HP48 FAQ - Last-modified: 12/12/1994
Archive-name: hp/hp48-faq/part1
Last-modified: 12/12/1994
Version: 3.01
Posting-Freqency: every 14 days or so
*********************************************************
HP 48 S/SX/G/GX Frequently Asked Questions List
*********************************************************
PART 1 of 4: Common Questions: Sections I - III
Currently Maintained by: Keith Maddock (madd0118@nova.gmi.edu)
Originally Compiled by: Darryl Okahata
The purpose of this FAQ is to provide answers to commonly asked
questions about the Hewlett Packard 48 family of scientific calculators.
This list contains information which has not necessarily been verified,
and is not guaranteed to be correct, or even reflecting reality. :-) It
has been compiled from various postings in comp.sys.handhelds and
comp.sys.hp48 as well as other sources. In particular, some parts were
taken from older HP 48SX "FAQ lists".
For some questions, there may be different answers for each
calculator (G/GX vs. S/SX). In this case S/SX specific information is
preceded by an SX: on the left margin of the first line of each S/SX
specific paragraph. G/GX information is denotated by a GX: in the same
place. If a paragraph has no notation, then it is valid for all
versions.
You should be able to find the latest version of the FAQ at the
following locations:
cbs.cis.com : /pub/hp48g/uploads/48faqxxx.zip or
/pub/hp48g/documentation/48faqxxx.zip
ftp.stud.fh-heilbronn.de : /pub/hp48/info/FAQ/48faqxxx.zip or
(caution: slow line!) /pub/hp48/incoming/48faqxxx.zip
The FAQ is also available over the WWW in a hypertext form. The URL is:
http://kahless.isca.uiowa.edu/hp/faq/faqindex.html
There are also links at this location to other HP48 WWW resources.
Please send any comments or suggestions to:
Keith Maddock madd0118@nova.gmi.edu
*********************************************************
Table of Contents:
*********************************************************
Key: ! =new Q/A + =revised answer
Part 1:
I. Misc. Questions
1.1 I'm a novice, and I have some questions. Where should I start?
1.2 What Usenet Newsgroups are there for the HP 48?
! 1.3 What are some good FTP sites for the HP48?
! 1.4 Are there any good WWW links for HP48 stuff?
1.5 What are good places to buy HP48's and accessories?
II. Questions about ROM versions
2.1 What does the SX/GX have that the S/G doesn't?
2.2 What is the difference between the HP 48G/GX and the HP 48S/SX?
2.3 How can I tell what ROM revision I have?
2.4 What bugs exist in the various versions of the HP 48?
2.5 What is new with the revision "J" ROM? (S/SX)
2.6 What happened to ROM revisions "F", "G", "H", "I", "O", and "Q"?
2.7 Can I upgrade my HP 48S/SX?
2.8 Can I upgrade my buggy GX to the latest ROM revision?
2.9 What's the latest ROM version?
2.10 Why would I buy a S/SX rather than a G/GX?
III. Questions about the Operating System / Using the HP
3.1 I typed 'RULES' on my G/GX and got a crossword puzzle! What does it
mean? (GX)
3.2 Why does my HP 48 occasionally "freeze" for a moment?
3.3 What do I do if my HP 48 locks up?
3.4 My HP 48 seems to take longer to turn on and off. What's going on?
3.5 What are all the different ON-KEY combinations and what do they do?
3.6 What are the different interactive self-tests?
3.7 I can't account for some of the RAM in the HP 48! and
When I clear my memory, I don't have 32K free! Why?
3.8 What are the best methods for dealing with libraries?
3.9 Why does (1/3)*3 equal 0.999999999999?
3.10 Why does my HP say that 0^0=1?
3.11 If I add two temperatures like 34 deg.F and 11 deg.F, I get 504.67
deg.F. Why don't I get 45 deg.F?
3.12 How can I add my own units? What's the 1_? unit for?
3.13 I want `pi' to be a numeric value, not a symbol. What's happening?
3.14 What are those little numbers near the top of my screen and how do I
get rid of them?
3.15 What tricks are there for manipulating matrices?
3.16 Can I use my HP48 as a remote or phone dialer?
3.17 I could speed up my HP-28S. How can I speed up my HP 48?
3.18 What is the hidden directory and how do I access it?
3.19 How can I recall one object from a memory archive?
PART 2:
IV. Questions about cards, data transfers, batteries, hardware
4.1 Can I upgrade my S or G to more than 32K ram?
4.2 How can I get/build a cable for my HP48?
4.3 Why doesn't the I/R port work farther than a few inches?
4.4 Can my HP48 talk to my HP100LX via Infrared?
4.5 I downloaded a program to my HP, and when I ran it, it put a string
on the stack like "HPHP48-.......". What's wrong?
4.6 Why does XRECV not work sometimes? (GX)
4.7 What do the funny symbols \->, \GS+, etc., mean?
4.8 What are the pinouts for the HP 48 serial connector?
4.9 Is there any information on interfacing to the HP 48?
4.10 How can I transfer programs/data from my HP-28S to my HP 48?
4.11 Can I use rechargeable batteries with the HP 48?
4.12 How can I tell, from within a program, if the battery is low?
4.13 My RAM card was plugged into the calculator when I changed the RAM
card battery, yet I lost all the information on the card. What
happened?
4.14 Why do I get an "Invalid card data" error when I merge a RAM card?
4.15 I've heard that other manufacturer's RAM cards will work with the
HP 48. Is this true? Will it work?
4.16 Why does the HP 48SX display flicker slightly?
4.17 I broke the LCD screen is there an easy way to get another?
V. Questions about programs
5.1 Where can I get programs and information for the HP 48SX?
5.2 What are the Goodies Disks and where do I get them?
5.3 How do I get access to the HP Calculator BBS?
5.4 What are files that end with ".zip", ".Z" or ".z"?
5.5 What is a "ship" file?
5.6 What is \->ASC or ASC\->?
5.7 How can I get \->ASC and \->ASC?
5.8 What is the HYDE library, and how do I get rid of it?
5.9 What is the Minehunt game, and how do I use it?
VI. Questions about programing and advanced user functions
6.1 I've heard the names "RPL", "Saturn", "STAR", "Voyager", "GL", etc..
What do they mean
6.2 Is there a C compiler for the HP48?
6.3 Why do SysRPL programs run faster than UserRPL programs?
6.4 How do I know what library ID number to use for my program?
6.5 What information is there on the internals of the HP 48?
6.6 Are there any viruses for the HP48?
6.7 How do I store fields of variable length string data in a compact,
rapidly accessible manner that does not require the overhead of
storing strings in lists?
6.8 What is "Vectored Enter", and how do I use it?
6.9 What is "WSLOG"?
6.10 What are SYSEVALs?
6.11 What are some useful SYSEVALs?
6.12 What are LIBEVALs?
6.13 What are some useful LIBEVALs?
6.14 What is the format of a GROB object?
*********************************************************************
PART 3:
* Appendix A: ASC\-> and \->ASC functions:
* Appendix B: Using non-HP RAM cards in your HP 48SX:
* Appendix C: What's new in the HP 48G/GX
* Appendix D: The EquationWriter Bug & Rev J Bugfix
* Appendix E: Compact Data Storage:
* Appendix F: Various useful functions
* Appendix G: Rotation rate to angular frequency conversion bug
! * Appendix H: How to make a Serial Cable for your HP48
PART 4:
+ * Appendix I: HP48 "BEST PROGRAMS AND WHERE TO GET THEM" LIST
******************************************************************
I. Misc. Questions
******************************************************************
1.1 I'm a novice, and I have some questions. Where should I start?
Start by perusing the HP 48 manuals. You'd be amazed how many
questions can be answered if you read the manuals.
SX:Earlier HP 48S/SX manuals came in two volumes. The first volume
dealt with operating instructions, and the second volume dealt with
programming. Later HP 48S/SX manuals combined these two volumes
into one.
GX:HP 48G/GX models come with a one-volume owners manual that covers
all of the non-programming aspects of the calculator. An Advanced
User's Reference (AUR) is available that covers programming aspects.
It is highly recommended. They also come with a Quick Start Guide,
a guided tour of some of the HP48's capabilities.
Also, look over the section "Answers to Common Questions", in
Appendix A of the manual. If you have a two-volume manual, it will be in
volume II.
******************************************************************
1.2 What Usenet Newsgroups are there for the HP 48?
comp.sys.hp48 -- Primary newsgroup
comp.sources.hp48 -- For HP 48 programs. (This newsgroup
is moderated by Chris Spell -- send
submissions to hp48@seq.uncwil.edu.)
(this newsgroup has been dead for a
few months now )
comp.sys.handhelds -- Occasionally, HP 48 information is
posted to this newsgroup.
******************************************************************
1.3 What are some good FTP sites for the HP48?
Many HP48 programs can be found on the following FTP sites:
wuarchive.wustl.edu : /systems/hp/hp48
cbs.cis.com : /pub/hp48g
hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com : /pub
For a list of other HP48 FTP sites, see appendix 1 of
appendix I (HP48 Best Programs and Where to Get Them List)
******************************************************************
1.4 Are there any good WWW links for HP48 stuff?
Rather than list out a long list of HP48 related WWW resources
I am instead including a list of a few WWW pages around the net
created by various people that include links to all sorts of
WWW resources. From these pages, you can access all the best
of the HP48 related WWW resources.
Jeffrey Thieleke
http://kahless.isca.uiowa.edu/hewlett_packard.html
Jeffrey E. Sawdy
http://www2.ncsu.eud/eos/users/j/jesawdy/mosaic/hp48.html
Matthew Cravit
http://www.interaccess.com/users/cravitma/Hp48_index.html
******************************************************************
1.5 What are good places to buy HP48's and accessories?
Educalc:
Educalc carries a complete line of HP calculators and accessories.
They also sell used HP48 S and SX's, and buy them as trade ins.
To get a free catalog, call them.
Phone #'s:
Toll Free Order: (800) 677-7001 \___ Orders and Customer Service
Toll Order: (714) 582-2637 / 8-5, M-F, West Coast Time
Credit Card Order: (800) 535-9650 ext. 9162 (all hours, all days)
FAX orders: (714) 582-1445
Technical Support (714) 582-2637
"Para ayuda en Espa¤ol - pregunte por Irma"
Elek-Tek:
Elek-Tek seems to only carry HP name brand products. Their prices may
be slightly cheaper than EduCalc, but they don't carry non "HP brand"
products (such as RAM cards), that are much cheaper than HP brand ones.
Toll Free: (800) 395-1000 Order: (708) 677-7660
Fax: (708) 677-7168 Fax Orders: (708) 677-1081
Office Max:
Toll Free: (800) 788-8080
Office Depot
Executive Photo and Electronics:
120 West 31st St., New York, NY 10001-3485
Tel: 800-223-7323 or 212-947-5295 Fax: 212-239-7157
Supposedly has different prices for 48 depending on country
of manufacture....
Calculators Inc., Minneapolis, MN (612) 866-8908
Carrington, (800) 982-3731
Global Connections Incorporated (formerly Connection Point, Inc.)
50 South River Street, Suite 105, Janesville, WI 53545
(608) 752-9548 (608) 752-1537
Bristol, UK - Decimal Business Machines Ltd:
"at Three Queens' Lane. They're on 0272 294591/5."
******************************************************************
II. Questions about ROM versions
******************************************************************
2.1 What does the SX/GX have that the S/G doesn't?
SX: The HP 48S is the same as the HP 48SX except that the HP 48S does
not have the two expansion slots of the HP 48SX. This means that
the HP 48S cannot be expanded and can only access 32K of memory,
versus 288K for the HP 48SX (two 128K RAM cards). (Actually, there
are now third-party RAM cards that contain 256K or 512K on a single
card -- this memory is accessed via a bank-switching mechanism.)
GX: The HP48G is the same as the GX except for two differences. The GX has
the 2 expansion ports, and also has 128K RAM built in, where the G only
has 32K.
If you plan on heavily using your calculator, you will probably find
that 32K is not enough memory.
******************************************************************
2.2 What is the difference between the HP 48G/GX and the HP 48S/SX?
The HP 48G and the HP 48GX calculators are, basically, slightly
faster (by 40%) versions of the HP 48S and HP 48SX calculators, with
more features, such as 3D-plotting and a new forms-based interface.
Much of the HP Solve Equation Library card is now built-in. See
Appendix C for a detailed list of features.
Note, however, that the HP 48G/GX is different from the HP 48S/SX in
a number of significant areas:
1. The HP 48GX comes with 128KB RAM, as opposed to 32KB RAM in the
HP 48SX. The HP 48G still has 32KB RAM, however. The HP 48G/GX
also has twice the ROM (512K), compared the HP 48S/SX (256K).
2. Much of the HP 48G/GX internals have changed, compared with the
HP 48S/SX. Unfortunately, this means than many programs written
in assembly language or System RPL won't work on the HP 48G/GX.
This is especially true of any program that tried to access the
display memory directly.
3. The HP 48G/GX CPU runs at 4MHz, instead of the 2MHz used with
the HP 48S/SX CPUs. However, due to various overhead (memory
bank switching, etc.), the speed increase between the G/GX and
S/SX is less than 2X. G/GX throughput is approximately 40%
faster.
4. Port 2 of the HP 48G/GX can access up to 4MB, in 128K chunks
(done via bank-switching).
******************************************************************
2.3 How can I tell what ROM revision I have?
GX:Type the command "VERSION". Note that this command is not part of
any key or menu, and so you must spell it out.
Type #30794h SYSEVAL. It returns a string, "HPHP48-x", where x is your
ROM revision. This works for both SX and GX.
SX:1. Turn the calculator on (press ON and then release).
2. Press ON again, and hold it down.
3. While holding down the ON key, press and hold down the "D" key (the
fourth white key in the top row).
4. While holding down the "D" key, release the ON key.
5. Release the "D" key. The display should be blank, with the
exception of three vertical lines (one down the center, and one
down each of the right and left sides).
6. Press the backspace key (it says DROP and CLR over it). A
meaningless string of digits should appear in the top line of the
display (mine says "705D9:1B8DA178E5A111B6" -- yours may be
different).
7. Press and hold down the EVAL key. It should say:
Version HP48-*
Copyright HP 1989
where the * is an uppercase letter (A, B, etc.) indicating
the ROM version.
8. Release the EVAL key. Hold down ON and hit "C" (the third
white key in the top row. This is a general reset
operation that returns the calculator to normal from the
diagnostic stuff (which is where ON-D puts you).
******************************************************************
2.4 What bugs exist in the various versions of the HP 48?
Confirmed
Version(s) Bug
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A DEFINE rounds numbers in user-defined functions if STD
is not the current display mode.
A KGET on a zero length file from another machine will
cause the calculator memory to be cleared.
