SwissMicros DM42 Review

I love my HP-42S calculator. Someone recommended that I check out the SwissMicros DM42 clone. In this video I share my first impressions. So far, I like it, but don't love it. It is a faithful reproduction of the original, with significant improvements with a larger display, the ability to save via USB, and a better processor. However, by being a faithful reproduction, it doesn't make the best use of those upgrades. Additionally, the overall fit, finish and feel of the device is a little lacking. Not enough for it to keep me from using it as my daily driver, but not enough to replace the original 42S in my heart.

[@mgmartin51]

You: I have a problem: an obsession with Hewlitt-Packard calculators. Me: Comrade!

[@brianjuergensmeyer8809]

Just came across this. My first thought was that this was starting out like an AA meeting. If it was, I'm right there with you. "My name is Brian and I have an HP calculator problem." "Hi, Brian."

[@askari2048]

I’ve just had a little cry for my dear faithful HP42s that died on a construction site in a terrible accident some 25 years ago. I still miss it

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@hegedusuk]

I have a perfect condition HP41CX that I hardly ever use because I don't want to spoil it. I've just ordered a DM42S from Swissmicros - can't wait for it to arrive.

[@Campo_]

If you have a pre 2020 DM42 you can get replacement foil domes for $10 and free shipping from SwissMicros. The older models had a defect when cleaning the contacts on the PCB, so if you have key press issues, pull the old ones off and clean the PCB and place the new ones on. I just ordered mine to the US and will do the swap once I get it.

[@AntonioCavicchioni]

Once I understood RPL, I realized that this is the best for me. I wish Swissmicros start a series on the 48g or 50g.

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@mgmartin51]

That would be awesome!

[@MrWaalkman]

Never owning a 48, I don't know how faithful this is to the original, but Christophe de Dinechin is working on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYrPhmWliMqbpaM

[@AntonioCavicchioni]

@@MrWaalkman Thanks!

[@aab-el9bd]

the combination of RPL with the solver, also with directories and the custom menu is absolutely superior to anything else.

[@davethedaemon9024]

Thanks! I worked in the mail room in Standard & Poor's back in the 70's and had to make many deliveries to McGraw Hill (in NYC). There was a store in the building that sold HP calculators and I fell in love with them but I couldn't afford anything at the time. I was able to save up and buy a TI 59 calculator w/printing crib and had fun programming blackjack on it. (I pulled it out of storage recently. The batteries died and the mag reader has problems but they otherwise still work!) In the early 80's I became a programmer was able to buy an HP 16C and it quickly became my go-to calculator. I had to change the batteries only once since then. I bought the Swiss Micros DM42 as soon as I found out about it. The keys and the screen are a bit lacking, but I love everything else about it. I still use the 16C for hex/dec conversions and bit manipulations and use the DM42 for everything else. I seem to have a problem with 'normal' calculators because I think in RPN now. I may buy a spare (updated) DM42 and their 16C clone and maybe others just for fun. My name is Dave and I have an HP calculator problem ...

[@gordondyer6310]

Hi, the new hardware version of the DM42 (since November) fixes the keyboard feel with nice clicky keys and it has a metal keyboard plate instead of plastic, its the same as the new DM41X. So if you can afford it get another one!

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@jeremiahlee6335]

i am still using the hp-15c since the 80's. it is on its second set of batteries! I also use a 41c. its nice swissmini revived these but they don't have the same build quality.

[@pascalcoole2725]

Running a DM42 for about two years now. Find it verry comfy and absurdly powerfull. Also have a DM15L Which is the HP-15C klone

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@fran2365]

Yo tengo una HP 50G y aunque no se use como calculadora grafica el disponer de una pantalla grande es una ventaja. Yo también soy muy aficionado a las calculadoras y el sistema de archivos de las HP es fantástico. Bien video. Un saludo desde España

[@salmorreale7900]

Thank you for posting.

[@hifijohn]

My first hp was a hp21 back in 1977,great very well built my last is the hp45 I just got from ebay a few days ago still works.

[@terapode]

I'v heard a few times people say that the 42S was the best HP calculator ever made. I don´t have a 42S so I can´t say if I agree or not, but I do have a 11C and I absolutelly love it dearly. I also have a 48GX that I used during engineering undergraduation but I would rather use the 11C than have to navigate through many 48GX menus. So I understand why many people would also prefer a simpler 42S than a vastly more complex and powerfull 48GX. I recently bought a 15C and a 41CV and love them both but for matrices, complex numbers and integration there is nothing like the 48GX.

[@jfroco]

Nice video. Thank you. For me the “space”’key on the HP48 is what makes the difference. I don’t know if the HP42s supports it, but one liners are very good for most daily calculations: “1 1 +” is more natural to me than “1[Enter]1+”.

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@west]

Nice review! I use mine almost daily.

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@duckmcf]

I’m sold. I bought my first HP calculator in January 1989. It was a HP-28S that I planned to use for my forth year of an 4th electrical engineering degree. The lecturers wised up to programmable calculators and forced a memory reset before each exam. That got old really quickly so I sold it to go skiing mid 1989 (Australian winter). I got an Elec. Eng. job in 1990 and used my first pay packet to buy a HP-42S. It’s stellar calculator that is still fully operational and very treasured, so it’s no daily. Along the way I also picked up a HP-35S and just recently a new old stock HP-28S that is pristine, including the battery cover. Which brings me to the DM42. I’ve been using Free42 on my iPhone for years, but it’s just not the same, so I just placed an order for the DM42. Bring it on…

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@odarge]

and ? happy ?

