: DM42

Post by dm319 »

grsbanks wrote:
Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:27 pm
dm319 wrote:
Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:26 pm
I may have missed some of the previous discussions - but what is the idea behind the split screen? The screen seems lovely, and I really like that font is the same pixelated font of the original machine, but I don't quite understand repeating the x and y registers just above it?
The lower half with the X and Y registers (or X register and soft menu) is under the direct control of Free42. It's Free42 that "paints" it (hence the same font as the desktop version).

There are plans to make the whole screen usable and more configurable, but more important things like usability issues, bugs and hardware features (such as printing) are being worked on first.
Ha ha, yes, those do sound more important! Even if it stays like this, it would be a hugely desirable calculator. From what I can tell it uses the same high-precision intel chip as the DM42L, which is impressive.

Very much looking forward to seeing this for sale. Then I'll have the task of justifying it's purchase to my wife...

Also, while I'm here, if I wanted my kids to use one of these calculators - does anyone know what hoops he'd need to jump through for it to be allowed for GCSE / A-level / etc...? I'm so used to an RPN style calculator, I think if I were told that I had to use an algebraic one for exams that would really throw me. My kids are currently under 5, so I've a bit of time to figure this out...
SN:09075
grsbanks
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Re: DM42

Post by grsbanks »

dm319 wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 12:57 pm
From what I can tell it uses the same high-precision intel chip as the DM42L
There is actually no such thing as a DM42L.

There was a landscape format very early prototype of the now DM42, which may have been known as the DM42L, then there was a later, portrait mode prototype called the DM42P, but what we have now is in effect the evolution of these two prototypes. The electronics inside it has been the same throughout as far as I know.

The fantastic precision of this machine (try the usual forensics test, asin(acos(atan(tan(cos(sin(9))))))-9 in degrees mode, you get -6.2466x10^-29 compared to the -1.33573x10^-6 of the original HP) comes from the use of the decimal version of Free42, itself using the Intel BCD Floating-Point library.

The chip in the DM42 is an ST MIcroelectronics microcontroller with an ARM9 core clocked at 25MHz when running on battery power or at 80MHz when plugged into a USB port and drawing power from there.
dm319 wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 12:57 pm
Also, while I'm here, if I wanted my kids to use one of these calculators - does anyone know what hoops he'd need to jump through for it to be allowed for GCSE / A-level / etc...? I'm so used to an RPN style calculator, I think if I were told that I had to use an algebraic one for exams that would really throw me. My kids are currently under 5, so I've a bit of time to figure this out...
If advanced machines like the Casio fx-9860GII and the TI-89 and their ilk are allowed then I can't see why the DM42 wouldn't be. The only reason the TI-92, TI-92+ and Voyage 200 weren't allowed is because the full QWERTY keyboard had them classed as computers rather than calculators (even though the TI-92+ and TI-89 are virtually identical otherwise and even share the same manual!).

Of course, I might be spouting nonsense because when I took my 'O'-levels, calculators were not allowed at all (I know, I'm showing my age!).

I then switched education systems and ended up taking something like 'A'-levels in France (Baccalauréat) which I got through with a TI-66 if memory serves. Ironically, it's only after I left education that I discovered HP machines and bought my first, an HP-42S, which is still sitting on my desk today.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who do not.
Thomas Okken
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Re: DM42

Post by Thomas Okken »

grsbanks wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 1:26 pm
Intel BCD Floating-Point library.
Nitpick: It's the Intel Decimal Floating-Point Math Library -- Decimal, not BCD. BCD is a specific way of encoding decimal in binary, with each digit being encoded using a group of four bits, and the Intel library uses a different, more efficient, encoding internally.
grsbanks wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 1:26 pm
dm319 wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 12:57 pm
Also, while I'm here, if I wanted my kids to use one of these calculators - does anyone know what hoops he'd need to jump through for it to be allowed for GCSE / A-level / etc...? I'm so used to an RPN style calculator, I think if I were told that I had to use an algebraic one for exams that would really throw me. My kids are currently under 5, so I've a bit of time to figure this out...
If advanced machines like the Casio fx-9860GII and the TI-89 and their ilk are allowed then I can't see why the DM42 wouldn't be. The only reason the TI-92, TI-92+ and Voyage 200 weren't allowed is because the full QWERTY keyboard had them classed as computers rather than calculators (even though the TI-92+ and TI-89 are virtually identical otherwise and even share the same manual!).

