Retro Review: Texas Instruments BA II Financial Calculator (1984)

Retro Review:  Texas Instruments BA II Financial Calculator (1984)

BA II:  Finance Mode

BA II:  Statistics Mode

Company:  Texas Instruments

Mode:  BA II

Year: 1984

Batteries:  2 A76 batteries, or 2 357 batteries

Memory Registers: 1  (only 1, other variables can’t be recalled)

Where’s the Plus?

This review isn’t about the BA II Plus, this is an earlier model.  I purchased the BA II from a box in the Azusa Swap Meet last Sunday (January 28, 2017) for 1 dollar.  Thankfully the previous owner did not leave the old batteries so I didn’t have to worry about battery corrosion.  The previous owner (or one of them) has their name and address on the calculator.  Obviously for privacy issues I took of a couple of stickers containing the address.

The BA II is the second generation of the TI Business Analyst II (released in 1978).  The first generation of the Business Analysist II sold for $40-$45 new.  The Datamath page for the TI Business Analyst II:  http://www.datamath.org/Sci/Slimline/Business-Analyst-II.htm

Three Modes

The BA II has three modes which cycle by the key sequence [ 2^nd ] [ FIX ] (Mode):

‘Profit Mode (no indicator):  Profit Margin mode.  Only the [CST] (cost), [SEL] (selling price), and [MAR] (margin) keys are active.  Solve for the following variables by preceding the key by [ 2^nd ].

‘Finance Mode (FIN indicator):  Time Value of Money mode.  Only the [ N ], [ %i ], [ PMT ], [ PV ], and [ FV ] keys are active.  Solve for the following variables by preceding the key by [ 2^nd ] or if you are working with beginning of period annuity by using [DUE] instead.  Also, the P/I (Principle and Interest of a single payment) and Acc/Bal (accumulated interest and balance) are also available.

‘Statistics Mode (STAT indicator): Statistics Mode, including linear regression.  The equation is y = a + b*x where a is the intercept and b is the slope.  Mean, deviation, and predictions are also available.

Other Functions

Percent Change:  Δ% has the syntax (new number [ 2^nd ] [ % ] (Δ%) old number [ = ])

Fix Modes:  FIX 0-7 will fix the number to that decimal places.  Using FIX 8-9 engage floating mode.

Early Installment Weirdness

1. There is no [CPT] button like it would be prevalent on later Texas Instruments financial calculators. 

2. The sign of cash flow conventions are not followed.  See the example below:

Example:  Calculate the monthly payment of a $174,000 loan.  The loan is for 30 years, 4.65% annual interest, and no balloon payment (FV = 0).  Assume that FIX 2 is in affect and Finance mode is selected.

Remember N is the number of payments and %i is the periodic interest rate (in this case monthly).

Keystrokes:

174000 [PV]

30 [ * ] 12 [ = ] [ N ]

4.65 [ ÷ ] 12 [ = ] [ %i ]

[ 2^nd ] [ PMT ]

The result of 897.21.  (There is no negative sign for outflow like in more current financial calculators, including the HP 12C)

Principal/Interest at the 60^th payment:

Keystrokes:

60 [ 2^nd ] [ x<>y ] (P/I)

Returns:  280.11 (principal) [ x<>y ] 617.10 (interest)

Accumulated Interest and Balance after 60 payments:

Keystrokes:

60 [ 2^nd ] [ K ] (Acc/Bal)

Returns: 38804.61 (accumulated interest) [ x<>y ] 158,972.13 (balance)

My recommendation is to write down your answers and key in the time.

Final Verdict

The BA II is a good entry-level financial calculator.  Being it is a 1984, the patience will be required for some calculations. 

