4/17/24, 1:40 PM HP-32S
The Museum of HP Calculators
HP-32S
The HP-32S was an inexpensive yet powerful calculator. It had a single line display
but with many annunciators to convey additional information. It had a fairly
uncluttered keyboard due to its menu system yet it was packed with such
features as:
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» Basic scientific functions including hyperbolic functions.
» Statistics.
» Probability.
» Solver (Solved RPN functions.)
» Numeric integration (of RPN functions.)
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» Binary, octal, decimal and hexadecimal bases. (With windowing to view long
binary numbers.)
» Complex Arithmetic functions (see below.)
» 390 Bytes of user memory.
» Variables instead of numbered registers (see below.)
» Programmability (see below.)
» Obvious error messages (like Divide By 0.)
Complex arithmetic
Instead of the HP-15C's complex mode, the HP-32S had just one mode but
allowed the CMPLX key to be used as a prefix to the other functions in much the
same way other calculators used HYP or ARC prefixes on trigonometric functions.
The Functions that could be prefixed with CMPLX were:
» +/- (change sign)
» 1/x
» LN and ex
» SIN, COS, TAN
» +, −, ×, ÷
Because there was no complex "mode" and no "complex stack" as on the HP-15C,
complex numbers were each entered into two levels of the normal stack.
Variables Instead Of Numbered Registers
The calculator used the 27 lettered variables A-Z and i (indirection) rather than
numbered variables. While these variables were used in much the same way as
numeric registers, they were more than just a relabeling. The lettered variables
were not allocated from memory until used and they could be individually
deallocated by simply storing 0 in them.
When RCL or STO was pressed, an A..Z annunciator appeared. The letters A-Z
where printed to the sides of the keys. All the variables could be scanned with the
VAR command. A single variable could be displayed without entering it on the
stack by pressing VIEW followed by the letter. This was handy for debugging since
it didn't affect the stack.
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Programmability
The programming features were impressive for a calculator of its price. The
calculator used label addressing and allowed subroutine nesting to seven levels
deep. To aid in navigating programs, line numbers began with the most recent
label followed by two digits. (Like A01.) For very long functions, the next 100 lines
were displayed as A.01-A.99 and the next hundred as A,01-A,99. Unlike most
previous models, this one checked for duplicate labels and produced an error
message.
Indirection was available via the i variable which was distinct from the I variable.
The index could be stored with STO i, and an indirect store could be done via STO
(i).
Another new feature was the program checksum. This gave the user assurance
that the program was entered correctly. (In fact, in large program listings, HP
typically listed a checksum every dozen or so lines so the user could find mistakes
quickly.)
Most program lines required 1.5 Bytes of memory but the calculator used fully
merged keycodes - including numbers. Any number fit on one code line but those
code lines require 9.5 Bytes. (Although the calculator optimized integer numbers
from 1 to 99 into 1.5 Byte lines.)
Other programming features included:
» Labeled Input/Output via the INPUT and VIEW commands.
» ISG/DSE looping.
» Conditional tests, flags, pause.
» Integer, fraction, rounding, absolute value.
The RPN Solver
The HP-32S featured to the first RPN solver. The HP-34C had introduced the first
built-in root-finder which could solve for f(x) = 0 expressed as an RPN program. To
use the root finder the user wrote a function that accepted x, and left f(x) in the X
register. The RPN Solver on the HP-32S allowed the user to enter a program
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which accepted multiple variables and computed f(a, b, c, ...) = 0. After entering a
single program, the user could solve for any variable.
For example, given a change in velocity over time problem expressed by the
equation:
f = i + at
where:
i is the initial velocity
f is the final velocity
a is the acceleration
t is is the time
The equation could be rewritten in the form f(f, i, a, t) = 0 ie:
i + at - f = 0
which could be expressed in the following HP-32S program:
LBL V ; Name the program V
INPUT F ; input all the variables
INPUT I
INPUT A
INPUT T
RCL A
RCL T
x ; at
RCL I
+ ; i + at
RCL F
- ; i + at -f
RTN
After exiting program mode, the user would press FN=V to indicate that the V
program was to be solved. The user executed SOLVE and pressed F, I, A, or T to
indicate which variable to solve for. The calculator then requested that the user
input the other variables and solved for the unknown. For example:
SOLVE T
F?60
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I?10
A?5
Displayed SOLVING and then T=10. Or:
SOLVE I
F?120
A?11
T?6
Displayed SOLVING and then I=54. Or:
SOLVE T
F?100
I?10
A?0
Displayed SOLVING and then NO ROOT FND since it is impossible to go from 10
to 100 with zero acceleration.
Amazing Power And Friendliness For The Price
About 20 years before the HP-32S, a four function electronic calculator cost
around $10,000 of today's dollars. The HP-32S offered a list of functions that few
people would have dreamed of in 1968 for 0.7% of the cost. In addition, it was
tiny, light weight, simple to use and ran just about forever on batteries.
Front view (~79K)
Front view of the Anniversary Edition (~134K)
Three quarter view of the Anniversary Edition (~78K)
Pioneer series rear view (~27K)
Internal picture (~79K) Note CPU held in place by plastic "backbone". Image
by Paul Brogger.
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HP-32S features
Manual Available
Saturn Architecture
Dimensions and Weight
Price: $70. (The Anniversary Edition was $50 for shareholders and employees
only.)
Introduction-Discontinuation: 1988-1991
Go back to the main exhibit hall
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