Of course, I might be spouting nonsense because when I took my 'O'-levels, calculators were not allowed at all (I know, I'm showing my age!).

I then switched education systems and ended up taking something like 'A'-levels in France (Baccalauréat) which I got through with a TI-66 if memory serves. Ironically, it's only after I left education that I discovered HP machines and bought my first, an HP-42S, which is still sitting on my desk today.
When I was in high school, in the Netherlands in the late '70s and early '80s, they had completely different rules. When I asked them if I could use my HP-41C, I got a blank stare followed by "um, why not?" -- Because the only requirements were minimum requirements: it had to have at least 8-digit precision, had to have trigs and their inverses, in degrees and radians, had to have natural and base-10 logarithms and their inverses, etc. No rules against being programmable or having alpha capability.

Of course, things are probably different now. To be safe, always ask the school, and don't take them at their word, either; ask them to point you to the applicable government rules (if they exist) in addition to their own policies.
grsbanks
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Re: DM42

Post by grsbanks »

Thomas Okken wrote:
Sat Aug 05, 2017 1:58 pm
Nitpick: It's the Intel Decimal Floating-Point Math Library -- Decimal, not BCD. BCD is a specific way of encoding decimal in binary, with each digit being encoded using a group of four bits, and the Intel library uses a different, more efficient, encoding internally.
Thanks for that. I'll refer to it correctly in future.
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who do not.
Hanzo
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Re: DM42

Post by Hanzo »

Hello everyone!! Just joined the forum and can't wait for the release of this machine. Are there any updates on the release date or opportunities to purchase a beta unit? Like many others here, I was about to pull the trigger on a 42s until I found this.

JP
grsbanks
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Re: DM42

Post by grsbanks »

Hanzo wrote:
Thu Aug 17, 2017 1:51 pm
Hello everyone!! Just joined the forum and can't wait for the release of this machine. Are there any updates on the release date or opportunities to purchase a beta unit? Like many others here, I was about to pull the trigger on a 42s until I found this.
Hi there.

Unfortunately, all of the beta units are gone now.

If all goes to plan then as far as I know, the official release date of the DM42 is some time in Q4 this year, so it's not too long to wait. But it'll be worth the wait because the DM42 blows the HP machine out of the water as far as sheer performance, precision and memory are concerned. If you can hold out until then, you won't regret it. If not, why not get something like a DM15L to keep you going until then?
There are only 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who do not.
jmbiram
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Re: DM42 interested buyer

Post by jmbiram »

Hi, everyone I am a newcomer
I would also be interested to get the DM42
Regards
JM
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Walter
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Re: DM42 interested buyer

Post by Walter »

jmbiram wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:03 am
... everyone I am a newcomer
I would also be interested to get the DM42
Hi,

Please be patient. It will come when the known bugs are ironed out. And it will even contain punctuation marks. ;)

All the best!
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
toml_12953
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Re: DM42 interested buyer

Post by toml_12953 »

Walter wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:42 am
jmbiram wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:03 am
... everyone I am a newcomer
I would also be interested to get the DM42
Hi,

Please be patient. It will come when the known bugs are ironed out. And it will even contain punctuation marks. ;)
@#$%^*&!!
Tom L

Some people call me inept but I'm as ept as anybody!
DM10L SN: 059/100
DM41X SN: 00023 (Beta)
DM41X SN: 00506 (Shipping)
DM42 SN: 00025 (Beta)
DM42 SN: 00221 (Shipping)
WP43 SN: 00025 (Prototype)
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Walter
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Re: DM42 interested buyer

Post by Walter »

toml_12953 wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 3:04 pm
Walter wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:42 am
jmbiram wrote:
Mon Aug 21, 2017 5:03 am
... everyone I am a newcomer
I would also be interested to get the DM42
Hi,

Please be patient. It will come when the known bugs are ironed out. And it will even contain punctuation marks. ;)
@#$%^*&!!
:lol: Even more characters are featured! Thanks for the reminder! 8-)
WP43 SN00000, 34S, and 31S for obvious reasons; HP-35, 45, ..., 35S, 15CE, DM16L S/N# 00093, DM42β SN:00041
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