HP30b

Before the R47, before the C47, and before the modern SwissMicros calculators we have today, there was an interesting little HP business calculator called the HP 30b. On the surface, it was a financial calculator released around 2010, but underneath it was something much more interesting. Its firmware could be replaced, and a group of calculator enthusiasts took advantage of that capability to transform the HP 30b into something completely different, the WP 34S. In this video, I take a closer look at the HP 30b, compare it with some of the classic HP calculators in my collection, explore its unusual programming and RPN capabilities, and look at the hardware that made reflashing it possible. More importantly, I want to look at the spirit behind the WP projects, the idea that a calculator did not necessarily have to remain the calculator the manufacturer originally designed. That same idea of changing the firmware, experimenting, and creating your own vision of what a calculator should be is something I see continuing today with the R47. #HP30b, #HP30B, #WP34S, #R47, #C47, #SwissMicros, #RPN, #RPNCalculator, #HPCalculators, #HewlettPackard, #CalculatorHistory, #VintageCalculators, #ScientificCalculator, #FinancialCalculator, #ProgrammableCalculator, #CalculatorProgramming, #CalculatorFirmware, #FirmwareFlashing, #ReversePolishNotation, #HP42S, #HP48, #HP20b, #CalculatorCollector, #RetroComputing, #CalculatorCommunity