HP-67/97
| Industry | Electronics, Computer hardware |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1, 1939 |
| Products | HP-67, HP-97, HP-65, HP-25, HP-19C, HP-41C calculators |
The HP-67 is a handheld calculator programmable via magnetic cards, introduced by Hewlett-Packard in 1976 with a retail price of $450. Its desktop counterpart, equipped with an integrated thermal printer, was marketed as the HP-97 at a cost of $750. Collectively, these models are referred to as the HP-67/97 series.
Serving as advanced follow-ups to the HP-65, both devices incorporate technology from the "20-series" calculators such as the HP-25 and HP-19C. They maintain functional parity, allowing programs to be transferred between units through magnetic card interchange.
Features
The HP-67/97 provide an extensive suite of scientific, statistical, and engineering capabilities. These include calculations involving trigonometric functions, logarithms, exponentials, coordinate transformations, averages, and standard deviations.
With 224 eight-bit program memory words—two more than the HP-65—they support storage of all instructions in single memory locations ("fully merged keycodes"), even those requiring multiple keystrokes. Programming features include 20 labels, subroutines with up to three nesting levels, four flag registers, eight comparison operations, along with advanced indexing and looping controls.
Their 15-digit LED display surpasses earlier models in width and includes a dedicated digit for the decimal point. The HP-67’s keypad offers up to four functions per key accessed via "f", "g", and "h" prefix keys (marked in gold, blue, and black). In contrast, the HP-97’s larger keyboard assigns two functions to each key. When exchanging magnetic cards between these models, software automatically translates key codes and replicates the HP-97’s printing capabilities on the HP-67’s screen.
The HP-67 operates on three AA-sized nickel-cadmium rechargeable batteries. The HP-97 utilizes a larger battery pack coupled with a more powerful charger to accommodate its thermal printing hardware.
Memory and programming
The calculator’s 26-register data memory comprises ten "primary registers" accessible directly, an additional ten forming an alternate set, and six addressed through user-defined keys A-E plus an index register. This configuration allows all registers to be accessed as a single indexed array. However, memory contents were volatile and lost upon power-off. The alternate register set was designed to support statistical calculations.
An integrated magnetic card reader/writer facilitated saving and merging of programs and data. This card format was subsequently adopted by the HP-41C model, ensuring backward compatibility via software emulation. Hewlett-Packard also provided pre-recorded magnetic card packs tailored for applications in fields such as surveying, medicine, civil engineering, and electrical engineering. Write protection on cards was implemented by removing a designated corner.
Beyond official software offerings, a vibrant user community known as PPC contributed significantly by publishing the PPC Journal and creating enhancements like the "Blackbox," which enabled pseudo-alphanumeric display capabilities.
An alternate version called the EduCALC 67 GD from Educational Calculator Devices included an additional rear-facing display.
HP-97S
In 1977, Hewlett-Packard released the HP-97S, an upgraded iteration of the desktop HP-97. This model incorporated an extra parallel I/O port featuring 40 lines for ten 4-bit BCD digits plus five control lines, facilitating data acquisition from external instruments. Its price was set at $1,375.
See also
External links
- HP 67/97 – Hewlett-Packard Calculator Museum
- Inside HP Calculators
- Hewlett-Packard Calculator Club
- PPC Journal Collection on CD-ROM
- http://www.cuveesoft.ch (Calculator Simulators)
- (User Manuals)