This program is a remarkably faithful representation of the classic HP 42s calculator, one of the most flexible and powerful hand calculators ever created.
In its current (2019) incarnation, this program comes in two versions - a binary based one that takes advantage of the hardware of modern computers, and which is natively faster than the decimal version which more accurately mimics the functioning of the classic calculator. Unless you are using a program which depends upon this association, the binary version is the most efficient.
This key mapping was taken from this URL
The table below is a listing of the default mapping for Free 42s. (I am not sure actually, how to modify this in any event.)
| Function | Key Map | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Square Root | q | Square root | |
| Square | Q | The square of a number | |
| yx | V , shift-F2 | The ‘inverse’ of ‘inverse’ | |
| 1/x | v , F2 | think inVerse | |
| Sigma+ | F1, a | think ‘Accumulate’ | |
| Sigma- | shitf-F1 | ||
| LOG | o, F4 | log | |
| 10x | O, shift-F4 | 10 to the xth | |
| LN | l, F5 | ln (natural logarithm) | |
| ex | L, shift-F5 | ||
| XEQ | x, F6 | think Xeq (i.e. execute) | |
| GOTO | X, shift-F6 | ||
| STO | m | think Memory | |
| COMPLEX | M | Shift m | |
| RCL | r | think ‘r’ecall | |
| % | shift-R | think peRcent | |
| Rdown | ‘d’ | think ‘d’own | |
| pi | shift-D | ||
| sin,cos,tan | s,c,t | standard trig functions | |
| asin,acos,atan | S, C, T | ||
| ENTER | Enter or Return | ||
| ALPHA | Shift-Enter or shift-Return | Enter ‘alpha’ mode | |
| X<>Y | w | think s’w’ap (or s(w)ap) | |
| Last X | shift-W | ||
| +/- | n | think (n)egative | |
| Modes | shift-N | ||
| Exponent | e | exponent key | |
| DISP | shift-E | enter display mode | |
| Backspace | <- key | backspace key | |
| CLEAR | shift-backspace | ||
| CursorUp | Up key | ||
| MATRIX | ‘(‘ | Enter matrix mode | |
| STAT | ‘?’ | Enter stats mode | |
| PROB | Ctrl-8 | Note this key combo | |
| SOLVER | ‘&’ | Shift-7 | |
| BST | shift CursorUp | ||
| SST | shift CursorDown | ||
| CONVERT | ‘%’ | ||
| PGM.FCN | ‘#’ | Programming Functions | |
| ‘ ‘ | |||
| PROGRAM | ‘ | ’ | Enter programming mode |
| R/S | ‘\’ | an arbitrary key choice apparently | |
| CATALOG | = |
In A..F mode (meaning the "A..F" submenu of the BASE menu), the PC keyboard keys A through F are mapped to the top row of the calculator's keyboard (Sigma+ through XEQ); these mappings override any other mappings that may be defined for A through F.
In ALPHA mode, all PC keyboard keys that normally generate printable ASCII characters, enter those characters into the ALPHA register (or to the command argument, if a command with an alphanumeric argument is being entered). These mappings override any other mappings that may be defined for those keys.