Thursday, March 14, 2024

Spotlight: Casio fx-6500G

 

Spotlight: Casio fx-6500G


For my birthday, I present a review of the Casio fx-6500G.






Quick Facts


Model: fx-6500G

Company: Casio

Timeline: 1986 – 1988

Type: Graphing Scientific Calculators

Power: 3 x CR2032

Programming Memory: 486 steps at default

Number of Memory Registers: 26 at default

Screen Size: 96 x 32 pixels

Graph Types: Function, Scatter plot, Histogram, Linear Regression Plot, Point Plot

Linear Regression

Base Operations and Logic Functions

Hyperbolic Functions





Screen Sizes and Memory of Casio’s Early Calculators


fx-7000G (1985)

422 bytes, up to 78 registers

96 x 64 pixels

fx-6500G (1986)

486 bytes, up to 86 registers

96 x 32 pixels

fx-7500G (1988)

4006 bytes, up to 526 registers

96 x 64 pixels

fx-6300G (1991)

400 bytes, up to 76 registers

40 x 23 pixels


(measures from rskey.org, Casio fx-6300G manual, Casio fx-7500G manual)






Other Features


Like the other early Casio graphing calculators, including the fx-7000G, fx-7500G, and later the fx-6300G, the fx-6500G has the a similar structure.


The screen of the fx-6500G is just as wide of the screens of the fx-7000G and fx-7500G, but half of the height. The screen of the fx-6500G is still bigger than the fx-6300G and graphs take the entire screen, which I appreciate.


There are four statistical modes:


SD1: single-variable statistics analysis mode

SD2: single-variable statistics graphics mode for Histograms, data lines, and normal curves

LR1: linear regression analysis mode, with the regression equation y = A + Bx

LR2: linear regression graphics mode for scatter plots and linear regression trend lines


The defragment mode ( [ MODE ] [ . ] {Defm}) can allow an additional 60 registers at the expense of programming steps. Each new register costs 8 programming steps. Array registers are accessed in the format A[#], where A is the letter of memory and # is the number of registers away from the variable.


For example:

A[0] accesses A

A[1] accessed B

A[2] accesses C

A[25] accesses Z

A[26] accessed the first expanded memory, the same as Z[1]


# can be a negative integer. Array-type memories allow for indirect registers.


The programming command set is relatively simple, and most of it has remained throughout the entire Casio graphing and programming calculator set:

There are 10 program slots: P0 through P9.


: separates program lines from each other. The carriage return by pressing [ EXE ] also terminates the line.


◢ is the run/stop symbol. Any quoted text or numeric value is shown as the calculator stops. Press [ EXE ] to continue.


⇒ is the jump command and is used for quick If-Then-Else structures. The syntax is:

condition ⇒ do if the condition is true : (or ◢) jump to here if the condition is false.


Goto and Lbl: goto and label. There are ten labels available in each for each program: Lbl 0 through Lbl 9.


Prog: Prog executes another program as a subroutine. An implied “return” is automatically executed at the end of program.


Isz: Increment and skip. Adds 1 to a variable and skips the next command if the new value is 0.

Isz variable : do if var=var+1≠0 is true : (or ◢) skip to here if the var=var+1=0


Dsz: Decrement and skip. Subtracts 1 from a variable’s value and skips the next command if the new value is 0. If find Dsz particularly useful in simple For-Next loops.

Dsz variable : do if var=var-1≠0 is true : (or ◢) skip to here if the var=var-1=0



Final Thoughts


The calculator looks nice and clean. The fx-6500G offers all of the features of the fx-7000G and fx-7500G (and fx-6300G less the fractions) in a scientific calculator size. I like the fact the graphs do fill the entire screen. Programs and calculation modes have up to four lines. The fx-6500G is the way to handle a smaller-sized graphing calculator, which makes it a very sought, harder to find, calculator.


Eddie


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