[@duckmcf]

@@odarge Very happy, I use it daily and it’s just brilliant. The only issue I had was that the top plate (that has the markings for the sub functions for all the keys) came loose. It was an easy fix to carefully apply a little extra glue and it hasn’t come loose since.

[@odarge]

@@duckmcf nice to read this (apart from the bezel issue :-( ). I like my DM42 very much, it's elegant, fast and the screen is clear. Fan of RPL in the past (still own a 48GX and a 50g), I think simple RPN is also very nice though, especially on the DM42 where all keystrokes are easy to read in program mode.

[@surfision]

Yeah, the keyboards of those hp's are really heaven

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@haines96]

Totally agree with the need for the correct orange color! Does the case allow placing the DM42 face down without pressing buttons? I seem to recall my old hp42s could do that, and it was a nice way to protect it. (mine was stolen and i replaved with a 48s, also nice but kind of large, clunky compared with the 42s)

[@iowapanner2223]

Bought my son a 28s for college but he wasn't too fond of it. I messed around with it just for fun, but now it does my taxes every spring. I like having the stack and being able to 'undo' to double check if something looks fishy. I think the plotting feature has gone awry but i'll be ok without it doing taxes.😂

[@olivier8039]

This machine is fantastic. Just perfect for an old man (My first machine was an HP33E) :)

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@hegedusuk]

My first HP was a 33E as well. I was 12 or 13. I *loved* this thing

[@joyousmonkey6085]

My idea of heaven would be an RPN calculator with Forth (stack-based programming language) as its built-in programming language. I've got various calculators, including some Casio and TI graphing models, but I use my humble HP35s everyday and really enjoy it. I'm very tempted to get the DM42, and your video has not dissuaded me from this desire!

[@superchromat]

Forth is not a bad choice at all. I don't have a ton of experience with it, beyond using it on Sun machines, where the openfirmware interface used it. Maybe it could be ported to the DM42...

[@lmamakos]

The later HP calculators are RPL based, which is very similar in many respects to FORTH, but has typed data. It includes the same sort of threaded language features. There's an open-source re-implementation, NewRPL that you might take a look at, in additional to the documentation on the RPL-based HP calculators.

[@joyousmonkey6085]

@@lmamakos Thank you for this comment. I managed to find a place that was selling unused (still boxed) HP50g calculators and bought one a few months ago. Gorgeous indeed!

[@odarge]

@joyous monkey, where could you find a new 50G at a decent price ? I couldn’t see below 399€..(!!)

[@joyousmonkey6085]

@@odarge Hmm. could have sworn I replied but the comment seems to have vanished. Trying again... calculatorsdirect.co.uk have the 50g for 175 GBP which is about 204 Euros. I've not seen it any cheaper anywhere else, and these are still boxed.

[@NivagSwerdna]

Very nice. Beyond my budget but at least I have a WP 34S which does quite a lot of the same stuff.

[@superchromat]

Nice. I hadn't heard of the WP34S. I wasn't aware that there were so many clones and interesting hacks. It's awesome to see a community innovating like this!

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@aab-el9bd]

if you never used the 48 then you are missing out. RPL with the solver, and using directories and a custom menu in each directory. It's awesome.

[@superchromat]

I used to have a 48. By the time it came out, I’d do computation on a computer. I still use my 42S today primarily due to the form factor and the nostalgia. It’s nice having some that fits so well in the hand.

[@julioc4978]

Does keypad overlay stay in place and the keyboard like the old 42s? I know the previous version had tough keyboards and you can miss keystrokes. It'd be nice to have an option to have a plastic back end or cover instead of the metal one. Cheers

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@surfision]

Hello, and I love your videos, but what do you think about hp prime?

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@ChrisSmith-rm6xl]

@@sarvesaajagan1565 Please stop spamming.

[@odarge]

I thought HP 48GX was one of the best HP calculator. (I could play with 15C and 42S as well).

[@DIYTAO]

Well.. I still have my 48SX, amazing calculator with only one fault.. The LCD was quite low contrast even on new and later it developed some Rot ..

[@sarvesaajagan1565]

I have made a video about DM15L kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5fEgauLedV2etE Check it out.

[@terapode]

48GX was vastly more powerfull than 42S.

[@joemax4535]

RPN logic was very good but if someone wanted to use you calculator you spent time trying explain to them how it works.

[@turbodog99]

How long before hp sues the hell out of them?

[@silverXnoise]

Have you tried any of the Forth calculator implementations?

[@superchromat]

No, I haven't, but oddly enough I built a weird variant of the HP-42S about 15 years ago and invented, what I thought, was a new programming language for it. I had basically re-invented forth with lisp-like syntax, but designed for entry on a button layout identical to the 42S. Do you have any recommendations that I should look at?

[@ChrisSmith-rm6xl]

@@superchromat Take a look at the IV42 - a FORTH-based RPN Calculator for the DM42 Hardware. And yes, you can easily switch between the FORTH calculator software and the stock DM42 software. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXW3kH2AeNGBg6s

[@F3udF1st]

Oh Adam A7X!(?)

[@ultrametric9317]

No I/O, no go! HP-50g for me!