Eddie

This is Edward Shore, 2017

Retro Review: HP 10B Business Calculator

Retro Review:  HP 10B Business Calculator

Company:  Hewlett Packard

Type:  Financial

Years Made: 1987 – 2000, mine was made in 1987

Batteries:  3 LR 44

Features:

* Time Value of Money

* Cash Flows (up to 15 can be stored)

* Cost-Sell-Margin calculations

* Net Present Value, Initial Rate of Return

* Linear Regression

I paid $3.99 at a discount thrift shop near Winchester, CA.  I saw the calculator at the store one year earlier and as luck would have it, it was still there. It needed new batteries but other than that, the calculator works great.

This is the original HP 10B calculator, then one that started the line of the 10B family (10B, 10BII, now 10BII+).  Keep in mind the current 10BII+ packs much more functionality than its predecessors. 

If you are interested, I have a review of the 10BII+ here (one of the first blog entries in this blog’s almost six year history):  http://edspi31415.blogspot.com/2011/04/10bii-review.html

The calculator operates in Chain mode.  In chain mode, the Order of Operations are not operated on, with each operation is executed immediately. An example is 1 + 2 * 3 returns 9 instead of 7.  However, there are parenthesis.

The DISP acts like the FIX setting command. 

The next generation is the 10BII, which has the same functionality of the 10B.  When I compare the original 10B to its next generation 10BII (not the 10BII+):

* The 10B keyboard is more readable than the 10BII.  I feel that the second shift key on the 10BII is almost a waste given the two calculators have the same functionality.  The purple statistic registers are hard to read.

* I also like the keys on the 10B better, the keys are a pleasure to touch and are responsive.  The 10BII keyboards tend to be harder and on some of the production models, you almost have to press keys hard on the 10BII just to make contact.

* Finally, the style on the original 10B looks professional.  The 10BII looks a little cheaper. 

If you want to buy a 10B calculator, I highly recommend the original over the second generation 10BII. 

Eddie

This blog is property of Edward Shore, 2017.

Sharp EL-738: A Short Tutorial

Sharp EL-738:  A Short Tutorial

This is a short tutorial on how to use some of the common features of the Sharp EL-738 financial calculator.  There was a request for a video tutorial in the comments, however given the time frame I am able to work with, I think I can write a tutorial and cover more faster.  So hope this helps!

The full manual is here:  http://sharpcalculators.com/images/Manuals/Financial/EL738F_Manual_Branded.pdf

To see my review back in August last year, click here:

http://edspi31415.blogspot.com/2015/08/review-sharp-el-738f-financial.html

Let’s get to it.

Set Decimal Settings

To Fix 2 Mode:  [SET UP], 0 (DSP), 0 (TAB), 2

To Float (B) Mode:  [SET UP], 0 (DSP), 3 (FLO_A)

The difference between FLO_A (option 2) and FLO_B is the limit of how small a number can be before the calculator switches to scientific notation.  .000000001 for A and .01 for B.

Time Value of Money

To set the number of payments:  press [2ndF] [I/Y] (P/Y).  Enter the payments per year and press [ENT].  You can enter compounding periods (C/Y) per year separately. 

Toggle Begin/End Mode:  [2ndF] [ FV ] (BGN/END).  Beginning mode is indicated by “BGN” in the display.

Clear the Financial registers:  [2ndF] [MODE] (CA).  Caution: This sets the P/Y to its default value of 1. 

Calculation:  Enter each of the date and press the appropriate financial variable (N, I/Y, PV, PMT, or FV).  To calculate, press [COMP] then the financial variable. 

Example:  Find the monthly payment of a $160,000 loan to be paid back in 15 years with 3.5% interest. 

If not already, set P/Y to 12 and calculator to END mode (see the above).

160000 [ PV ]

15 [2ndF] [ N ] (xP/Y) [ N ] 

3.5 [I/Y]

0 [ FV ]

[COMP] [PMT]

Result:  -1143.81

Amortization

Press [AMRT].   Enter the first period (P1) then press [ENT].  Scroll down [ ↓ ] and enter the second period (P2) then press [ENT].  Scroll down for the following results (calculated automatically):  BALANCE, ΣPRINCIPAL (amount of principal paid in period range specified), ΣINTEREST (amount of interest paid in period range specified).

