HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A)

This Electronics CE item from Hewlett Packard was reviewed on 13-Mar-2009.

HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) Reference CE. Classifications : Graphing Calculators Office Electronics Categories Electronics Office Electronics Refurbished & Used Special Features Electronics Features Electronics All Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Custom Brands . Click the following link to view the cover of HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A).

Related topics: Over 2,300 built-in functions. 128 K memory, 80.7 K available for programming and data storage. RPN, algebraic, and textbook data entry modes. Serial and IrDA ports. Makes 3D graphs, 2D and 3D plots. Graphing. Calculators. Office Electronics. Categories. Electronics. Office Electronics. Refurbished & Used. Special Features. Electronics. All Hewlett-Packard.

1) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. MUY BUEN PRODUCTO LO RECIBI SELLADO EN SU BLISTER, BIENE CON SU MANUAL, EL CABLE USB Y EL CD PARA INSTALARLO EN LA COMPUTADORA¤

2) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. The main thing I want to say is the 48gii has had a USB port since 2006, and as best I can tell this model doesn´t suffer from the keyboard issues that plagued early production runs. Even if you do get a bad keyboard however, HP will honor its outstanding warranty policy. I would discount the irate reviews of yesteryear.

If money is no object, you will want the hp 50g or one of the TI or Casio CAS calculators topping $100. If you are a student, you should probably get the calculator recommended by your instructor. But in terms of bang for the buck, the 48gii is an especially sweet deal right now, and I recommend it over the 40gs which runs about $20 more right now.

I´ve found some troubling issues with the newly available hp 40gs which do NOT apply to the 48gii:

- In EQW -- where you must be for most exact symbolic calculations -- the results appear in throbbing inverted text which is pretty hard to read. You can press VIEWS, to get normal text, but then often it´s reduced to a tiny font and you must press yet another button to reach el display sympatico.

- There´s no universal Clear key that always works in equation writer. According to the User´s Guide, SHIFT CLEAR clears the display -- but not so in EQW. Not always. Closest thing I´ve found is jumping to HOME, then back again to CAS. Yet the ON/CANCEL key is unused and could easily meet this need.

- PUSH (mentioned in another review) does not round out the system as one would hope. Arbitrary expressions can not be transferred from HOME to EQW. From Mastering the hp 39gs & hp 40gs: "In general the PUSH command is not really very useful." I´m forced to agree.

- Some expressions are not what a trained mathematician would expect. For example, in EQW, enter 4 / 2 right-arrow squared. The result looks all the world like 4 squared over 2. Press the ENTER key and you discover the 4/2 behaves as though it was enclosed in parentheses -- but it wasn´t. HP should be really embarrassed by this. (Yes, I know the exponent is past the end of the divide line. That´s beside the point.)

- If you exceed the calculating power of the 40gs, and let it run for more than a minute or two, you will get no error message. It will simply lock up and your only recourse is a hard reset erasing the entire history. You may need a straight pin that fits in the reset hole in the back. For example, in EQW, press and hold down SHIFT followed by the square root key four times and then the 1 key. Release the SHIFT key and press ENTER (turn on complex mode, if prompted). If you don´t press the ON key within approximately ninety seconds (and you may have to press it twice) you will get the lock up. But this is not an especially tortuous expression, and some expressions actually REQUIRE over two minutes to evaluate.

- Occassionally, the 40gs locks up for no apparant reason. Once again, the history, and all your variables and functions, are toast.

Three of these issues are moot on the 48gii and the remaining three were resolved in various ROM revisions years ago. The 48gii gets its pedigree from the HP´s top-of-line 50g. 4/2 right-arrow squared actually encloses 4/2 in parentheses, and even after 10 ... 15 ... 20 minutes on the hour glass, a quick stroke of the ON key revives the 48gii with memory intact. Finally, in nine months of daily use the 48gii hasn´t once required a reset.

