casio fx-202p
| the fx-202p is a continuation of the fx-201p
with the addition of battery backed up program memory. i had hoped this model would have had more program storage (twice would have been good) but it has the same as the fx-201p, a rather limited 127 keystrokes of storage. this is a pity because, although 127 steps was quite a lot for its time, the formula input syntax wastes so much that it is more equivalent to around 50 steps of conventional programming. see, for example the same moon phase program as for the 201 in only 49 steps on the hp25. nevertheless, the marketing at the time thought the machine worthy of some hype.
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| the fx-202p provides continuous memory by virtue of two small
G13 batteries concealed in a hidden inner
compartment. this picture reveals the extra batteries and their inner lid.
now why couldn't it have run the continuous memory straight off the 4 AA batteries? so it would mean losing the program when changing them over, but keying back in 127 steps this rarely is hardly a problem. in fact, if you dont have these additional batteries, it loses the program when switched off even with the 4AA batteries loaded. the next model in this family, the pro fx-1, replaced this idea with a magnetic card reader/writer. |
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casio also published a separate program library for this model that was available as optional extra.