Take the last example and set P1 to 1 and P2 to 24.  After two years:

[AMRT] 1 [ENT] [ ↓ ]

24 [ENT] [ ↓ ]

Result:  BALANCE:  143,191.61   [ ↓ ]

Result:  ΣPRINCIPAL = -16808.39  [ ↓ ]

Result:  ΣINTEREST = -10643.05

Days Between Dates

Press [DATE].   M-D-Y 1 represents the beginning date.  M-D-Y 2 represents the ending date.  DAYS is the number of days between the two dates.  This assumes the U.S. date system is set up.

Scroll up and down.  Enter two of the three variables and press [COMP] to solve for the third.

Example:  A bond is issued on 7/1/2016. The bond is to be repaid in 120 days.  When is the bond supposed to be repaid?  Assume an actual calendar.  ([2ndF] [COMP] (360/ACT) toggles calendar counting mode)

[DATE]

For M-D-Y 1:  07, 01, 2016 [ENT]

[ ↓ ], [ ↓ ]

For DAYS:  120 [ENT]

[ ↑ ] to M-D-Y 2, press [COMP]

Result:  10/29/2016

Cash Flows

To clear all cash flows:  Press [2ndF] [ENT] (CLR-D).  I also recommend setting P/Y to 1 (pressing [2ndF] [MODE] (CA) will do it)

To enter cash flows:  Enter the cash flow, press [ ENT ].  (Don’t be in any menu or worksheet)

To enter cash flows with frequency greater than 1:  Enter the cash flow, press [(x,y)], enter the frequency, press [ ENT ].

To calculate NPV (net present value):  press [2ndF] [CFi] (CASH).  Enter the periodic rate at the RATE(I/Y)=, press [ENT], then [ ↓ ], and press [COMP] at the NET_PV prompt.

To calculate IRR (initial rate of return):  press [2ndF] [CFi] (CASH).  Press [COMP] at the RATE(I/Y)= prompt.   For this purpose, ignore the NET_PV register.

Example:   Calculate the NPV and IRR of the following cash flows:

Flow #	Amount
CF0	-$10,000
CF1	$5,000
CF2	$2,000
CF3	$5,000

For NPV, assume a return rate of 10%.

Cash Flows:

[2ndF] [MODE] (CA)

[2ndF] [ENT] (CLR-D)

10000 [+/-] [ENT]   (Display:  DATA SET: CF 0.00)

5000 [ENT] (Display:  DATA SET: CF 1.00 (and so on))

2000 [ENT]

5000 [ENT]

Net Present Value:

[2ndF] [CFi] (CASH)

RATE I/Y=:  10 [ENT]

[ ↓ ]

NET_PV=:  [COMP]

Result:  -45.08

Internal Rate of Return:

[ ↑ ]

RATE(I/Y)=:   [COMP]

Result:  9.74

Some quick instructions about depreciation and statistics:

Depreciation

The EL-738 has three depreciation modes:  Straight Line (SL), Sum of the Years Digits (SYD), and Declining Balance (DB).  To change the depreciation mode, press [SETUP], 2 and then:

0 for SL, 1 for SYD, 2 for DB.

To the Depreciation worksheet:  Press [DEPR].

Mode:  If the Declining Balance Deprecation Mode is set, enter the rate (for 200%, enter 200, press [ENT])  [ ↓ ]

Life (N):  Enter the number of years of the life of the asset, [ENT], [ ↓ ]

Start Month:  Enter the month when the asset is acquired (1 = January, 2 = February, etc), [ENT], [ ↓ ]

COST (PV): Cost of the asset, [ENT], [ ↓ ]

SALVAGE (FV):  Salvage value of the asset, [ENT], [ ↓ ]

YEAR=  Enter year of depreciation that you want to analyze, [ENT], [ ↓ ].