A NXEQ from the Graphics Environment with flag -3 set (SYM
off in Modes) can overwrite the current equation with a
number.
A Displaying the clock in 24-hour format causes the
one-digits for minutes to be incorrect in the alarm
catalog.
A,B,C INV returns an incorrect result if used on an 8x8 or
larger matrix. To get around this problem, divide the
identity matrix with the matrix to invert.
A,B,C,D Entering a symbolic complex number in polar form like
'(A,< RCLF -> f << -40 CF OFF f STOF >> >> 91.3 ASN
Turn on USER mode
L,M EquationWriter/Character Picker Bug: If the size of the
equation is greater than the regular size of the screen,
calling the Character Picker in Equation Writer will
garble the screen.
M EVALing a tagged object which contains an operator (+, -,
*, /, etc) as the second or subsequent character will
leave an External and System Binary on the stack, as
well as the original object.
L,M,P SigmaDAT: Put a NON-MATRIX in '\GSDAT' (SigmaDAT), run
STAT graphical apps, edit \GSDAT. Causes a crash.
L,M,P XRECV: XRECV will fail or cause memory lost if the amount
of free RAM left is not about twice the size of the
expected file. Fix: see FXREV on GD 9 by Joe Horn.
L,M,P RREF does not transform the matrix into Row Reduced Echelon
Form correctly if the first column of the matrix consists
entirely of zeros.
L,M,P,R portnum: { dir ... var } RCL/EVAL fails if portnum >= 2
L,M,P,R Rotation rate to angular frequency conversion bug
See Appendix G for complete write-up.
M Fixes a variety of other bugs, and includes a new display
with better contrast.
M,P,R Repeated executions of FFT or IFFT can cause memory loss
The FFT and IFFT warmstart problem is caused by a CPU
return stack overflow during interrupt handling. The
problem can only occur when the argument to FFT or IFFT
is an MxN matrix with both M > 1 and N > 1. The vector
argument case is immune to this problem.
FIX: To compute the FFT of a matrix without risking
warmstart, expand the matrix into its row vectors using
->ROW, compute the FFT of each row vector, collect the
results into a matrix using ROW->, expand the matrix into
its column vectors using ->COL, compute the FFT of each
column vector, and finally collect the results into a
matrix using COL->. Except for less precision, this is
the same result as would be obtained by applying FFT on
the original matrix. Use the same procedure with FFT
replaced by IFFT to compute the IFFT of a matrix.
Here are program examples implementing the "matrix FFT"
and "matrix IFFT":
MFFT << ->ROW FFTLP ROW-> ->COL FFTLP COL-> >>
MIFFT << ->ROW IFFTLP ROW-> ->COL IFFTLP COL-> >>
FFTLP << -> n << 1 n START n ROLL FFT NEXT n >> >>
IFFTLP << -> n << 1 n START n ROLL IFFT NEXT n >> >>
M,P BESTFIT: Occurs when a two dimensional array is stored in
'\GSDAT' (SigmaDAT). Pressing the BESTFIT softkey
multiple times quickly can cause a warmstart, or SigmaDAT
to be erased. This occurs sometimes just by pressing
BESTFIT repeatedly, regardless of /GSDAT content. This bug
can also be triggered by pressing the BESTFIT softkey quickly
after pressing any other key. Simply pressing MODL then
BESTKEY quickly will trigger the bug.
M,P,R Eqwr/Eqlib interaction bug: If you pick an equation from
the EQ library, enter solver for that equation, enter an
algebraic on the stack like 'X^2', and press the down
arrow key to view algebraic in EquationWriter, the name
of the equation will appear in the EquationWriter along
with the unassociated algebraic.
P PROOT: If you put a matrix of coefficients on the stack
and press PROOT repeatedly, you will get a warmstart
A-R MatrixWriter Bug: This shows up when deactivating and
reactivating any of the two direction movement fields.
If you do this, the active matrix field won't move as
it's supposed to. For example: Launch the matrix writer
(check that your GOFORWARD field is activated). Enter [1]
[ENTER]. The active matrix field moves forward as it should.
Deactivate the GOFORWARD field and activate it again. Now
enter [2] [ENTER] [3] [ENTER]. The digits should show up on
the same row, but they don't, 'cause after you deactivated
and reactivated the GOFORWARD field, the active matrix field
stops moving according to the movement fields.
******************************************************************
2.5 What is new with the revision "J" ROM? (S/SX)
The revision J ROM has a faster equation writer, as well as some bug
fixes. Scrolling of graphics is also faster.
One "problem" is that the revision J ROM changed some undocumented
ROM entry points, which broke those programs that used them. If you
have a Rev J ROM, you will not be able to run some old programs.
******************************************************************
2.6 What happened to ROM revisions "F", "G", "H", "I", "O", and "Q"?
These versions either were never released to the public, or were
skipped over.
******************************************************************
2.7 Can I upgrade my HP 48S/SX?
When the G/GX first came out, HP had a trade in program. This is no
longer in operation. You can either try to sell you S/SX privately,
or you can trade it in at EduCalc. They will give you $50 credit
for a S, and $95 credit for an SX. You have up to 45 days after you
purchase your G/GX from them to send in you S/SX.
******************************************************************
2.8 Can I upgrade my buggy GX to the latest ROM revision?
As far as I know, not any more. They had a program a in early '94, but
it is over now. Contact the following for more info:
Hewlett-Packard Corporation
Calculator Support
1000 NE Circle Blvd
Corvallis, OR 97330
Phone (503) 757-2004 option 1
******************************************************************
2.9 What's the latest ROM version?
Revision R is the latest ROM version of the G/GX series.
Revision J is the last ROM version of the S/SX series.
******************************************************************
2.10 Why would I buy a S/SX rather than a G/GX?
Here's the Top 12 reasons to buy a S/SX instead of a G/GX:
(thanks to all who contributed)
1) May be slightly cheaper, having only 32k ram.
2) It isn't THAT outdated.
3) You can run neat emulators like x48
4) So what if it's a little slower?
5) You didn't need all those useless equations, graphics
capabilities, and math and science functions anyways!
6) If you break it, you're out less money!
7) You like seeing how much you can fit into 32k ram.
8) You like slow file transfers, using Kermit instead of Xmodem.
9) You want to be able to use all those lists of SYSEVALs for the SX.
10) You like having only 3 ports available max. 33 is ridiculous!
11) Since it doesn't have a built in equations library it is less
likely to be banned on tests.
12) Only wimps need GUI's, dialog boxes, and choose lists.
******************************************************************
III. Questions about the Operating System / Using the HP
******************************************************************
3.1 I typed 'RULES' on my G/GX and got a crossword puzzle! What does it
mean? (GX)
[From Joe Horn:]
Many commercial programs (like Windows) have similar hidden screens
that list the program's design team. Since they are always so cute
and well hidden, they are often referred to as "Easter eggs". The
RULES command on the G/GX is one such example.
Try using the RULES command. The names you see are as follows:
/----------------------\
| M G |
| P DIANA |
| CHARLIE X B D |
| BILL U N TED A |
| O A L N ALCUIN |
| B I JIM V |
| RON S E |
\----------------------/
ALCUIN was the HP-internal code name of the HP 48G during
development, because Alcuin was Charlemagne's teacher, and
Charlemagne, as you remember, was the code name of the 48SX.
The other names in the "Easter egg" above belong to:
BILL Wickes (list processing; "Father of RPL")
CHARLIE Patton (RPL operating system)
TED Beers (parameterized outer loop; interactive stack; key handling
system; high-level display management; input forms)
DIANA Byrne (project manager; plotting; graphics)
GABE Eisenstein (EquationWriter)
BOB Worsley (I/O)
PAUL McClellan (unit management; math)
CLAIN Anderson (product manager; marketing)
DENNIS York (manager)
JIM Donnelly (EQ LIB; list processing; variable tic logic; developer
support)
MAX Jones (menu system; editing)
DAVE Arnett (hardware)
DAN Coffin (manuals)
RON Brooks (marketing)
******************************************************************
3.2 Why does my HP 48 occasionally "freeze" for a moment?
The HP 48 must occasionally do "garbage collection" to free up
unused memory, and it is this garbage collection that is causing the
momentary "freeze". "Garbage collection" is where the HP 48 scans
through memory, looking for objects that are no longer used.
Using less stack supposedly makes garbage collection go faster.
To force a garbage collection, you can use the syseval #05F42h or
the SysRPL command GARBAGE. (see q/a # 6.10 for syseval info)
******************************************************************
3.3 What do I do if my HP 48 locks up?
NOTE: If you have it, read the sections in the GX manual starting
on page 5-16, "Special Memory Operations", and "Testing Calculator
Operation" on page A-9.
NOTE: under most circumstances, your calculator should never lock
up. Some earlier versions of the G/GX do this due to bugs. Of
course, depending on the program being run, it may appear to lock
up, but pressing the "ON" key usually interrupts whatever the
calculator is doing. If it does lock up, this is usually caused by
a buggy assembly-language or system RPL program, and, chances are,
the memory contents of your HP 48 are gone (as in "destroyed",
"terminated", "wiped out", "deleted", etc.).
First, check the batteries to make sure that they are installed
correctly.
Next, try is pressing the "ON" key again and again very RAPIDLY.
The operative word here is "rapidly". It's possible to write a
program that can only be interrupted during a very narrow window,
and so you must press the "OK" key again and again very rapidly to
interrupt the program. If the calculator doesn't respond within ten
or so seconds, go on to the next step.
Press "ON-+" a couple of times, just in case the LCD display
intensity was turned down. Here, "ON-+" means:
1. Press and HOLD DOWN the "ON" key.
2. Press and release the "+" key, WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE "ON" KEY.
3. Release the "ON" key.
If this doesn't work, the next thing to try is ON-C. This is a
"warm-start" or "system halt". Note that this will CLEAR the
stack. Here, "ON-C" means:
1. Press and HOLD DOWN the "ON" key.
2. Press and release the "C" key, WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE "ON" KEY.
3. Release the "ON" key.
If this does not work, it is possible that the HP is not responding
because it is not accepting input from the keyboard. It is possible
to execute a system halt without the keyboard using the hidden
reset button.
The reset button is hidden under one of the two upper rubber feet on
the bottom of the calculator (it's under one of the two feet near
the serial connector and I/R port). Note that the location of the
reset button (under which foot) varies from calculator to
calculator. If you gently pull out the rubber feet, you'll notice
that there is a small hole under each foot. The reset button is
located in the hole that has an "R" next to it. Once you've located
the correct hole, you press the button by GENTLY sticking an unbent
paper clip, into the hole with the "R" next to it. Hold for one
second and remove.
The next thing to try is a complete memory reset. Depending on the
state of your calculator, this may or may not preserve the contents
of memory. At the very least, even if the contents are preserved,
the contents of the HOME directory will probably be moved into a new
directory below HOME (HOME will be empty with the exception of this
new directory); you'll have to manually move the items back into
HOME.
To perform a complete memory reset, press ON-A-F. This means:
1. Press and HOLD DOWN the "ON" key.
2. Press and HOLD DOWN THE "A" key, WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE "ON" KEY.
3. Press and HOLD DOWN THE "F" key, WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE "ON" AND
"A" KEYS.
4. Release all of the keys.
5. At this point, the calculator will ask you if you want to
recover memory. Answer "yes" to this question. Note that this
can take a long time. If you answer "no", all of memory will be
cleared (the old contents will be lost).
******************************************************************
3.4 My HP 48 seems to take longer to turn on and off. What's going on?
The usual causes for this are RAM/ROM cards and libraries. When you
turn the calculator on, it checks RAM (the more you have, the longer
it takes), and checks to see if any libraries need initializing.
Also, having a lot of alarms can supposedly also cause this.
*****************************************************************
3.5 What are all the different ON-KEY combinations and what do they do?
[Note: this answer written by a member of the HP48 team in Corvallis]
--begin quote-- (formatted for this document)
[ON] In most cases, this will move you to, or toward, the stack
environment.
[ON]+A+F This is the manual Coldstart. It will break out of
_almost_ any hung program, and offer you the dreaded
option... Try to recover memory? Note that this is your
next-to-last resort in a lock-up, so don't give your
machine this three-fingered salute unless you really want
to possibly clear memory.
[ON]+B This is the Oops! key for [ON] codes. For many [ON]
sequences, this cancels the operation, so long as you press
the B before releasing the [ON] key. Try it sometime, if you
must, just so you remember it. It can be a life-saver, in
case of an accidental [ON]+A+F in process, or even
accidentally hitting [ON] during a plotting routine.
[ON]+C This will initiate a Warmstart. You'll lose the stack, but
it will often get you out of a locked up program with memory
intact.
[ON]+D Enters interactive test mode. I won't even atempt to catalog
the various tests and odd jobs available from here. Back up
your own machine and play around. Exit this test mode with
Warmstart, [ON]+C. [Note: See 3.6 for a list of the
interactive tests]
[ON]+E Starts a looping self-test mode. Kinda dull after the first
five minutes, but it keeps a rather solid tempo. Exit with
Warmstart, [ON]+C.
[ON]+4 Cancels repeating alarms.
[ON]+1 Screen dump utility.
[ON]+[+], [ON]+[-] Adjusts display contrast.
[ON]+[SPC] Initiates Coma Mode and clears Warm Start Log. In Coma
mode, all the clocked activity is halted. The battery
power drain as basically the few nanoamperes necessary to
sustain your RAM contents. The Warm Start Log is a
nearly bullet-proof area of memory which keeps track of
the last four hazardous events. View it using the
command, WSLOG. This log is one of the few things not
cleared by a Coldstart. But it is cleared by [ON]+[SPC].
Enter Coma this way if you want to clear the Warm Start
Log, if you are planning to study crystal healing in
Tibet for a few years and want to keep your pirated
version of Tetris alive, or you just have a low power
fetish. Exit Coma mode with the [ON] key (tough to
remember, huh?), and plan to find your stack cleared out.
Two additional notes on this Coma stuff. First, I'm not gonna try to
list the log codes in WSLOG. Sorry! Second, if your machine is on,
and you drop the batteries out, you will _usually_ end up in a coma
mode to preserve power. WSLOG will not be cleared. Instead, you will
find a code 1 entry there. Some people are paranoid and want to be
in Coma when they change batteries, just in case they have a sudden
emergency call from the Prime Minister and don't get back to their
battery change for a half hour. If you are one of these... shall I
say, weenies? No, that would be unprofessional ...users, then I
recommend you use the [ON]+[SPC] entry route, rather than the
kamikaze method of dropping batteries with the machine running.
Myself, I just turn the machine OFF, like the manual says.