There are several other reasons to prefer the 50g´s paleface cousin over the 40gs. RPN is available just for fun, but it´s not forced upon you. You can press the ALPHA key twice for ALPHA lock (on the 40gs you have to hold down the ALPHA key -- which doesn´t work for the O key ... issue #33). The ALPHA keys don´t conflict with the number keys, as they do on the 40gs, so you can intersperse letters and numbers in ALPHA lock mode. Your entire calculation history is available in one place -- the HOME screen. And even though the processor is only 48 Mhz versus 75 on the 40gs, most symbolic calculations are actually faster on the 48gii. And there´s less difference than one would expect for exact numeric calculations (e.g. 40 seconds for 1000 factorial in exact mode on the 48gii versus 30 on the 40gs).

In sum, the 48gii has inherited many generations of ROM revisions from the 48-49-50 line of HP calculators while it seems the 40gs is only two or three steps up from the original 40g. Each new ROM represents thousands of programming man hours, making the 48gii easier to use, more stable, fast, and elegant.

The amazing deals from a few highly rated sellers on the hp 50g and 48gii might portend something new coming round the bend for HP. But if you do decide to order a 48gii, inquire to make sure you´re getting one of the recent USB port models with 256K memory instead of 128 and four AAA batteries instead of three.¤

3) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. Order arrived in the condition I expected it to be in.¤

4) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. I first purchased the HP 48GII about two years ago. The first one didn´t last a month, but HP quickly gave me a new one free of charge. The second one ran better, but the keyboard was very uncertain and often caused input errors. NOT GOOD and very frustrating. Well now the keyboard has failed all together and the calculator won´t turn off. This is REALLY POOR merchandise! I do not recommend anyone purchasing this calculator. Unfortunately I´ve heard that other current HP models are just about as bad. My old HP 41C lasted nearly 20 years...I don´t understand why the new ones are so cheaply made. ///¤

5) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. Pros: This calculator (and presumably other HP 48/49 calculators) has an operating system that far surpasses TI´s in usability. The angled keys are really nice to use, when they work.

Cons: Too bad it is hard to use a calculator with a broken keyboard. The bottom row´s hinge have almost all broken, so the keys are really loose and wobbly. Apparently, the plastic hinge mechanism is really weak and this is a common problem.¤

6) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. HP 48G-II Scientific Calculator with Interactive Graphics and Graphing - With its 128KB memory (80.7KB available to the user), huge built-in constant library and structured programming for creating applications, the hp 48gII keeps reliable, high-level assistance at hand for demanding engineering and surveying applications. Customize your input by choosing familiar textbook, traditional algebraic or efficient RPN entry modes. View 3D graphs and 2-and 3-D plots and other functions with ease on the comfortably-sized display. Convenient serial port can interface with the PC and any data you collect can be analyzed on your calculator 3D graphing functions with interactive graphics 2D/3D plotting, graphics, algebra, quadratic and polynomial features IrDA and RS232 ports Unit size and weight - 7.2 x 3.4 x. 09 inches; 7.7 ounces¤

7) Electronics CE HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A) by Hewlett Packard. The 48gII from HP is a graphing calculator designed for engineering, surveying, math, science, and statistics applications. With its large built-in library of functions and structured programming for creating applications, the 48gII is a powerful computational tool. The 131-by-64-pixel display is easy to see, while the textbook, traditional algebraic, and RPN entry modes provide an easy way to enter data and navigate the calculator´s many features.

The 48gII comes with over 2,300 built-in functions, including vector operations, math functions, scientific functions, graphing functions, statistical functions, programming functions, 3D graphing, 2D and 3D plots, and much more. An automatic power down feature helps maximize battery life, while 80.7 KB of user available memory provides space to store variables, expressions, and formulas for improved functionality.

The built in serial and IrDA ports let you communicate with a computer, another 48gII, or a 49g+ calculator, allowing you to store and analyze information and utilize PC-based applications. Weighing only 7.7 ounces. the 48gII is easy to transport and has a small 7.2-by-3.4-by-0.9-inch frame. It is backed by a limited one-year warranty.

What´s in the Box
Calculator, user´s manual, serial cable, software, three AAA batteries, one CR2032 backup battery¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 10-Apr-2009, 829160013183, Q6B-XYB-5ZB-G9B-7OB-H0B-XQB-2QB-IMB-PSB-F6B-G8B-XCB-8

HP 48GII Graphic Calculator (F2226A), CE, Image © Hewlett Packard

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