The next three lines are calculated: DEPRECIATE (the deprecation for the year, RBV (remaining book value), RDV (remaining depreciation value)

Statistics

To enter statistics mode, press [MODE], 2.  Select statistics type:

0:  SD, single variable

1:  LINE: linear regression, y = a + bx

2:  QUAD: quadratic regression, y = a + bx + cx^2

3:  EXP:  exponential regression, y = a * e^(bx)

4:  LOG:  logarithmic regression, y = a + b * ln x

5:  PWR:  power regression, y = a * x^b

6:  INV:  inverse regression, y = a + b/x

Clearing Data:  [2ndF] [DATA] (CLR D)

Entering Data:  x [(x,y)] y/freq [ENT] (DATA)

Recall variables:  [ALPHA] [(appropriate key)] [ = ]

Examples:

Mean:  μx: [ALPHA], 4;  μy: [ALPHA], 7

Sample Deviation:  sx: [ALPHA], 5; sy:  [ALPHA], 8

Regression variables a, b, c, r:  [ALPHA] [ ÷ ], [ DEL],. [ × ], [ ( ], respectively

  

You can find detailed instructions for the other operations (cost/sell/margin worksheet, Δ% worksheet, bond worksheet, depreciation, scientific functions), plus more examples, in the manual:  http://sharpcalculators.com/images/Manuals/Financial/EL738F_Manual_Branded.pdf

This blog is property of Edward Shore, 2016.

BA II Plus Professional: Silver (2004) vs Black (2013) Keyboard

First of all, I have to give a shoutout to Office Depot, who matched the price they had for the BA II Plus Professional on their website ($49.99) instead of the store price ($57.99).

Today's blog entry is about the BA II Plus Professional which is the deluxe version of the long time running BA II Plus. Like the "base" model, the BA II Plus Professional operates the same way: other than the standard Time Value of Money worksheet (TVM), you scroll through the options and calculations through each worksheet by using the up and down arrows.

What does the BA II Plus Professional have above the BA II Plus?

* The number of cash flows that can be entered is increased from 24 to 32
* The cash flow worksheet has additional calculations: net future value, payback, discounted payback.
* Modified internal rate of return is added.
* Modified duration of bonds is added.

Both have (to name a few):
* Trigonometric functions
* Chain or AOS mode (post-fix)
* Depreciation: Straight Line, Sum of Years' Digits, Declining Balance, Declining Balance with Crossover (good for taxes)
* Four Regressions for Statistics: Linear, Logarithmic, Exponential, Power (standard)
* Breakeven, Date Calculations (until 2049... ugh).
* Interest Conversion, Percent Change, and Amortization

Truthfully, both models have plenty to offer.

Let's talk about keyboards The keyboard on the silver BA II Plus Professional is awful, at least on the one I have. The buttons are very hard to press, and even with hard presses keys do not register. At various angles the 2nd functions, which are light gray fade perfectly into the silver plate, making them not invisible.

The current black keyboard is miles ahead of the original keyboard. First of all. The printing of the 2nd functions, which are now in medium gray, are visible against the black plate. Second, the keys respond well and you don't need hammers as fingers to get the keys to register.

Displays are different. The black keyboard has a larger display. You can see the difference below.

Do I recommend the BA II Plus or the BA II Plus Professional? Truthfully it depends on needs (or wants) since there is a price difference between the two. Should you decide to get the BA II Plus Professional, I highly recommend that you get try current black keyboard.

By the way, Texas Instruments also redesigned the BA II Plus. The current keyboard is slight shorter and the keys are slightly bunched together. However, like the new BA II Professional, the display is bigger.

Let me know what you think in the comments. Maybe I should do a comparison between BA II Plus Professional vs HP 10bII+ or 12c Platinum? As always, thank you for your support and see you next time!


Eddie


This blog is property of Edward Shore. 2014