Now, a Coma story... sort of. During the G/GX development, I
maintained a small number of units on which I changed ROM chips as
incremental code releases came out. This was so folks like Bill
Wickes and Jim Donnelly could have fully-real hardware to test,
instead of just the EPROM handsets some of you may have seen. We
always backed up anything of importance in the machine before we did
this. But I got into the habit of using [ON]+[SPC] before I opened
up the calculator. Better than half of the time, I could remove the
batteries, open the case, desolder the old surface-mounted ROM chip,
solder down a new chip, and reassemble the machine... with all of RAM
intact! When I pressed [ON], I'd come right back up with no Try to
Recover Memory? prompt. Pretty good, huh? The folks who put that
mode into the machine certainly weren't in a coma.
--(end quote)--
******************************************************************
3.6 What are the different interactive self-tests?
Pressing ON-D enters the interactive self test function of the HP48.
When you first press ON-D, you will see 3 vertical lines, one on each
side of the screen and one in the middle. The tests are as follows:
Press ON-C to exit.
[A] Displays CPU speed
[B] LCD test. Press Enter to cycle through the tests
[C] Internal ROM test
[D] Internal RAM test
[E] Keyboard test. Starting with [A], press all the keys in order,
left to right, top to bottom. If all goes well, it will say
KBD1 OK
[F] Partial Keyboard test
[G] ESD test monitor. Battery status is shown by bars.
[H] UART loop-back test
[I] Wired UART echo
[J] Shows whats plugged in. Press any key a few times
[K] Test RAM cards in ports
[L] Blanks display
[M] Sends system time from IR port
[N] Receives system time from IR port (have another HP send it)
[O] IR loop-back test
[P] IR UART echo
[S] Shows test start time
[T] Shows test fail time
[U] [V] [W] [X] [Y] [Z] Looping test
[ENTER] Initialize test tims
[DEL] Test summary
[<-] (backspace) Enters memory scanner (SX)
******************************************************************
3.7 I can't account for some of the RAM in the HP 48! and
When I clear my memory, I don't have 32K free! Why?
The HP48 S/SX/G have 32K base memory, and the GX has 128K. However
not all this memory is available to the user. The operating systems
uses memory for system variables, flags, fonts, last stacks, last
arguments, last menus, and such. It also can be any one of a number
of things:
1). Enabling the use of LAST STACK, LAST ARG, LAST CMD, etc., uses
up extra RAM, as the calculator has to keep track of the last
stack, arguments, command, etc.. This is particularly important
with LAST STACK if you have a large/complex stack, as the HP 48SX
has to keep enough information around to recreate the stack after
each operation. You can clear out these variables by pressing ON-C
(but also note that this will clear out the stack, the graphics
PICT, etc.).
2.) From William Wickes, a member of the HP 48 development team:
Here's a candidate for "most obscure way to use up memory on the HP 48SX."
When a program executes DOERR with a string argument, the string and hence
the program too if the string is embedded in the program are referenced
for the sake of the ERRM command. Thus if you purge the program, the
memory used by the program is not reclaimed until the ERRM reference is
updated to a new string. If the string is in a port, you will get
the Object In Use error if you try to purge the library or backup object
containing the string.
A system halt prior to a PURGE will not help unless the object is in
port 1 or port 2 (it will reclaim memory held by a successfully purged
but still referenced object). For port 0 objects, the only way to
break the reference is to execute DOERR again with a new string.
3.) Occasionally, I have had problems with libraries disappearing, but
still taking up memory. I found that an "ON-A-F" reset will cause these
libraries to re-appear. If you still cannot account for a large chunk of
memory, I would suggest a hardware reset, after backing up your memory.
******************************************************************
3.8 What are the best methods for dealing with libraries?
To install a Library:
1. Download it into a variable of the calc.
2. Place the library on the stack.
3. Type the number of the port in which you want to store the
library in. 0 is appropriate if you do not have any expansion
cards.
4. Press STO to store the library in that port.
5. Turn the calculator off and then on, or press ON-C, to finish
installation of the library.
NOTE: sometimes you have to purge the variable containing the library
before storing it in a port, if you are low on memory. As well, if
you have FXRECV installed. Just type a port number, hit FXRECV and
the library will automatically go into the specified port. All you
have to do then in turn the calc off and then on to complete
installation.
To delete a Library:
Say you have library 1234 in port 0 than you want to delete.
1. Goto directory that the library is attached. Usually HOME.
2. Enter :0: 1234
3. Press ENTER or type DUP
4. Type "DETACH"
5. Type "PURGE"
******************************************************************
3.9 Why does (1/3)*3 equal 0.999999999999?
This is due to the way numbers are typically represented by
computers and calculators. There are infinitely many numbers, like
`1/3' and `pi', that cannot be exactly represented internally (their
decimal representations go on forever, and oftentimes cannot even be
represented as a fraction, as in the example of `pi'). As a result,
any calculations that use these numbers are bound to be off.
******************************************************************
3.10 Why does my HP say that 0^0=1?
Some claim that 0^0 is defined as 1, some claim it is indeterminate.
The HP mathematicians decided to use the definition. Here is some
more concrete info shamelessly lifted from the Sci.Math-FAQ:
Q: What is 0^0 ?
A: According to some Calculus textbooks, 0^0 is an "indeterminate
form". When evaluating a limit of the form 0^0, then you need
to know that limits of that form are called "indeterminate forms",
and that you need to use a special technique such as L'Hopital's
rule to evaluate them. Otherwise, 0^0=1 seems to be the most
useful choice for 0^0. This convention allows us to extend
definitions in different areas of mathematics that otherwise would
require treating 0 as a special case. Notice that 0^0 is a
discontinuity of the function x^y.
Rotando & Korn show that if f and g are real functions that vanish
at the origin and are _analytic_ at 0 (infinitely differentiable is
not sufficient), then f(x)^g(x) approaches 1 as x approaches 0 from
the right.
From Concrete Mathematics p.162 (R. Graham, D. Knuth, O. Patashnik):
"Some textbooks leave the quantity 0^0 undefined, because the
functions x^0 and 0^x have different limiting values when x
decreases to 0. But this is a mistake. We must define
x^0 = 1 for all x,
if the binomial theorem is to be valid when x=0, y=0, and/or x=-y.
The theorem is too important to be arbitrarily restricted! By
contrast, the function 0^x is quite unimportant."
Published by Addison-Wesley, 2nd printing Dec, 1988.
References:
H. E. Vaughan, The expression '0^0', Mathematics Teacher 63 (1970),
pp.111-112.
Louis M. Rotando & Henry Korn, "The Indeterminate Form 0^0",
Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 50, No. 1 (January 1977), pp. 41-42.
L. J. Paige, A note on indeterminate forms, American Mathematical
Monthly, 61 (1954), 189-190; reprinted in the Mathematical
Association of America's 1969 volume, Selected Papers on Calculus,
pp. 210-211.
******************************************************************
3.11 If I add two temperatures like 34 deg.F and 11 deg.F, I get 504.67
deg.F. Why don't I get 45 deg.F?
This occurs with the S/SX only. This behavior changed in the
G/GX. With the G/GX, adding 34 deg.F and 11 deg.F will give 45
deg.F using TINC and TDELTA. However, the G/GX will only add or
subtract temperatures if the units are the same; it is now an error
if they are not.
If the units attached to the number consists only of a temperature and
nothing else, operations are done using an absolute temperature scale
(relative to absolute zero). If the units consists of a temperature
and something else, such as degrees/minute, the operation will not be
done using an absolute temperature scale.
It also does not make any physical sense to add two temperatures. You
can't add a cup of water at 20 degrees C to a cup of water at 30
degrees C and end up with two cups of water at 50 degrees C.
******************************************************************
3.12 How can I add my own units? What's the 1_? unit for?
[Note: Some later editions of the G/GX series manuals have some
similar information on this subjet on pages 10-14 and 25-15.]
Another feature is the generic unit, 1_?. It seems to be intended
as a generic unit, to allow you to make new units not based
upon any of the built-in ones. You could use it to create a
conversion utility for currencies or bits and bytes. [Before you
create either, check the FTP sites to see what others have done in
this regard.]
Here's an example. Convert this using ASC\-> and save it as 'sample'.
"69A20FF78E000000005046F6E6574750ADA209C2A2C2A2070000F368B01B2130
E20005046F6A756E650ADA20339201000000000000210C2A20F000046F6E6574
768B01B2130640005086F6D6562750ADA20339200000000000000510C2A20F00
0046F6E65747C2A20B0000D696E686B0168B01B2130B5000303435453047A204
7A20C2A20F000046F6E65747ADA209C2A2C2A20F000046F6E6574768B01B2130
B213047A20C2A20F000046F6A756E6ADA209C2A2C2A20F000046F6A756E668B0
1B2130B213047A20C2A20F000086F6D65627ADA209C2A2C2A20F000086F6D656
2768B01B2130B2130B2130F0DA"
This is a sample directory with a custom menu. Enter the directory
and press the CST key. Here you will see three units (truncated to
fit the softkeys): donut, dozen, and homer. A dozen is defined as
12_donut, and a homer is a rate of 1.5_donut/min (not part of the SI
system). These units may take SI prefixes described on page 10-5 of
the User's Guide, so you may convert the value of 3_MW*h/kdonut into
units of erg/mdozen using CONVERT, for example. The items in the CST
menu have the usual abilities of unit menu objects as described on
pages 10-2 and 10-3 of the User's Guide. These units can be used for
math operations described on page 10-7 of the User's Guide, such as
adding 2_donut to 1_dozen.
Example: At your power plant, you have four control room operators
who have a combined consumption rate of 2.28 homers. How many donuts
will they use in 5 minutes and 17 seconds?
Step 1: Enter the rate.
2.28 [homer]
Step 2: Enter the time.
right-shift UNITS [TIME]
5 [min]
17 [s] +
Step 3: Multiply the time by the rate.
x
Step 4: Convert to dozens.
CST left-shift [dozen]
And the answer is a little over 1.5 dozen.
[If you know more about 1_? and what it can do, please let the FAQ
maintainer know!]
******************************************************************
3.13 I want `pi' to be a numeric value, not a symbol. What's happening?
You are using "Numeric Constants Mode". To turn this mode on or off:
SX: Type "-2", then "SF" (w/o the quotes). This turns the numeric constants
mode on. To turn it off, type "-2" "CF". (again, no quotes)
GX: Go to the MODES menu (press green/right-shift MODES). Hit the key for
FLAG submenu. Toggle the 02 flag, "Contant -> symb", to turn on and
off.
******************************************************************
3.14 What are those little numbers near the top of my screen and how do I
get rid of them?
The little numbers are "user flags". When you or a program sets any
of the user flags 1 through 5, little numbers corresponding to the
set flags are displayed at the top of the screen.
The HP uses negative flags for setting various modes and functions,
while positive flags were reserved for the use of the user. To set a
user flag type the number, then SF. To clear a user flag type the
number, then CF.
******************************************************************
3.15 What tricks are there for manipulating matrices?
SX: You can build up a matrix by rows using \GS+
You can take a matrix apart by rows using \GS-
These two commands (\GS is Sigma (Greek E)) add and subtract rows
from the SigmaDAT Statistics matrix. \GS+ takes a vector row and
adds it to SigmaDAT, and \GS- takes the bottom row away from
SigmaDAT. \GS+ is accessible from the STAT menu with its own
softkey. \GS- can be obtained by pressing left/shift /GS+, or by
typing it in at the command line.
GX: The GX has many matrix functions built in. See Appendix C.
******************************************************************
3.16 Can I use my HP48 as a remote or phone dialer?
There are numerous programs available for remote control. See
Appendix I for recommendations.
To make phone dialing tones, you need to produce two simultaneous
tones. The speaker in the HP48 is not good enough to support the DTMF
(dual tone multi frequency) tones that are used to dial. (They're a
combination of two tones at the same time.)
******************************************************************
3.17 I could speed up my HP-28S. How can I speed up my HP 48?
You can't, really. Unlike the HP-28S, the clock speed in the HP
48SX is hardwired to 2 MHz, and to 4MHz in the 48GX.
However, in some cases, you can speed up the HP 48 by turning off
the display refresh, which supposedly takes up about 11% of the CPU
time. Detlef Mueller submitted a program to
comp.sources.hp48 that turns off the display refresh. Look in the
various HP 48 archives for a copy.
******************************************************************
3.18 What is the hidden directory and how do I access it?
The "hidden directory" is a subdirectory of the HOME directory.
It is created on startup, and it contains variables with your
alarms and user key configurations. You can use the hidden
directory to store whatever you want, however you CAN NOT ORDER
the contents of this directory, as this causes memory loss.
The name of the hidden directory is a null character, '' .
The only way to get a null character is to use a syseval.
You can use the following program to access the hidden
directory: Comments:
<< HOME (changes to home dir)
#15777h (syseval to get null character)
SYSEVAL (returns '' to stack)
EVAL >> (changes to hidden dir)
To exit the hidden directory, use HOME or UPDIR. This will
return you to the HOME directory.
Also, by putting the null character as a part of your HOME
custom directory, you can switch right into the directory
by pressing the softkey.
Note: The SysRPL command NULLID returns a null character to
the stack; it is the sames as #15777h SYSEVAL.
******************************************************************
3.19 How can I recall one object from a memory archive?
[Joe Horn]
There is a little-known method of recalling objects from within
archives. Just make a list representing the PATH to the object, and
tag the *list* with the port number. Then hit RCL or EVAL.
For example, if your archive in port 1 is called BKUP, and it
contains a directory called GAMES which contains a program
called REVERSI, you can run the game directly (without having
a separate copy of REVERSI stored anywhere!) by:
:1: { BKUP GAMES REVERSI } EVAL
Or, you can RCL instead of EVAL, and it'll be pushed onto the stack.
NOTE WELL: This method only works in ports 0 and 1 in a GX. It works
on any port in the SX.
ANOTHER NOTE: This method works with directory objects stored as
backup objects, as well as with the results of the ARCHIVE command,
because they are both really the same thing.
******************************************************************
END PART 1 OF 4
Archive-name: hp/hp48-faq/part2
Last-modified: 12/12/1994
Version: 3.01
Posting-Freqency: every 14 days or so
*********************************************************
HP 48 S/SX/G/GX Frequently Asked Questions List
*********************************************************
PART 2 of 4: Hardware, Programs, and Programming: Sections IV - VI
Currently Maintained by: Keith Maddock (madd0118@nova.gmi.edu)
Originally Compiled by: Darryl Okahata
Key: ! =new Q/A + =revised answer
PART 2:
IV. Questions about cards, data transfers, batteries, hardware
! 4.1 Can I upgrade my S or G to more than 32K ram?
! 4.2 How can I get/build a cable for my HP48?
