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HP 17BII Frequently Asked Questions
Over the years, I have received many questions about financial calculators. I will compile a list of the most frequently asked questions here.
Q: My HP 17BII is showing a comma instead of a decimal point. How do I fix this problem?
A: This is easily the most commonly asked question. I wish I knew how people got themselves into this situation, because it seems unlikely that it could happen by accident. Here is how to solve the problem: Press DSP and then choose . (decimal point) from the menu.
A little background on this. In the U.S. and many other countries, we use a decimal point as the radix point (or decimal separator) and a comma as the thousands separator. Many other countries do exactly the opposite. For a complete list, see the decimal separator article on Wikipedia. Interestingly, as far as I can tell this has nothing to do with the side of the road on which you drive. Obviously, the 17BII was created with worldwide users in mind.
Q: How do I change the number of decimal places that are displayed?
A: Simply press DSP FIX from the menu and then a number key. For example, to display five decimal places, press DSP FIX 5 INPUT.
Q: How do I enter a negative number into one of the TVM keys on the HP 17BII?
A: The way to do it is by using the +/- (change sign) key. For example, to enter -1,000 into FV, press 1000 +/- FV.
Q: How do I change the HP 17BII so that it uses RPN data entry instead of algebraic (or vice versa)?
A: First, many people aren’t familiar with RPN and therefore often don’t know that most calculators use algebraic data entry. So, think of algebraic as “normal calculator” mode. RPN is a very different (and, I would argue, far superior) method of data entry — it makes life much easier when entering equations. In any case, if your 17BII is in the wrong mode you can fix it by pressing SHIFT DSP and then choosing either ALG or RPN from the menu.
Q: How do I set the date and time on the H 17BII?
A: To set the date go to the Main menu (2nd EXIT). Then select the TIME menu and then SET. In the SET menu is another choice: DATE. Assuming that today is October 15, 2008, enter 10.152008 and then press DATE. That will set the date if you use MM.DDYYYY format. Many countries use DD.MMYYYY format,so if you live in one of them use 15.102008 instead.
Setting the time is very similar. In the Time menu, press Set. Enter the time in HH.MMSS. To switch the time between AM and PM press A/PM.
Q: What batteries does the HP 17BII use, and how do I change them?
A: The 17BII uses three watch-type batteries numbered 303/357 (also known as SR44 or SR47 and several other numbers). Change them by removing the sliding lid on the back of the calculator behind the screen. Make sure that you put them in correctly. There is a diagram on the case next to the batteries that shows the appropriate orientation. Do yourself a favor and look for the 3-pack of these batteries. That is exactly the number that you need, and you should get a significant discount compared to buying them individually (I recently paid 2/3rds of the single-unit price for a 3-pack). You can also get them a lot (!) cheaper online at Amazon.com.
Q: How do I reset the HP 17BII to its factory default settings?
A: You should almost never need to do this, but if the calculator starts doing odd things it is worth a try. For example, somebody asked my why their 17BII was giving truly bizarre answers to a simple time value of money question. I didn’t know and suggested a reset and it fixed the problem.
Resetting the calculator is easy: Turn off the calculator. Now, hold down the CLR (OFF) key and press the menu keys at both ends of the top row (far left and far right). In other words, hold down those three keys simultaneously. If you do it right, the calculator should turn on, beep, and give you a message saying “Memory Lost.” Note that you will now need to redo any customized settings that you may use. For example, you may need to set the calculator to RPN mode (if you use that instead of algebraic), set the payments per year to your preferred number (I always use 1, but the factory default is 12), and reset the number of decimal places that are displayed on the screen.
Q: How do I find roots other than square roots using the HP 17BII?
A: In finance it seems that we are forever calculating various roots (cube root, fourth root, 365th root, etc). Fortunately, this is pretty simple to do if you can remember a simple mathematical rule:
$$\sqrt[N]{X} = {X^{\frac{1}{N}}}$$
So, to calculate the 5th root of 100, we simply raise 100 to the 1/5th power. To do this on the 17BII in:
| Mode | Keystrokes |
|---|---|
| ALG mode | 100 yx 5 1/x = |
| RPN mode | 100 INPUT 5 1/x yx |
In this example, the 5th root of 100 equals 2.51189. Using this technique you can calculate any root.
Q: My calculator only has a key to calculate natural logarithms. How do I calculate logarithms to other bases (say, base 10)?
A: Most often, in finance, we use natural logarithms (base e), usually abbreviated as Ln(x). However, sometimes we need to use other bases. Converting from base e to any other base can be done with the following formula (I’m converting to base 10):
$$Lo{g_{10}}\left( X \right) = \frac{{Ln\left( X \right)}}{{Ln\left( {10} \right)}}$$
So, just calculate the natural log of your number, and then divide it by the natural log of the new base. For example, Log10(3) = Ln(3)/Ln(10) = 0.478. Note that the 17BII does have a LOG function in the math menu for calculating base 10 logarithms. Still, if you need another base the above formula will work — just change the 10 to your selected base.