Comments on: Ampad Engineer’s Computation Pad

By: Renard DellaFave

Renard DellaFave — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:43:58 +0000

I used them in Electrical Engineering school at NCSU. Was very surprised when one Lab TA said it was _required_ for homework submissions. Though, graciously, he did accept the plain-paper one I was turning in at the time.

They are OK, but like Blue said, expensive compared to ordinary notebook paper (even the graph paper kind). Seemed like some sort of deal between the professors and the student bookstore to me, to require them.

But, in fairness, at the time I switched to using them for all my subjects.

Now, I don’t use them at all even at my engineering job. But then, I’m about the only one there who I think still knows how to use a pencil rather than a computer. EE CAD is _still_ in the dark ages. They’ve polished the edges off the rough UNIX ports they were in the 1990s but wow are their interfaces bad. Civil CAD is light years ahead. So, pencil it is, as much as I can get away with.

Now, I would not use most legal pads or looseleaf paper if I had the choice. Good printer paper (HPs 24lb is nice) is my favorite. Usually though I use moleskines or clairfontaine, maybe a higher end office-store notebook (Ampad docket?, red & black). But then, I write very little, so the cost isn’t too bad.

By: Blue

Blue — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:28:34 +0000

I am an electrical engineer and carry either a computation pad or bound computation notebook everywhere with me much like a business person or lawyer would carry a legal pad. The grid is great for drawing timing diagrams, schematics, and block diagrams. However, the grid isn’t so heavy that you can’t also jot notes in a meeting on it. They aren’t cheap and they aren’t as easy to find as legal pads, but I couldn’t live without mine. Thank God my company supplies them. :)

By: penciladmin

penciladmin — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:10:26 +0000

No, have not tried Lee Valley scratchpads, nor their pencils, which are also apparently quite good.

I did buy a pack of Hilroy 8.5″x11″ 1mm (green) graph paper at the same time. That is some *fine* ruling!

By: scruss

scruss — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 03:01:50 +0000

Have you tried the Lee Valley scratchpads? By no means lightly ruled, they are a pleasing heavy grade paper. My only complaint is LV’s dogged attachment to non-metric units.

Actually, I’m kinda missing *real* graph paper here; A4, with 1mm square in grey feint …