4.3 Why doesn't the I/R port work farther than a few inches?
4.4 Can my HP48 talk to my HP100LX via Infrared?
4.5 I downloaded a program to my HP, and when I ran it, it put a string
on the stack like "HPHP48-.......". What's wrong?
4.6 Why does XRECV not work sometimes? (GX)
4.7 What do the funny symbols \->, \GS+, etc., mean?
4.8 What are the pinouts for the HP 48 serial connector?
4.9 Is there any information on interfacing to the HP 48?
4.10 How can I transfer programs/data from my HP-28S to my HP 48?
4.11 Can I use rechargeable batteries with the HP 48?
4.12 How can I tell, from within a program, if the battery is low?
4.13 My RAM card was plugged into the calculator when I changed the RAM
card battery, yet I lost all the information on the card. What
happened?
4.14 Why do I get an "Invalid card data" error when I merge a RAM card?
4.15 I've heard that other manufacturer's RAM cards will work with the
HP 48. Is this true? Will it work?
4.16 Why does the HP 48SX display flicker slightly?
4.17 I broke the LCD screen is there an easy way to get another?
V. Questions about programs
5.1 Where can I get programs and information for the HP 48SX?
5.2 What are the Goodies Disks and where do I get them?
5.3 How do I get access to the HP Calculator BBS?
5.4 What are files that end with ".zip", ".Z" or ".z"?
5.5 What is a "ship" file?
5.6 What is \->ASC or ASC\-> and where can I get it?
5.7 What is the HYDE library, and how do I get rid of it?
5.8 What is the Minehunt game, and how do I use it?
VI. Questions about programing and advanced user functions
6.1 I've heard the names "RPL", "Saturn", "STAR", "Voyager", "GL", etc..
What do they mean
! 6.2 Is there a C compiler for the HP48?
6.3 Why do SysRPL programs run faster than UserRPL programs?
6.4 How do I know what library ID number to use for my program?
6.5 What information is there on the internals of the HP 48?
6.6 Are there any viruses for the HP48?
6.7 How do I store fields of variable length string data in a compact,
rapidly accessible manner that does not require the overhead of
storing strings in lists?
6.8 What is "Vectored Enter", and how do I use it?
6.9 What is "WSLOG"?
6.10 What are SYSEVALs?
+ 6.11 What are some useful SYSEVALs?
6.12 What are LIBEVALs?
6.13 What are some useful LIBEVALs?
6.14 What is the format of a GROB object?
******************************************************************
IV. Questions about cards, data transfers, batteries, hardware
******************************************************************
4.1 Can I upgrade my S or G to more than 32K ram?
It is possible to do this by opening up the case and adding
some memory chips. There is a zipfile containing instructions
and schematics available for FTP:
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/48gs256k.zip
WARNING: It is possible to ruin your HP in the process of
performing this upgrade. Do not attempt it unless you are
adept at working with small electonics. The FAQ maintainer and
the authors of the instructions take no responisibility for
anything you do to your HP...
******************************************************************
4.2 How can I get/build a cable for my HP48?
Some places that sell the HP48 also sell the cable required for
interfacing with a PC. Unfortunately, most don't.
For information on how to build your own cable, see appendix H.
If you want to buy one, there are a few options. Places
like Educalc and ElekTek (see q/a #1.3) sell them for around $20-$25.
There are a few netters that make cables for sale also. Contact:
Paul Christenson
Joel Kolstad
Ofer Asif
If you live in a larger city, you can look in the Yellow Pages
for a listing of HP authorized dealers who either have the
cables in stock or can order them in about the same time a
mail order place can, but for a lower price..
******************************************************************
4.3 Why doesn't the I/R port work farther than a few inches?
It turns out that it is the receiver that is "crippled". The
transmit range is somewhere around several feet, and some people
have actually written programs to make the HP 48 emulate some
remote controls (see appendix I for suggested programs).
NOTE: There are currently two stories going around as to WHY. I
will present both of them in the interest showing all sides of the
story, but I personally lean to #1 (due to the source), but people
will bet their life on #2.. YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary!)
#1 The head of the HP48 design team, Dr. William Wickes himself, alluded
during the Chicago Handheld Conference that the IR was intentionally
crippled due to the concerns of certain individuals in academia that
students could literally 'beam' information from one 48 to another
during examinations. (from Rick Grevelle)
#2 The reason the ir reception distance is so short is battery capacity.
The Infrared Transmitter is semaphore: It is only turned on when it
needs to be on, and the transmission protocol is defined to minimize
the ON time. The receiver, by contrast, must be on continually when
a transmission is in process, or when a transmission is expected. If
you set your '48 to Server mode, that receiver is drawing power. If
you tweek the control bits to activate the receiver for any other
reason, it is drawing power.
The intantaneous peak power drawn by the transmitter is much higher
than that of the receiver. But in the long run, the receiver will
draw more energy from the batteries. Increasing the receiver
sensitivity costs even more power.
******************************************************************
4.4 Can my HP48 talk to my HP100LX via Infrared?
Yes, it can, although slowly. Set the HP100LX at 2400 baud, and put
it in server mode (under the Kermit Commands menu). THen you can
send stuff from your HP48 to your HP100LX
******************************************************************
4.5 I downloaded a program to my HP, and when I ran it, it put a string
on the stack like "HPHP48-.......". What's wrong?
Some versions of kermit distinguish between ASCII and binary files,
and so you have to worry about the transfer modes at *BOTH* ends of
the connection (the HP 48SX end and the computer end). For example,
when receiving ASCII files, Unix kermit must translate CR/LF pairs
into LF. If the HP 48SX is transmitting a binary file, but the Unix
kermit is expecting ASCII, any CR/LF pairs in the binary file will get
translated to LF, corrupting the binary file. Unfortunately, you
cannot "uncorrupt" the corrupted binary file by simply reversing the
transfer and expecting kermit to translate LF to CR/LF. This is
because the binary file may contain occurrences of LF that were not
originally part of a CR/LF sequence.
When a binary file gets corrupted, it will display on the stack as a
string, starting with the characters "HPHP48-", and continuing on with
a bunch of garbage. Thanks to two programs, these strings can be
reconverted to binary files right on the HP48. These programs are:
FIXIT, by Joe Horn and Mika Heiskanen, or OBJFIX, written by our
friends at HP. These are included in appendix F in ASC form (ASC is
in appendix A)
The major difference between FIXIT and OBJFIX is the way they
operate. I have never personally had any problems with either.
FIXIT takes the bad "HPHP48-" string from level 1 of the stack, and
replaces it with the correct binary object. OBJFIX takes the name of
the variable in which the "HPHP48-" string is stored from level 1 of
the stack, and puts the correct binary object directly in the
variable where the bad string was stored. It's up to you which you
prefer. I would suggest reading the docs of both (included in
appendix F) before using either of them.
There is also a quick fix availabe from Dan Kirkland:
----- begin -----
SYSEVAL fix for "HPHP48-X!@#$%^&*(
by Dan Kirkland, 08 Dec 1993
Here is a simple SYSEVAL program that will return a pointer to
the object in those data transfer strings that start with
"HPHP48-
BYTES: # 8FEh 53
<< "12" SWAP + # 402Bh SYSEVAL # 62B9Ch SYSEVAL >>
That's all! (Simple huh!)
Name? Whatever you want!!
Works on all 48s (S/SX, G/GX)
----- End --------
******************************************************************
4.6 Why does XRECV not work sometimes? (GX)
Pre-Rev R. G Series 48's had a bug that would sometimes cause XRECV
to fail if there was not twice the amount of room free for the
incoming file. FXRECV, a fix for this bug, is available on the Horn 9
disk in the directory \hp as FXRECV. There is more info about this
bug there as well.
******************************************************************
4.7 What do the funny symbols \->, \GS+, etc., mean?
These are the ASCII representation of the special HP 48 graphical
characters. See the section "Character Translations" in the manual
for a table of symbols <--> ASCII representations.
SX: Chapter 33 (Volume II if 2 volumes)
GX: Page 27-16 HP 48G Series User's Guide
******************************************************************
4.8 What are the pinouts for the HP 48 serial connector?
Looking at the pins of the HP 48 (the following diagram is showing
the pins on the HP 48, as you look *AT* the calculator):
_________
| o o o o |
\_______/
^ ^ ^ ^
| | | \------ 4 Signal GND
| | \-------- 3 RX (input to the HP 48)
| \---------- 2 TX (output from the HP 48)
\------------ 1 SHIELD
Stated another way:
HP48 IBM 9 PIN IBM 25 PIN
(From the outside
edge -> inward)
SHIELD------------------- SHIELD---------------- SHIELD
TX (Output)<-------------2 RX (Input)------------3 RX (Input)
RX (Input)-------------->3 TX (Output)---------->2 TX (Output)
SGND---------------------5 GND-------------------7 GND
This information is also on page 27-7 of the G/GX manual.
******************************************************************
4.9 Is there any information on interfacing to the HP 48?
HP has made available an UNSUPPORTED document called the "HP 48 I/O
Technical Interfacing Guide", which contains information on the
wired and serial I/O hardware.
Look in the various HP 48 archives for a copy.
******************************************************************
4.10 How can I transfer programs/data from my HP-28S to my HP 48?
You use a program called "INPRT", which is avaliable on GD #9. Any
previous version will crash the GX. The new version's checksum is
#EDF3h, and the old, SX-only version's checksum is #2280h.
For each program that you want to transfer, you use the HP 28S to
print it to the I/R output; INPRT, running on the HP 48, reads the
I/R output of the HP 28S and converts it into a program.
*****************************************************************
4.11 Can I use rechargeable batteries with the HP 48?
The Rayovac "Renewal" batteries have proven themselves to be reliable
in the HP48, but there are some problems with ni-cad batteries.
You'll have to decide if using rechargeable batteries
is worth putting up with the problems:
* You'll have to change batteries more often with rechargeable
batteries. Alkaline batteries can deliver power for a longer
period of time, compared to rechargeable batteries.
* Once the low-battery indicator comes on, you'll have to change
the rechargeable batteries pretty quickly. With rechargeable
batteries, you have only a few minutes before the calculator
dies (it's been said that you have up to 15 minutes or so).
With alkaline batteries, you have an amount of time that is
supposedly measured in hours.
* Ni-Cad batteries lose their charge with time, even if you are
not using them. Even if a Ni-Cad battery is just sitting unused
on a shelf, it slowly loses its charge. Alkaline batteries keep
their charge for a very long time.
******************************************************************
4.12 How can I tell, from within a program, if the battery is low?
The following 48 program reports the status of the ALERT
annunciator. The ALERT annunciator is activated by alarms or low
battery.
This program is provided free of charge "as is" and has no warranty.
No one is liable for any consequential damages.
Preston
%%HP:T(3)A(D)F(.);
\<<
RCLF
8 STWS #FFh #0h +
#10Bh
#6595Ah SYSEVAL
#8h AND #0h >
SWAP STOF
\>>
******************************************************************
4.13 My RAM card was plugged into the calculator when I changed the RAM
card battery, yet I lost all the information on the card. What
happened?
You forgot to turn ON the calculator before changing the battery.
The HP only supplies power to the RAM card while the HP is turned on.
While the calculator is turned off, no power is supplied by the
calculator, and all power comes from the RAM card battery. If you
then take out the battery from the RAM card while the calculator is
turned OFF, the RAM card has no source of power, and you will lose
all of the contents in the RAM card.
******************************************************************
4.14 Why do I get an "Invalid card data" error when I merge a RAM card?
This message is usually seen when you plug a brand-new RAM card into
an HP 48. In this case, this message is normal and is harmless. It
just means that there was no (valid) data on the card.
GX: This message can appear when a RAM card contains ports you have
never used. Press purple/left shift-LIBRARY. Hit NXT, then the
PINIT softkey. This will initialize all available ram ports. It
does not affect data already stored on the card.
If you see this message under any other conditions, it could be one of
the following:
1. You took the battery out of the RAM card while the card was out
of the calculator, therefore erasing the memory.
2. You took the battery out of the RAM card while the card was in
the calculator *BUT* the calculator was turned off. Note that
the calculator supplies power to the RAM card ONLY when the
calculator is turned *ON*. Again the memory on the card is
gone.
3. The RAM card battery is dead.
4. There is a problem with either the calculator, the RAM card, or
both.
If the battery is operational, then try to store something on the
card. If you still get the error message, then backup all your
info to a computer or another 48, and do a hardware reset. (see
#13)
******************************************************************
4.15 I've heard that other manufacturer's RAM cards will work with the
HP 48. Is this true? Will it work?
While some cards may work, there is a chance that you may severely
damage your HP 48. You should only use cards specifically designed
for the HP 48. Naturally, HP sells such cards, and some third
parties also make cards that will work in an HP 48. Some cards
work with both the S/SX and the G/GX. Some, however only work on
the S/SX, or only on the G/GX. Make sure that the card is designed
to work for your version before using it.
SX: The S/SX can only naturally support up to 128k per port. HP sells
32K and 128K RAM cards. However, TDS, using software "bank
switches" produces 256K and 512K RAM cards. These bank switching
cards do not work in the G/GX series. CMT is also a makes 128K
cards, which work in all HP 48 calculators.
GX: While you cannot use the TDS 256K and 512K cards, Sparcom has come
out with 256K and 512K cards for the G/GX only. HP also sells 1MB
RAM cards that work for G/GX only. The G/GX is able to accept a
4MB RAM card, but none are on the market at this time.
For more info on using non-HP 48 RAM cards in the S/SX series, see
appendix B near the end of this file.
******************************************************************
4.16 Why does the HP 48SX display flicker slightly?
Display flicker is usually caused by fluorescent lights. The rapid
pulsing of the fluorescent lights (60Hz in the U.S.), which is
normally unnoticeable, interacts with the rapid pulsing/scanning of
the HP 48 LCD display (64 Hz refresh rate), which is also normally
unnoticeable. The 60Hz fluorescent lights alias with the display
refresh (64Hz) to produce a 4Hz "flicker". It's normal and
harmless.
Outside the U.S., power is supplied at a 50Hz rate, not 60Hz. This
means that the display "flickers" at a 14Hz rate, which is still
noticeable.
******************************************************************
4.17 I broke the LCD screen is there an easy way to get another?
Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, you cannot get a replacement, the
cheapest alternative is to send the calc in for "standard service" at
HP, which is slightly cheaper than a new calculator. Opening a 48 is
quite difficult anyway.
******************************************************************
V. Questions about programs
******************************************************************
5.1 Where can I get programs and information for the HP 48SX?
See Appendix I for more info.
******************************************************************
5.2 What are the Goodies Disks and where do I get them?
See Appendix 4 of Appendix I for more info.
