How do you use equity calculators for practice?

I just got the poker stove calculator cause I was informed that I can use it to hone my equity calculating skills. But, I am a total noob at this so do I just plug in random card combinations and try to calculate the equity in my head and than check it against the calculator? is that what one would do if they wanted this to become second nature?

That's actually a very good question, and not an easy one to answer here. You can use Poker Stove to calculate your equity against a villains perceived range, and get a better idea about the strength of your cards. It's also useful when for you when you're are analyzing your own play. Improving your poker game will take lots of study and practice. There is a book out there that I have read that goes into great detail about how to use Poker Stove. It is "Think Like A Poker Pro" by Byron Jacobs. It is a book that also comes with an instructional CD.

The main way I use it is seeing what equity I have in particular spots. For example, villain with 35% steal on the button raises and I'm in the blinds with JTs how am I looking? What if I have QJo? QJs? KQo...etc. What if villain is stealing 40%, 50%, 60%, 25%? You can then form a general idea of what kinds of hands you're willing to continue with and in what manner versus different flavors of villain.

Or maybe I want to see how my hand fares versus a villains 3bet range. Same idea.

Also I like to use stove with my hand histories, going through spots and seeing what odds I was laying villain or was being laid along with what equity I actually had, and what equity I had against his perceived range. Then I'll use that info to get a better feeling of what bet-sizing I'd like to employ in similar situations in the future.