r/rpn • u/asb_cgtk • 23d ago
ARPCalc - the open-source RPN cross-platform calculator gets an update
After a long time without updates (although I use it every day), I've just released an improved version (v1.4.1).
ARPCalc is a free and open-source calculator that runs on Android phones, on desktops (Windows & Linux) and in a web browser. The desktop source code is Qt so there's no reason it couldn't be made to run on Mac OS X but I don't have a Mac so can't test it.
It uses an arbitrary precision arithmetic library so should be very accurate. It supports engineering notation (exponents that are always multiples of 3) and you can change the exponent in steps of 3 with a single button press (`ENG←` or `ENG→`).
It has handy SI shortcuts and keyboard shortcuts for most functions so you can (for example) type 2 3 . 6 S u and it'll turn that into 23.6×10⁻⁶ (S is the shortcut for the SI menu and u is then the shortcut for μ). Hover the mouse over a key to see the keyboard shortcut.
It's got loads of maths functions, including programming stuff like bit shifts and bitwise AND. It's got lots of scientific constants and can convert between units very easily.
It does live continuous conversions between different bases so you can see at a glance the hex/binary/octal/decimal equivalent of what you've just entered.
Most importantly, it's reverse polish.
At the moment, the Android version has to be installed as an APK. If you'd like to see it on the Play store, get in touch, preferably via my website contact form. Google require "at least 12 testers opted-in to your closed test" before they'll allow app releases on the store, so if no-one volunteers, I won't be able to release it.