******************************************************************
5.3 How do I get access to the HP Calculator BBS?
You can access the HP Calculator BBS via a modem (note that this is
a long distance call for most people):
(503)-750-4448 2400 baud, 8N1
(503)-750-3277 9600 baud, 8N1
For those people who have access to the Internet, you can also
access the BBS via telnet to hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com [15.255.72.16].
See Appendix I for more BBS sites.
******************************************************************
5.4 What are files that end with ".zip", ".Z" or ".z"?
Files that end with ".zip" are PKZIP archives, which originated in
the MSDOS world. One program that can extract the files in ".zip"
archives is the Info Zip "unzip" program. An MSDOS binary can be
found as:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/unz50p1.exe
Sources for the unzip program can be found as:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/unz50p1.zip
For binaries for other machines, see the file:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/README
Files that end with ".Z" have been compressed using the Unix
"compress" command. To uncompress these files, you must use the
"uncompress" command on Unix.
Files that end with ".z" have *probably* been compressed using the
new "gzip" compression command. To uncompress these files, you must
use either the "gunzip" or "gzip -d" command. These commands are
not a standard part of Unix, and so you'll probably have to get the
sources via anonymous ftp from prep.ai.mit.edu (as /pub/gnu/gzip*).
Again, versions are supposedly available for non-Unix platforms.
******************************************************************
5.5 What is a "ship" file?
In the past, programs for the HP 48 posted on comp.sources.hp48 were
posted in the "ship" format. This format made it easier for the
comp.sources.hp48 moderator to distribute programs, but makes it
difficult for users to extract and use these programs. Many people
still use ship.
To extract programs distributed in the "ship" format, you need the
following:
1. A copy of the "ship" program, compiled for your PC, Macintosh,
Amiga, Unix workstation, or whatever. The sources to "ship" can
be found at:
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/dos/unship.zip
This zip file also includes the dos executable.
Binaries for MSDOS machines, Amigas, and some Unix workstations
can be also be found on wuarchive.wustl.edu, in the directory
"/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/ship_executables".
2. A copy of the latest Info Zip "unzip" program, or a .ZIP
unarchiver that understands the new PKUNZIP V2.04g format. Note
that you *CANNOT* use old unzip programs, as old unzip programs
do not understand the new compression formats. An MSDOS binary
can be found as:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/unz50p1.exe
Sources for the unzip program can be found as:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/unz50p1.zip
For binaries for other machines, see the file:
wuarchive.wustl.edu:/systems/hp/hp48/Posting/README
Once you have a copy of the "ship" and "unzip" programs, you use
"ship" to convert the ship-encoded file into a .ZIP file, and you
use the "unzip" program to extract the HP 48 files from the .ZIP
file.
******************************************************************
5.6 What is \->ASC or ASC\-> and where can I get it?
These functions were written by William Wickes to facilitate
transferring HP 48 binary objects in an ASCII format (useful when
transferring objects via electronic mail or bulletin boards). Some
HP 48 objects, like libraries, cannot normally be converted into
ASCII, unlike program objects, and these functions make it possible to
do so.
The \->ASC function converts the object in level 1 into an ASCII
string, which can then be uploaded to a computer for mailing.
The ASC\-> function converts the string object in level 1 back into an
object. A checksum is used to ensure that the decoding is correct.
A copy of these programs are given in Appendix A, near the end of this
file.
******************************************************************
5.7 What is the HYDE library, and how do I get rid of it?
The HYDE library is a library that changes the messages on your HP48.
It works on all versions of the HP48 and is available on Goodies Disc #2.
The program (HYDE.TXT) is in the DNICKEL directory needs to be converted
with ASC->. The instructions (HYDE.DOC) for the program are in the HORN2
directory. The library is 3679.5 bytes, small enough to keep on your HP48
so you can install it on a friend's when he/she is not looking. :-)
Here are a few examples of the changed messages:
Invalid Syntax => Makes no sense to me!
____ Error: ____ foul-up:
Too few arguements => Gimme some args, man!
Empty Stack => The well has run dry!
Awaiting server Command => So tell me what to do.
Connecting => Anybody out there?
To install the library:
1. Download the library to your HP48
2. Go to HOME.
3. Recall the library to the stack and purge the download variable.
4. Press 0, the STO.
5. Put :0:998 on the stack.
6. Type ATTACH
7. Turn your HP48 off, then back on.
8. Push Right-shift then the Library button.
9. Press STRA.
10. Press HYDE.
Getting rid of the HYDE library can be fun. Here's how to do it:
1. Go the HOME directory.
2. Press left-shift (orange) LIBRARY. The calculator is now
displaying a menu of libraries attached to the HOME directory.
3. Press the menu key that says "STRA". You are now accessing the
HYDE library.
4. Press the menu key that says "JEKY". You have now disabled the
HYDE library and restored the old (standard) set of messages.
5. Make sure that a pointer to the library is not on the stack. The
easiest way to do this is to clear the stack using CLR.
6. Detach the library using:
:0:998 DETACH
7. Purge the library using:
:0:998 PURGE
When you execute the PURGE, the screen will "jump" or "be messed
up" for a brief moment. Don't worry about it -- it doesn't
hurt.
******************************************************************
5.8 What is the Minehunt game, and how do I use it?
The Minehunt game is a game built in to the G/GX, and included on
the HP EQ library card.
GX: It is located in the UTILS menu of the left-shift(purple) EQ LIB menu.
(Left-Shift {EQ LIB], {UTILS}, {MINEHUNT}). See page 25-14 of the
manual for a game explanation and picture.
SX: It is located in the UTILS library.
You can save a game by pressing the STO button. This creates a variable
with the name MHpar. If you are in the directory containing that
variable, you will resume your old game when you run MINEHUNT.
To select the number of mines for your next game just store a number
in a variable, Nmines (it's case sensitive), and you'll get that
many mines. If you store a negative number, you'll get the absolute
value of that many mines, AND all mines will be visible.
You can also move diagonally if you use the numbers as arrows:
1 is down+left, 2 is down, 3 is down+right, 4 is left, 6 is right,
7 is up+left, 8 is up, and 9 is up+right.
******************************************************************
VI. Questions about programming and advanced user functions
******************************************************************
6.1 I've heard the names "RPL", "Saturn", "STAR", "Voyager", "GL", etc..
What do they mean?
ASAP
This is a simple Saturn assembler, written in the Perl language.
Chip8, Chip48, Schip, Schip8
This is a machine-code program that was inspired by the chip8
video game interpreter for the RCA CDP1802 microprocessor
several years back. Chip8 allows you to write a simple
graphics-based video game for the HP 48SX. Among the games
written are "clones" of breakout, pacman, and pong, to name a
few (about half?).
Chip48, Schip and Schip8 are two different names for an enhanced
version of chip8 specifically designed for the HP 48SX. People
have written programs to assemble Schip assembly language into a
form directly usable by Schip on an HP 48. Schip interpreters are
available for both G and S series.
HYDE
This is the "HYDE" library, whose only purpose is to change the
error messages in the HP 48SX to make it "user unfriendly".
GL
GL (Game Language) is a language for the programmer who wants
almost the speed of assembly, but who doesn't want to spend a lot
of time and effort to learn all the tricks of assembly programming
on the HP48. GL has an assembly-like syntax, and there is an
assembler for PC and one for the HP48 itself. Since GL is an
interpreter, the GL library (3 KB in size) must be installed on the
HP48 to run GL programs. The instruction set is powerful, with
sprites and pixel based graphics, scrolling, sound, keyboard
control, and more. There are 256 1-byte registers which can be used
in pairs as 2-byte words. A GL program can be up to 64 KB in size.
GL was inspired by S-CHIP, but it is much better in all aspects. It
is suitable for many applications, not only games, that require
high speed. Of course it works on both the HP48S/SX and the G/GX.
GL is written by Erik Bryntse.
ML
Machine Language. This is usually used in reference to HP 48
assembly language programming.
MLDL
Machine Language Development Library. This is a library that
allows you to debug machine language programs with only an HP
48.
PDL
"Program Development Link". This is an MSDOS program, sold by
Hewlett-Packard, that allows you to write and develop HP 48
applications from your IBM PC clone. Programs are written on
your PC, transferred to the HP 48, and tested from your *PC*
(and *not* the HP 48).
RPL
RPL is the name of the language used to program the HP 48 and
HP-28 series calculators. RPL stands for "Reverse Polish Lisp".
It's interesting to note that an HP Journal article incorrectly
described RPL as "ROM-based Procedural Language".
SASS
SASS is a simple Saturn assembler, written in C/yacc (BSD Unix &
Bison). It uses Alonzo Gariepy's mnemonics.
Saturn
"Saturn" is the internal code name for the processor used in the
HP 48, HP-28 series, and many other calculators (just about all
HP calculators since the HP 18/28 series).
STAR
This is the "Saturn Macro Assembler" (how "STAR" comes from
this, I don't know), an assembler that mostly uses Alonzo
Gariepy's mnemonics. It's written in C and runs on many
different machines (PCs, Amigas, Unices, etc.). STAR is
available via anonymous ftp from ftp.ai.mit.edu in
"/pub/star-1.04.4.tar.Z". [Note: Rumor has it that this is
no longer available at this site. If you know of a more
recent site, email the maintainer please.] It's also
available from various bulletin boards (the HP handhelds
forum on CompuServe also has a copy). The latest version
is "1.04.4".
SWING
SWING is a library program that displays a graphical tree
structure of the directory hierarchy in your HP 48SX, and allows
you to move from directory to directory using the arrow keys (it
is supposedly based upon an old PD VMS utility).
System RPL
This is the name for the custom "operating system/language" used
to program the CPU used in the HP 48 calculator. System RPL
is a superset of the normal user RPL commands; in addition to
the normal, user-accessible RPL commands, system RPL includes
many lower-level functions. System RPL is a language one step
higher than assembly language.
HP has released a system development toolkit (for the IBM PC)
containing a system RPL compiler, assembler, and loader,
complete with a couple hundred pages of documentation. This
toolkit, while copyrighted, is, for the most part, freely
copyable. If you can find a BBS or archive site that has it,
you can download all of the system RPL files and documentation.
The HP development toolkit only runs on the MS-DOS operating
system. Alex Ramos has written a portable system RPL compiler
which runs primarily on Unix systems, and can emulate most of the
features available on the HP kit. The program is called RPL#+ (in
an analogy to 'C++'). RPL#+ is available from Ramos's email
server: send a message to ramos@engr.latech.edu with a Subject
line that reads:
"send hp48/rpp199c.zip"
without the quotes, and a daemon program will reply.
The program currently runs fine on Sun/OS 4.x, but bugs have been
reported on other systems, including Linux (bugfixes welcome).
USRLIB
USRLIB is a program that takes the contents of an HP 48
directory and turns it into a library object. It currently runs
under MSDOS.
Voyager
Voyager is an "interactive disassembler" for IBM PC clones that
disassembles HP 48SX RPL and machine code. You download a copy
of the RAM *and* ROM in your HP 48SX to your PC, and run
Voyager. Using Voyager, you can then view the disassembled or
unthreaded code. Unfortunately (or fortunately), Voyager uses
the HP mnemonics, and not Alonzo Gariepy's mnemonics. Voyager
is available from the HP BBS (I think), via anonymous ftp from
the HP BBS (hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com [15.255.72.16]), and from various
bulletin boards (the HP handhelds forum in CompuServe also has a
copy). The latest version is "1.07".
******************************************************************
6.2 Is there a C compiler for the HP48?
Yes. Alex Ramos has written a GNU C back-end for the Saturn
processor. Location: ftp.engr.latech.edu:/pub/alex/hp48/ (look
around for latest version).
******************************************************************
6.3 Why do SysRPL programs run faster than UserRPL programs?
SysRPL is the built in language, custom designed for the Saturn
processor used the HP48 family. UserRPL is a "subset" of SysRPL. The
main reason for the speed difference is the fact that UserRPL commands
have built in argument and error checking. In SysRPL, the programmer
is responsible for all error checking to avoid memory clears.
******************************************************************
6.4 How do I know what library ID number to use for my program?
[Note: While this document says 48SX, it is also valid for GX]
HP 48SX Library ID Numbers
Paul Swadener, HP Developer Support.
03 Sep 1993
The HP 48 will become confused if two or more libraries currently in
the machine have the same ID numbers. To help third party developer
efforts, HP maintains a list of HP 48 Allocated Library ID Numbers.
Below are the "rules." The penalty suffered from not following these
rules is that your library may not work if another library is in the
machine with the same number.
a. Don't use any number in the range 000h through 300h. These are
reserved for HP's use.
b. Don't use any number in the range 301h through 5A0h unless you have
been assigned that number by HP. These numbers are reserved for
developers who are in the business of distributing their software,
that is, Independent Software Developers.
To apply for the allocation of an ID# contact Paul Swadener,
Hewlett-Packard Company, 1000 NE Circle Blvd., Corvallis, OR 97330,
fax number 503-750-2192, internet address
paul_swadener@hp6400.desk.hp.com. You must be a registered
developer and supply the name/nature of your product, and current
shipping address and phone/fax/internet add./etc.
c. Use a number in the range 5A1h through 600h for experimental work
and software. HP does not track the use of these numbers.
d. Use a number in the range 601h through 6F6h for your personal
applications, those which you will share, if at all, only to a
known set of other users for personal uses. HP does not track the
use of these numbers.
e. Don't use any number in the range 6F7 through 6FF, as these numbers
were allocated before the formal allocation process in b. was
instituted.
f. Don't use any number above 700h. These are also reserved for use by
HP.
Hope this helps clear up how library numbers work.
----- end -----
******************************************************************
6.5 What information is there on the internals of the HP 48?
The most important documents are part of the "System RPL" development
tools, a completely unsupported set of IBM PC tools created by HP
Corvallis (the creators of the HP 48). The tools, which run on
MSDOS machines only, contain documentation on:
* System RPL (which includes information on HP 48SX display
graphics, keyboard control, etc.).
* Saturn assembly language ("Saturn" is the name of the CPU in
the HP 48), including information on a Saturn assembler.
* A system RPL compiler.
* A Saturn object file linker.
The completely unsupported system RPL development tools and
documentation are available to customers free of charge to help them
in HP 48 application development, subject to certain legal terms,
which are given with the tools (they're too long and detailed to
give here).
You can get a copy in one of the following ways:
* Anonymous ftp to hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com [15.255.72.16].
* Get Goodies Disk #4. For info, see Appendix I.
******************************************************************
6.6 Are there any viruses for the HP48?
There are several, and most are French. In the United States, a
virus called the "Michigan virus" erupted a couple of years ago.
There is a program on Goodies Disk #8 that checks for the Michigan
Virus. Currently, viruses do not pose an appreciable threat on HP48's
******************************************************************
6.7 How do I store fields of variable length string data in a compact,
rapidly accessible manner that does not require the overhead of
storing strings in lists?
