Which Calculator for the Power P.E.

[jgharris P.E.]

I am curious which calculator(s) you plan to bring to the P.E. exam. I primarily use the HP 35s and use the Casio fx-115es as a backup. Plus I carry an extra set of batteries (since they take the same...).

I love the HP for the built-in solver and for the RPN. One of the things I wished they had fixed was a better angle sign (versus the hard to read theta...). The Casio does have a sweet complex number ability with quick manipulation for conversions between rectangular and polar. For basic number crunching I like the HP better.

What are you choice(s) for the exam?

 

[zm83]

Ti36x pro

Used it in college, on the FE, and at work. It's such a great calculator I like it more than the Casio and if your familiar with TI it makes it even easier

 

[Ship Wreck PE]

Casio 115ES is sweet and fast with polar

 

[MyBeardAndMe]

I'm using the fx-115ES

 

[Kovz]

I like the Casio FX-115 ES Plus. I bought a backup one from Amazon as well that I will sell after the test. I plan on keeping the Casio though to use at work regularly. I often just keep it in Complex Mode. But it's super easy to convert between polar and rectangular. I've become very familiar with it throughout my studying.

 

[Ken PE 3.1]

The fx-115es plus is what I used on the test. Works great for the conversions between polar and rectangular.

 

[dayrongarcia]

Casio FX-115ES for the reasons listed above.

 

[electricalPickles PE]

I honestly think the Casio is the best option. It's the quickest for polar conversions and has a good display.

I'm sure they are all fine though.

I'm not sure how the "solver" on the HP would really be helpful...

 

[jgharris P.E.]

I'm not sure how the "solver" on the HP would really be helpful...

For the FE I stored lots of formulas into the calculator (HP solver can store formulas you can pull up and use whenever, I don't think the Casio can store formulas, you have to type them in each time you want to solve something). It is robust and I put lots of fomulas that i don't want to solve by hand such as solving power triangle problems with pythagorean theorem, resistors in parallel/caps in series, power equations, voltage regulation, motor equations, etc.

I us the formula/solver at work when solving lots of ct ratio changes (changing from one ct ratio to another).

 

[Ken PE 3.1]

Too many equations on the pe for programming a calculator.

Was easier for me to write down the equations I was using in a binder by category. Easy to locate during the test.