See Appendix E, "Compact Data Storage", near the end of this file.
******************************************************************
6.8 What is "Vectored Enter", and how do I use it?
[NOTE: This works in the G/GX series as well]
From: billw@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM (William C Wickes)
The HP 48SX manuals do not document a very powerful feature that we call
"Vectored ENTER," that allows you in effect to redefine or bypass the
command line parser and to have a shot at the stack etc. after the command
line has been executed.
Keys that execute an automatic ENTER perform a two-step process:
1. The command line is parsed and evaluated.
2. The key definition is executed.
When flags -62 and -63 are both set, the system extends this process as
follows:
1. The current path is searched for a global variable named *aENTER
(here "*a" is the Greek alpha character--character 140). If present,
the command line is entered as a string object and *aENTER is
executed. If absent, the command line is parsed and evaluated
normally.
2. The key definition is executed.
3. The current path is searched for a global variable named *bENTER
("*b" is Greek beta--character 223).
If present, then a string representing the key definition is put on the
stack, and *bENTER is executed. The string is the key definition
object's name if it is a command, XLIB name, global or local name, or
an empty string for other object types; its primary purpose is to implement
things like the TRACE mode on other calcs, where you can print a running
record of what you do.
A simple example of the use of *aENTER is to create a more convenient
binary calculator, where *aENTER slaps a "#" on the front of the command
line so you don't have to bother when entering numbers.
******************************************************************
6.9 What is "WSLOG"?
It is an undocumented feature which stands for "Warm Start LOG".
Type in WSLOG in caps, and calc will list the time and cause of the
last four warm starts. This feature helps HP tech to fix your baby,
in case it crashes.
0 - log cleared by then
1 - low battery condition, auto deep sleep mode invoked to save battery
2 - hardware failed during IR (time out)
3 - run through address 0
4 - system time corrupt
5 - deep sleep mode wake up (alarm?)
6 - unused
7 - CMOS test word in ram was corrupted
8 - abnormality was detected about device config
9 - corrupt alarm list
A - unused
B - card module pulled
C - hardware reset
D - system RPL error handler not found in run stream
E - corrupt config table
F - system RAM card pulled
******************************************************************
6.10 What are SYSEVALs?
SYSEVALs are addresses that point directly to a location in the HP48's
ROM. Many SYSEVAL hex strings are System-RPL commands. Because there is
no arguement checking, it *VERY* easy to clear your HP48's memory.
In the file SYMBOLS.GX, HP designates three types of entries. The first
type is "supported." This means that a particular entry will work on ALL
versions of the HP48 and HP supports the use of this entry.
The second type of entry is "unsupported." This means that HP does not
support the use of this entry and it will not be the same on all versions
of the HP48.
The third type is "unsupported-static." This is an entry to HP does not
support the use of, but it is the same for all versions.
******************************************************************
6.11 What are some useful SYSEVALs?
For a complete list of supported entry points, see the file
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/48entry.txt
In System-RPL, different HP object types are refered to by symbols.
These symbols are used to construct stack diagrams, which tell the
user how to use System-RPL commands. Here are some of the symbols:
Symbol Type Example
------ -------------------- -----------------
$ string "ABCDEFG"
id Global Name 'A'
arry Array [[ 1 2 ] [ 3 4 ]]
grob HP48 Graphics Object Graphic 131x64
# Binary Number <1h>
symb Symbolic Object 'A^2+B^2'
To interpret the stack diagram:
Everything on the left of the -> arrow is the input. That needs
to be on the stack before executing the syseval. The symbols
show you which kinds of data to put on the stack. Once you
execute the syseval (see next paragraph), the HP will return
the data back that is indicated on the right side of the arrow.
To use the following entries, do the following:
1. Make sure (triple check) that the appropriate arguements are
on the stack.
2. Push Left-shift /, you should get a # on the command line.
3. Enter the hex string exactly as shown in the hex string column.
4. Put an small case h at the end of the hex string.
5. Press enter.
6. Type SYSEVAL.
Hex String Sys-RPL Name Catergory Stack Diagram
---------- ------------ --------- -------------
15777 NULLID Supported ( -> '' )
30794 VERSTRING " ( -> "HPHP48-?" )
3A328 MakeStdLabel " ( $ -> grob )
3A3EC MakeDirLabel " "
3A38A MakeBoxLabel " "
3A44E MakeInvLabel " "
3A1FC DispMenu.1 " ( -> )
05F42 GARBAGE " ( -> )
41F65 WaitForKey " ( -> #KeyCode #Plane )
353AB SYMB>IDS Unsupported-static ( symb -> list )
40D25 LockAlpha Supported ( -> )
40D39 UnlockAlpha " "
3AA0A 1A/LockA " "
44C31 DoNewMatrix " ( -> arry )
44FE7 DoOldMatrix " ( arry -> arry' T/F )
1314D TOADISP " ( -> )
13135 TOGDISP " "
39531 ClrDA1IsStat " "
130AC RECLAIMDISP " "
4E347 TURNMENUON " "
05B15 $>ID " ( $ -> id )
05BE9 ID>$ " ( id -> $ )
3A1E8 DispMenu " ( -> )
39BAD DispStack Unsupported-static "
******************************************************************
6.12 What are LIBEVALs?
[This answer was copied from Joe Horn's "libeval.doc" from GD #9]
The G/GX has a new command: LIBEVAL. It's sort of like SYSEVAL, but
instead of taking a memory address (which could be ambiguous due to
the G/GX's massive need for bank switching), it takes XLIB numbers.
It's a "back door" for us hackers. Unlike the ELSYSEVAL command in
the HP Solve Equations Library Card, which only worked for the
libraries in that card, LIBEVAL works for *any* library, including the
hidden ones in the operating system.
CAUTION: LIBEVAL, like SYSEVAL, is both powerful and
dangerous. If used with incorrect input(s) and/or in
the wrong environment, it can nuke your memory.
LIBEVAL takes a single user binary integer of the form #LLLFFFh, where
LLL is the library ID (hex), and FFF is the three-digit function
number (hex, with leading zeros if necessary).
For example, the R->B command is XLIB 2 9. So you can perform a R->B
by executing #2009h LIBEVAL. Try it: 10 #2009h LIBEVAL -> #Ah.
Using it for named commands is unnecessary, but the G/GX is highly
XLIB oriented (again, due to the need for bank switching), and there
are many useful and interesting features accessible only thru LIBEVAL.
A prime example is the G/GX's inability to programmatically launch the
new "dialog boxes". Suppose a program needs to print things; it would
be awfully nice to be able to throw the I/O PRINT dialog box onto the
screen. The User's Guide is no help here, and in fact it would seem
impossible to do. But #B4197 LIBEVAL is all it takes! Try it. Cool,
huh?
******************************************************************
6.13 What are some useful LIBEVALs? (GX)
Function GX
-----------------------------------------------------+----------
|
Creates an XLIB name from two bints | #7E50h
Displays message box with grob | #B1000h
CMD last command window | #B2000h
CHARS application | #B2001h
MODES application input form | #B41C1h
flag browser (returns t/f to level 1, just drop it) | #B41CFh
MEMORY application (aka variable browser) | #B41D7h
SOLVE application choose box | #B4000h
solve equation input form | #B4001h
solve difeq input form | #B4017h
solve polynomial input form | #B402Ch
solve linear systems of equations input form | #B4033h
solve TVM input form | #B4038h
PLOT input form | #B4045h
SYMBOLIC application choose box | #B4113h
integrate input form | #B4114h
differentiate input form | #B4122h
Taylor polynomial expansion input form | #B412Bh
Isolate a variable input form | #B412Dh
solve quadratic input form | #B4130h
manipulate expression input form | #B4131h
TIME application choose box | #B4137h
Set alarm input form | #B4138h
Set time and date input form | #B415Bh
Alarm browser (aka alarm catalog) | #B416Eh
STAT application choose box | #B4175h
single-var stat input form | #B4176h
frequencies input form | #B417Dh
fit data input form | #B417Fh
summary stat input form | #B418Fh
I/O application choose box | #B4192h
Send to HP48 input form | #B4193h
Print input form | #B4197h
Transfer input form | #B41A8h
Get from HP48 (immediate) | #B50FFh
recalls the contents of the reserve variable Mpar | #E4012h
******************************************************************
6.14 What is the format of a GROB object?
[NOTE: I received two very good answers to this question, and each
cater to a different kind of user, so I will include them both.]
ANSWER A: The "easy" way:
-------------------------------------------------
First, add pixels to the right-hand edge to make the horizontal dimension a
multiple of 8, then separate the object horizontally into groups of four
pixels. Suppose, for example, you want to make this into a 22x8 GROB:
---------****---------
--------**--**--------
-------**----**-------
********------********
********------********
-------**----**-------
--------**--**--------
---------****---------
You would break it up like this:
---- ---- -*** *--- ---- ----
---- ---- **-- **-- ---- ----
---- ---* *--- -**- ---- ----
**** **** ---- --** **** **--
**** **** ---- --** **** **--
---- ---* *--- -**- ---- ----
---- ---- **-- **-- ---- ----
---- ---- -*** *--- ---- ----
Notice, I've added two columns of pixels to make it 24x8. Now, each group of
four can be represented by a hexadecimal digit.
---- 0 --*- 4 ---* 8 --** C
*--- 1 *-*- 5 *--* 9 *-** D
-*-- 2 -**- 6 -*-* A -*** E
**-- 3 ***- 7 **-* B **** F
Now, replace each group of four pixels with its corresponding hexadecimal
digit: 00E100 003300 081600 FF0CF3 FF0CF3 081600 003300 00E100.
So, your final grob is:
GROB 22 8 00E100003300081600FF0CF3FF0CF308160000330000E100
-------------------------------------------------
ANSWER B: The "technical" way:
-------------------------------------------------
NOTE 1: Every HP object format is described in RPLMAN.DOC, see this
file for more info.
NOTE 2: All HP objects are (of course) nibble based. When viewing them
on the PC, which is byte based, the low order nib is always read
and written first.
NOTE 3: HP objects begin with a 5 nib prolog which identifies the object
type (and other things). This is the prolog for a grob object..
02B1E pr HP:DOGROB
02B1E @ Graphic prolog (/U GROB)
NOTE 4: Every 5 nib sub field of an object, such as prolog, length, etc.,
is read in reverse order (low nib first). The grob prolog would
appear E1B20, or 1E 2B x0 in a hex dump on a PC. The least
significant nibble of the next field begins right at the x in x0.
NOTE 5: It is customary to always work with HP objects on the PC with the
HPHP48-E header (substitute your favorite rom version letter)
preceding the prolog. This gives no hassles when downloading
via Kermit or Xmodem.
PC hex dump of a grob object.. ( remember each 5 nib field is reverse order )
1_ "HPHP48-E" 8 byte ascii string with msb off
2_ 5 nib prolog, 02B1E (hex)
3_ 5 nib length field, includes length of body AND length and height fields!
does not include 5 nib prolog. So, the total #nibs the grob object
takes in HP memory is this number + 5. Important!
4_ 5 nib height field ( yes, it is height then width )
5_ 5 nib width field
6_ body (described below)
The grob object looking at it using command line EDIT on the HP..
GROB < body >
The body is exactly the same looking at it on a PC hex dump or on the
command line EDIT. Just remember to read low nibble first for hex dump.
The grob body
-------------
Because of hardware restrictions, the number of nibs required to represent
one horizontal line must be even (byte aligned). So, use this method
to calculate the number of nibs in one line.. (pascal example)
nibs:= width div 4;
if nibs mod 4 <> 0 then nibs:= nibs + 1;
if odd(nibs) then nibs:= nibs + 1;
Then to get the #nibs in the entire body, multiply it by height.
! Remember, the length field must be this total body length + 15 !
For example, a 131 wide grob requires 34 nibs for one horizontal line,
where 5 of the bits are unused. The first nib in the second line begins
at nib 35 for this grob, etc.
If the grob is 64 lines, then the body is 2176 nibs.
Add 5 for the prolog, 5 for the length field, 5 for height, and 5 for width.
Total object size (on the HP) is 2196 nibs, or 1098 bytes.
The length field should contain 2196 minus 5 for prolog = 2191 (0088F hex)
Note that for each nib, the right-most bit is the left-most pixel on the
screen. This is nearly always the case for graphic memory.
******************************************************************
END PART 2 OF 4
Archive-name: hp/hp48-faq/part3
Last-modified: 12/12/94
Version: 3.01
Posting-Freqency: every 14 days or so
*********************************************************
HP 48 S/SX/G/GX Frequently Asked Questions List
*********************************************************
PART 3 of 4: Appendices A - H
Currently Maintained by: Keith Maddock (madd0118@nova.gmi.edu)
Originally Compiled by: Darryl Okahata
Key: ! =new Q/A + =revised answer
PART 3:
* Appendix A: ASC\-> and \->ASC functions:
* Appendix B: Using non-HP RAM cards in your HP 48SX:
+ * Appendix C: What's new in the HP 48G/GX
* Appendix D: The EquationWriter Bug & Rev J Bugfix
* Appendix E: Compact Data Storage:
* Appendix F: Various useful functions
* Appendix G: Rotation rate to angular frequency conversion bug
! * Appendix H: How to make a Serial Cable for your HP48
******************************************************************
* Appendix A: ASC\-> and \->ASC functions:
Note: Since this appendix was written by Bill, I dare not modify it.
However, I wish to note that ASC\-> and \-ASC do work on both the SX and
GX versions.
>From: billw@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM (William C Wickes)
ASCII Encoding HP 48SX Objects
Sending an HP 48SX object via electronic mail can be difficult if the
object does not have an ASCII form, such as is the case for library
objects. There are various encoding schemes available on different
computer systems, but these require that the sender and receiver have
similar computers, or at least compatible encode/decode schemes. The
programs listed below perform the encoding and decoding on the HP 48SX itself,
which has the advantage of being completely independent of any computer.
The programs are nominally called \->ASC and ASC\->. The former takes an
object from the stack and converts it to a string, in which each nibble of the
object and its checksum is converted to a character 0-9 or A-F. (The object
must be in RAM, otherwise a "ROM Object" error is returned.) For sake of easy
inclusion in email letters, the string is broken up by linefeed characters
after every 64 characters.
ASC\-> is the inverse of \->ASC: it takes a string created by \->ASC and
converts it back into an object. When you transmit the encoded strings,
be sure not to change the string; ASC\-> uses the checksum encoded in the
string to verify that the decoding is correct. An "Invalid String" error
is returned if the result object does not match the original object
encoded by \->ASC. When you upload a string to your computer, use HP 48
translate mode 3 so that the HP 48 will convert any CR/LF's back to LF's
when the string is later downloaded.
Two versions of ASC\-> are included here. The first (P1) is in HP 48 user
language, using SYSEVALs to execute system objects. P2 is a
string that the setup program uses P1 to decode into an executable
ASC\->--then P1 is discarded. The second version is more
compact than the first, and also uneditable and therefore safer (but it can't
be transmitted in ASCII form, which helps to make the point of this exercise).
Here are the programs, contained in a directory:
(start)
%%HP: T(3)A(D)F(.);
DIR
P1 @ ASC\-> Version 1.
\<<
IF DUP TYPE 2 \=/
THEN "Not A String" DOERR
END RCWS \-> ws
\<< 16 STWS
#0 NEWOB SWAP DUP SIZE
IF DUP 4 <
THEN DROP SWAP DROP "Invalid String" DOERR
END
DUP 65 / IP - 4 - # 18CEAh SYSEVAL
"" OVER # 61C1Ch SYSEVAL
SWAP # 6641F8000AF02DCCh
# 130480679BF8CC0h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 19610313418D7EA4h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 7134147114103123h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 5F6A971131607414h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 12EA1717EA3F130Ch # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 280826B3012808F4h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 6B7028080BEE9091h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# BE5DC1710610C512h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 705D00003431A078h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 3D8FA26058961431h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 312B0514h # 518Ah SYSEVAL
# 18F23h SYSEVAL
DUP BYTES DROP 4 ROLL
IF ==
THEN SWAP DROP
ELSE DROP "Invalid String" DOERR
END ws STWS
\>>
\>>
P2 @ ASC\-> Version 2. To be converted by ASC\-> version 1.
"D9D20D29512BF81D0040D9D20E4A209000000007566074726636508813011920
140007FE30B9F060ED3071040CA1304EC3039916D9D2085230B9F06C2A201200
094E66716C696460235472796E676933A1B21300ED30FD5502C230C1C1632230
CCD20FA0008F14660CC8FB97608403104AE7D814313016913213014117414317
414706131179A6F5C031F3AE7171AE214F8082103B6280821909EEB0808207B6
215C0160171CD5EB870A13430000D50713416985062AF8D341508813044950B9
F06BBF06EFC36B9F0644230C2A201200094E66716C696460235472796E676933
A1B2130B21300373"
P3 @\->ASC. To be converted by ASC\->.
"D9D20D2951881304495032230FD5502C230A752688130ADB467FE30322306AC3
0CB916E0E30CBD30F6E30C1C1632230CCD20DC0008F14660CC8FB97608403104
AE7D8143130169174147061741431311534AC6B4415141534946908D9B026155
4A6F53131F3AE731A014C161AE215F08082103A6280821939EEC08082170A621
4C161170CD56B870A18503430000D5071351796A9F8D2D02639916D9D2085230
C2A209100025F4D402F426A6563647933A1B2130A2116B213033C0"
SETUP @Automatic setup program
\<< P2 P1 'ASC\->' STO
P3 ASC\-> '\->ASC' STO
{ P1 P2 P3 SETUP } PURGE
\>>
END
(end)
Installation instructions:
1. Edit the above text between (start) and (end) into a text file
named CONV (for example). Be sure that you leave the strings
exactly as entered above, with no extra spaces or other
invisible characters at the beginnings or ends of the lines.
2. Set the HP 48SX into ASCII transfer mode.
3. Using Kermit, download CONV text file to the 48, verify its
checksum (6C8Ah).
4. Execute CONV to make it the current directory.
5. Execute SETUP.
6. The directory CONV now contains ASC\-> and \->ASC, ready to
use.
To archive the decoded versions of ASC\-> and \->ASC back on your computer,
be sure to set the HP 48SX in binary transfer mode before uploading.
Disclaimers:
+ Use the programs at your own risk. Any time you delve into the SYSEVAL
world, there are increased dangers. Archive your 48 memory before
experimenting with these programs! Also, verify the checksums of objects
defined above to make sure they have been downloaded correctly, before
executing ASC\->.
+ I will not answer questions about how the programs work. This is not
because of any great secrecy, but rather because it's hard to give
any answer that doesn't lead to more questions, and more, and more...
+ 48 hackers are welcome to mine any nuggets they can from the programs,
and from the fact that \->ASC is a convenient way to decompile an object.
******************************************************************
* Appendix B: Using non-HP RAM cards in your HP 48SX:
If you use RAM cards that are NOT designed for the HP 48SX, it is
possible to severely damage your HP 48SX. If you want to be safe, you
should only use RAM cards designed for the HP 48SX.
Here is an edited discussion from comp.sys.handhelds.
From steveh@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM Fri Mar 1 17:00:00 1991
From: steveh@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM (Steve Harper)
Date: Thu, 10 May 1990 22:46:09 GMT
Subject: RE: HP48SX Memory Card Pricing
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
There has been a substantial amount of comment regarding the
memory cards for the HP48SX and their prices. My purpose in this
response is not to attempt to justify any particular price, but
rather to present the technical reasons why there is a
substantial price difference between the memory cards and other
types of expansion memory for PC's, for example, with which users
are probably more familiar.
Some users have correctly pointed out that the memory in the
cards is static RAM rather than dynamic RAM commonly used in
PC's. Dynamic RAM uses one transistor and a capacitor for each
bit of memory whereas static RAM requires either four transistors
and two resistors, or six transistors. The net result is that an
equivalent amount of static RAM is much larger and therefore much
more expensive than dynamic RAM. The advantage is that static
RAM doesn't need to continually be running and drawing current
(refresh cycles) to retain the contents of memory.
In addition, the static memory used in the cards is not just any
static memory, but is specially processed and/or selected for
very low standby current. This allows the backup battery in the
card to keep memory alive for a very long time, rather than
requiring the user to replace it every few months. The special
processing and/or special testing to select low current parts
adds to the already higher cost of the static RAM chips.
The standard molded plastic DIP package used for most integrated
circuits, including memory chips, is relatively inexpensive
because of its simplicity and the huge volumes. Unfortunately,
these packages are too large to put into a memory card.
Therefore, the card manufacturer mounts the individual silicon
memory chips directly on a special thin PC board together with
the memory support chips. Because multiple chips are being
placed in a single hybrid package in a special process which has
lower volume, yields are lower and this again causes the cost to
be higher. Indeed, the yield becomes exponentially worse as the
number of chips and interconnections increases in such a
packaging process.
In addition to the memory chips themselves, two more integrated
circuits and several discrete components are required for power
and logic control. A bipolar technology chip senses the external
voltage and switches the power to the chips from the internal
keep-alive battery as needed. A CMOS gate array chip protects
the memory address and data lines from glitches/ESD when the card
is not plugged in. This chip also generates the proper enabling
signals when there are multiple memory chips in the card, as is
presently the case with the 128 Kbyte RAM card. These chips must
be designed for extremely low current, just as the memory chips
are.
In addition to the battery and the battery holder, the other
mechanical parts are important, too. The molded plastic frame
holds the PC board and provides the foundation for the metal
overlays and the shutter-and-springs assembly which protects the
contacts from ESD and from contaminants. The write-protect
switch is also an important feature. It is quite expensive for
the manufacturer to make the tools necessary to fabricate each of
these parts as well as the tools to assemble and test the
complete card. While the volume of memory cards is relatively
low this tooling cost represents a significant part of the cost
of each card.
Admittedly, there are other alternatives, such as those presently
used in PC's, to provide a memory expansion capability. To
provide that kind of expansion would require the calculator to be
much larger than it is and possibly more expensive. This is
clearly very undesirable.
Other features that were felt to be essential were the ability to
distribute software applications and to share and archive/backup
user-created programs and data. Other expansion alternatives do
not provide these important benefits. The IO capabilities of the
calculator provide these features only to a limited degree.
One other item bears repeating here: Memory cards for use in the
calculator will clearly indicate that they are for use with the
HP48SX. Other memory cards exist which are mechanically
compatible with the HP48S, but these cards cannot be relied upon
to work electrically in the calculator. The HP48SX cards are
designed for a lower supply voltage range. Use of the other
cards may cause memory loss, and under certain circumstances may
even damage your calculator electrically.
From steveh@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM Fri Mar 1 17:00:00 1991
From: steveh@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM (Steve Harper)
Date: Fri, 11 May 1990 16:52:07 GMT
Subject: Re: Memory Card: Give Us *True* Facts!
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
My previous statement that under certain circumstances the
calculator may even be damaged electrically is not a ploy.
If the calculator's internal power supply voltage happens to
be near the low end of the range, say 4.1 V, and the voltage
at which the card's voltage control chip shuts it down
happens to be near the high end of its range, say 4.2 V (this
can and does occasionally occur for the non-HP48SX cards),
then the calculator will start to drive the memory address
lines and the card will still have these clamped to ground
(that's what it does to protect itself when there is not
sufficient system voltage to run). This unfortunate situation
may simply trash your memory, or if the calculator tries
to drive enough of the lines high at the same time, several
hundred milliamps may flow...for awhile that is, until something
gives up... On the other hand, your calculator and a particular
non-HP48SX card may work just fine if those voltages happen
to be at the other end of their ranges. These voltages are
also slightly temperature sensitive. It may work in the
classroom or office and not at the beach, or vice versa.
The voltage trip point of the HP48SX cards has been set
lower (a different voltage control chip) so that this cannot
occur, regardless of part and temperature variations.
One other item was brought to my attention yesterday by
Preston Brown that I should have included in my original
posting here. While most of us recognize that comparing
ram cards to a handful of dynamic ram chips to plug into
your PC is apples and oranges, it may be more interesting
to compare the HP48SX cards with cards for other products,
like the Atari Portfolio, the Poquet, the NEC Ultralite,
etc. I believe you will find that the prices on the
HP48SX cards are not at all out of line.
Steve
"I claim all disclaimers..."
the non-HP48SX cards
From prestonb@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM Fri Mar 1 17:00:00 1991
From: prestonb@hpcvra.CV.HP.COM (Preston Brown)
Date: Thu, 17 May 1990 17:26:53 GMT
Subject: Re: Memory Card: Give Us *True* Facts!
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Co., Corvallis, OR, USA
When the RAM cards detect that voltage is to low to operate they
clamp the address lines to ground. This clamping is done by turning
on the output drivers of a custom chip included on the card. The
clamping current is speced at 2mA min at the Vol output level. Since
the 48 can be trying to drive the line all the way high even more
current is typical. 10mA per fight is not uncommon with totals of
several hundred mAs.
The VDD power supply is regulated at 4.1 - 4.9 with typical
parts at the low end (4.3). The power to the cards is switched
thru a transistor, creating up to a 0.1V drop. Standard Epson
cards have a significant chance of seeing this voltage as
to low and shutting down. We have seen cards do this in the lab.
When it occurs the calculator locks up with VDD pulled down
to about 2.5V and 250mA being drawn from the batteries. This
current drain greatly exceeds the ratings for the power supply
and can damage your calc. The least that will happen is a loss
of memory.
Now, why didn't we regulate VDD higher?
The 48 has two power supplies VDD at 4.3 and VH at 8.5. VH
cannot be regulated higher without exceeding the spec for
our CMOS IC process. VH is used as the + voltage for the I/O.
In order to meet a +3V output level VH must be more then 3.6V
above VDD. (VDD is used as I/O ground). Our power supply
system increase the battery life and reduces the cost greatly
for the wired I/O.
Preston
******************************************************************
* Appendix C: What's new in the HP 48G/GX?
[ The following was taken from a posting by Joe Horn. ]
+--------------------+
| WHAT'S NEW |
| IN THE HP48 G/GX |
+--------------------+
collected & annotated
by Joseph K. Horn
(1) AUTOMATIC LIST PROCESSING
Almost all commands that did not accept list(s) as their arguments
can do so now. Here are just a few examples:
{ 1 2 3 } SF sets flags 1, 2, and 3
{ 1 2 3 } SQ --> { 1 4 9 }
{ 2 4 } 10 / --> { .2 .4 }
10 { 2 4 } / --> { 5 2.5 }
{ 10 12 } { 2 4 } / --> { 5 3 }
{ .1 .2 .5 } ->Q --> { '1/10' '1/5' '1/2' }
{ freq freq ...} { dur dur ... } BEEP can play a song with no
audible hiccup between tones.
Since + has always been used to concatenate lists, a new ADD
function exists to add the elements of two lists, like this:
{ 1 2 3 } { 4 5 6 } ADD returns { 5 7 9 }, whereas
{ 1 2 3 } { 4 5 6 } + returns { 1 2 3 4 5 6 } as it did
before.
The only commands which do not have automatic list processing are:
a. those which never get a Bad Argument Type error (like DUP),
b. meta-object commands (like ROLL),
c. program branch structures (like FOR), and
d. commands that specifically work on lists (like GET).
Sometimes the results are non-obvious, for example:
5 { A B C } STO --> A=5, B=5, C=5
{ 5 6 7 } 'A' STO --> A={ 5 6 7 } (same as on SX)
{ 5 6 7 } { A B C } STO --> A=5, B=6, C=7
List processing is only recursive for ->Q and ->Qpi.
(2) PORTS AND MEMORY
The HP48G, like the 48S, only has 32K RAM. The GX, unlike the SX,
has 128K RAM built-in. Card slot 1 can contain another 128K
(maximum), but card slot 2 can contain up to 4 megabytes of RAM.
Only port 1 can be merged in the GX. Card slot 2, which is
intended for large-capacity RAM cards, is permanently "free", and
is automatically divided up into 128K "ports", each of which
becomes Port 2, Port 3, Port 4, etc. Up to 4 Megabytes can be
plugged into slot 2, which would then become Port 2 through Port
33. (Although the FREE and MERGE commands were kept for HP 48SX
compatibility, GX users will prefer the new FREE1 and MERGE1
commands). Therefore the maximum amount of merged main memory is
256K (unlike the SX which allowed up to 288K) after MERGE1; the
maximum amount of fully online free independent memory is 4224K
after FREE1.
(3) LOCAL VARIABLES.
Variable names prefixed with a <- (backarrow character) are
compiled as local (temporary) variable name objects even if
they're not explicitly after FOR or ->. This allows programs to
share values through local variables, which is much faster than
sharing values through global variables, and they get purged
automatically.
(4) SPEED.
CPU clock speed is double the S/SX's, but throughput is estimated
to be only 40% faster, primarily due to the fact that *all* RAM &
ROM is now bankswitched (on the S/SX only a 32K portion of the ROM
required bank switching), and it still has the same 4-bit bus
bottleneck.
(5) IMPROVED COMMANDS:
AXES can now also specify the spacing of the tick marks.
DEPND can now also specify the initial values and tolerance
for the new DIFFEQ plot type.
REPL and SUB now work on arrays.
(6) HP SOLVE EQUATION LIBRARY CARD COMMANDS:
AMORT, amortization calculations
CONLIB, starts Constants Library catalog
CONST, returns value of a named CONLIB constant
DARCY, calculates Darcy friction factor
EQNLIB, starts Equation Library catalog
F0lambda, calculates black-body power fraction
FANNING, calculates Fanning friction factor
LIBEVAL is a generalized form of the EQ card's ELSYSEVAL; it
executes any XLIB by its library number
MCALC, marks an MSOLVR variable as "not user-defined"
MINEHUNT, starts the "Minehunt" video game
MINIT, initializes Mpar from 'EQ' for MSOLVR
MITM, customizes title & menu of MSOLVR's screen
MROOT, solve for variable(s) in MSOLVR
MSOLVR, shows Multiple Equation Solver menu
MUSER, marks an MSOLVR variable as "user-defined"
SIDENS, density of silicon as function of temperature
SOLVEQN, starts solver for specified EqLib equation(s)
TDELTA, subtracts temperatures like "-" ought to but doesn't
TINC, adds temperatures like "+" ought to but doesn't
TVM, shows the financial calculator (Time Value of Money) menu
TVMBEG, sets payments-at-beginning-of-periods mode
TVMEND, sets payments-at-end-of-periods mode
TVMROOT, solves for a TVM variable
ZFACTOR, calculates gas compressibility factor Z
Note: The EQ Card's Periodic Table and Tetris game are not in the
HP 48G/GX, but the EQ Card can be used in the GX if those
applications are needed. Tetris was not included because no
agreement on royalty was reached. The Periodic Table is
available separately as freeware on HPCVBBS.
(7) NEW ARRAY COMMANDS:
COL+, inserts a column vector into a matrix or a number into a
vector (like INSCOL/PUTCOL in Donnelly's Tool Library)
COL-, deletes a column from a matrix or number from a vector
(identical to DELCOL in Donnelly's Tool Library)
COL->, combines multiple column vectors into a matrix
->COL, breaks a matrix into multiple column vectors
(like repeated GETCOL in Donnelly's Tool Library)
COND, column norm condition number of a square matrix
CSWP, swaps two columns in a matrix
(like EXCOL in Donnelly's Tool Library)
->DIAG, returns vector of major diagonal elements of a matrix
DIAG->, creates matrix with specified diagonal elements
EGV, eigenvalues and right eigenvectors of a square matrix
EGVL, eigenvalues of a square matrix
FFT, discrete Fourier transform
IFFT, inverse discrete Fourier transform
LQ, returns the LQ factorization of a matrix
LSQ, minimum norm least-squares solution to an ill-determined
system of linear equations
LU, returns the Crout LU decomposition of a square matrix
PCOEF, returns polynomial with given roots (inverse of PROOT)
PEVAL, evaluates polynomial at x
PROOT, finds all roots of polynomial (inverse of PCOEF)
QR, returns QR factorization of a matrix
RANK, rank of a rectangular matrix (uses flag -54)
RANM, creates matrix with random elements
RCI, multiplies elements in one row of a matrix by a scalar
RCIJ, does RCI then adds the result to a row
ROW+, inserts a row vector into a matrix or a number into a vector
(like INSROW/PUTROW in Donnelly's Tool Library)
ROW-, deletes a row from a matrix or number from a vector
(identical to DELROW in Donnelly's Tool Library)
ROW->, combines multiple row vectors into a matrix
->ROW, breaks a matrix into multiple row vectors
(like repeated GETROW in Donnelly's Tool Library)
RSWP, swaps two rows in a matrix
(identical to EXROW in Donnelly's Tool Library)
SCHUR, computes the Schur decomposition of a square matrix
SNRM, spectral norm of an array
SRAD, spectral radius of a square matrix
SVD, singular value decomposition of a matrix
SVL, computes the singular values of a matrix
TRACE, sum of diagonal elements of a square matrix
(8) GRAPHICS & PLOTTING COMMANDS:
ANIMATE, displays grobs on the stack sequentially. You can use
the defaults, or specify your own delay between frames
(can be *very* fast), the number of times to repeat the
sequence, and even the pixel coordinates. It's just like
a ROLL REPL loop... except very fast.
Note: Charlie Patton converted 17 seconds of the Apollo
moon-walk video into HP48 GROBs and ran them with
ANIMATE, and it looked very good!
ATICK, specifies tick spacing on plot axes
EYEPT, specifies the eye-point coordinates in a perspective plot
GRIDMAP, selects the new "gridmap" plot type
PARSURFACE, selects the new "parametric surface" plot type
PCONTOUR, selects the new "pcontour" plot type
PICTURE, same as GRAPH command
SLOPEFIELD, selects the new "slopefield" plot type
WIREFRAME, selects the new "wireframe" plot type
XVOL, sets the width of the 3D plotting volume
XXRNG, sets the width of the 3D target mapping range for gridmap
and parametric surface plots
YSLICE, selects the new "yslice" plot type
YVOL, sets the depth of the 3D plotting volume
YYRNG, sets the depth of the 3D target mapping range for gridmap
and parametric surface plots
ZVOL, sets the height of the 3D plotting volume
(9) USER-INTERFACE COMMANDS:
CHOOSE, displays a point-and-click menu "dialog box"
INFORM, formatted multi-line input with named fields (nice!!)
MSGBOX, displays text in a centered box with shadow, then WAITs
NOVAL, placeholder for unspecified values in INFORM argument list
(10) LIST PROCESSING COMMANDS:
ADD, adds lists element-wise (see section #1 above)
DOLIST, evals an object on multiple lists
DOSUBS, evals a program or command taking arguments from a list
ENDSUBS, returns the number of loops the current DOSUBS will do
HEAD, first element in a list or first char in a string
(identical to CAR in Donnelly's Tool Library)
DeltaLIST, list of first finite differences of list objects
SigmaLIST, sum of the elements in a list
PiLIST, product of the elements in a list
NSUB, returns the current list pointer value during a DOSUBS
REVLIST, reverses the order of the objects in a list
(like REVERSE in Donnelly's Tool Library)
SEQ, list of results from repeated execution of an object
(like a FOR/STEP loop but the results go into a list)
SORT, sorts elements in a list into ascending order, or sorts a
list of lists using each list's first element as the key
(can be done with LSORT/QSORT in Donnelly's Tool Library)
STREAM, executes an object on first two elements of a list, then
again on the result and the 3rd element, etc. Allows
easy creation of things similar to SigmaLIST and PiList.
TAIL, returns a decapitated list or string (see HEAD above)
(identical to CDR in Donnelly's Tool Library)
(11) SYSTEM COMMANDS:
CLTEACH, clears the 'EXAMPLES' directory created by TEACH
CYLIN, sets polar/cylindrical coordinate mode
FREE1, like 1 FREE (see section #2 above)
MERGE1, like 1 MERGE (see section #2 above)
PINIT, port initialize, esp. important for 4-Meg RAM card users
RECT, sets rectangular coordinate mode
SPHERE, sets polar/spherical coordinate mode
TEACH, loads the Owner's Manual examples into a dir in HOME
VERSION, returns the operating system ROM version string and a
copyright notice, like this:
2: "Version HP48-R" <-- means version "R"
1: "Copyright HP 1993"
Note: See FAQ answer 2.4 for details about the versions.
XRECV, Xmodem protocol receive (binary mode only)
XSEND, Xmodem protocol send (binary mode only)
(12) MATH COMMANDS:
LININ, tests whether an equation is linear in a given variable
NDIST, normal probability density
PCOV, population covariance of SigmaDAT
PSDEV, population standard deviation of SigmaDAT
PVAR, population variance of SigmaDAT
RKF, solves initial value problem using Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg
RKFERR, change in solution and absolute error using RKF
RKFSTEP, next solution step with given error tolerance using RKF
RRK, solves initial value problem using Rosenbrock & RKF
RRKSTEP, next solution step with given error tolerance using RRK
RSBERR, change in solution and absolute error using Rosenbrock
(13) MENU NUMBERS & KEY CODES.
Many menu numbers have changed, so software that uses # MENU or #
TMENU may not work the same as in the HP 48S/SX. (Specifically,
only menu numbers 0-3, 28, 30, and 42-59 are the same). Likewise,
almost all of the shifted keycodes correspond to new commands and
menus, which programmers must take into account; for example, the
"RAD" key on the S/SX had the keycode 82.2, but it's 21.2 on the
G/GX. The left-shift key, which was orange on the S/SX, is now
purple [officially "lavender"], and the right-shift key which was
blue on the S/SX is now green [officially "teal"] on the G/GX.
Also, the digit-key menus can be activated by both shift keys;
left-shift gives the softkey menus like in the S/SX, but the
right-shift gives the new user-friendly full-screen menus.
The unshifted keys remain identical to the S/SX, except for a
cosmetic color change to match the very dark green of the
calculator case.
(14) MANUALS
The G/GX comes with two manuals, a "Quick Start Guide" for
beginners, and a cost-cutting, slimmer owner's manual called the
"User's Guide" which has only 21 pages about programming, since HP
figures that the huge majority of all 48 owners never program it
anyway. The power users can buy the optional "Advanced Users
Reference Manual" (similar to the S/SX's "Programmer's Reference
Manual") which covers programming and the many commands that are
not mentioned in the User's Guide. There is no "Quick Reference
Guide" like the S/SX came with, although the case still has a
pocket for one. Jim Donnelly has marketed a nice pocket guide,
but it's too wide to fit in the case's pocket. The User's Guide
is not spiral bound, but is made to open fully and last a long
time, since it's not just glued but has sewn signatures like real
books, and is printed on quality paper.
(15) FLAGS
Some previously "unused" flags are now used. They are:
-14 Clear = end-of-period payment mode (for TVM calculations)
Set = beginning-of-period payment mode
-27 Clear = display symbolic complex numbers in coordinate form
e.g. '(X,Y)'
Set = display symbolic complex numbers using 'i'
e.g. 'X+Y*i'
-28 Clear = plot multiple equations like the S/SX does (serially)
Set = plot multiple equations simultaneously
-29 Clear = include axes in plots (like the S/SX does)
Set = omit axes from 2D and statistics plots
-30 is no longer used (it never did anything useful anyhow)
-54 Clear = tiny matrix elements get rounded to zero
Set = leaves matrix elements alone
The default setting of all these flags is Clear (as in the S/SX).
(16) FLAG BROWSER
There is a System Flag browser which shows the flag number, shows
whether it's set or clear, lets you toggle it, and shows in
English what the current setting means.
(17) CHARACTER BROWSER
While programming, if you want to type any character at all, press
CHARS and a screenful of ASCII characters is displayed that you
can browse with the arrow keys, and not only does the screen also
show the ASCII code (NUM value) and even the shortcut keyboard key
sequence (if any) for each character, but if you press ECHO, it'll
be "typed" into your program. There's no need any more for the
alpha keyboard table.
(18) DIRECTORY MAINTENANCE
Press right-shift VAR to launch a Variable Browser which is a
complete memory manager. You can tag multiple objects and copy,
move, or delete them all with a single keystroke; there's even a
Mark All and an Unmark All, like a real computer. It's slow,
however, and has been obsoleted by the very fast PCT library.
(19) FRACTIONAL UNIT POWERS
The S/SX only handled integer powers of units correctly, but the
G/GX can use any real number as a unit power.
(20) NAME PLATE
The case has a rectangular indentation in the back like the HP
95LX and 100LX, and it comes with an adhesive metal nameplate that
you can get engraved with your name. ($5 at EduCALC if ordered at
time of purchase).
(21) XLIB NAMES
All of the new commands in the GX are XLIB names, and therefore
take 5.5 bytes in programs. The commands common to the SX and GX
take 2.5 bytes each, as they did in the SX.
(22) INPUT FORMS and CHOOSE BOXES
Many operations have two menu types: the old SX style, and a new
"drop-down" menu and "input forms" that have the feel of computer
dialog boxes. Especially useful for the HP48 beginner.
(23) ENHANCED PRECISION
The internal precision of at least some of the matrix routines has
been improved; INV gets better answers on square matrices than the
SX did. HP has not released information about which routines were
improved, how, and by how much.
(24) IMPROVED DISPLAY
The LCD introduced with revision M of the G/GX is easier to read
since it has higher contrast between on/off pixels. It has a
slower cycle response time, however, making it difficult to use
for rapid-motion video games or any other rapid animation.
*******************************************************************
* Appendix D: The EquationWriter Bug & Rev J Bugfix
[ The following was taken from a posting by Joe Horn. ]
Rev A-E EquationWriter Bug & Rev J Bugfix
-----------------------------------------
observed by Joe Horn
+------------------+
| Rev E behavior |
+------------------+
Clear flag -53 first (the Precedence Flag).
On a Rev E, put '((1+2)/(3+4))^5' on the stack and press down-arrow.
You'll see:
5
/ 1+2 \
| --- | (A)
\ 3+4 /
which is as it should be. But now press [orange-shift] [+]; see the
message "Implicit () off" momentarily; press [left-arrow] (not
backspace), then press the [EXIT] softkey. The expression gets
mangled into this:
1+2
----------- (B)
(5)
(3+4)
which is not equal to expression (A) above! Bug, yes? Press [ON] to
abort the process.
Now set flag -53, then repeat the above procedure. First you see:
5
/ 1+2 \
| --- | (C)
\ 3+4 /
which is the same as (A) above; but continuing as before, you see:
(5)
/ 1+2 \
| ----- | (D)
\ (3+4) /
which *is* equal to the original. Thus the bug can be worked around
by keeping flag -53 set (not a pleasant solution).
+------------------+
| Rev J behavior |
+------------------+
Major difference: after pressing down-arrow, Rev J goes directly into
graphic mode, so you have to press ON and then EXIT to get into the
equation editor (which Rev E goes directly into). But that's petty
cash compared to the following big change.
The same sequence of operations, first with flag -53 clear, then set,
exactly as detailed above, yields these four displays in a Rev J:
5
/ (1+2) \
| ----- | (A')
\ 3+4 /
(notice the extra parentheses?) and then:
5
/ (1+2) \
| ----- | (B')
\ (3+4) /
which *is* equal to (A'); nothing at all like expression (B) above!
and then:
5
/ (1+2) \
| ----- | (C')
\ 3+4 /
which is the same as (A') above; and then:
5
/ (1+2) \
| ----- | (D')
\ (3+4) /
which is also equal to (A'). No bug in Rev J.
SUMMARY: Rev A-E have a bug in the EquationWriter that can mangle
expressions if flag -53 is clear (the default) and if "Explicit
Parentheses" mode is toggled. This bug has been fixed in Rev J.
Unfortunately (as you can see above) Rev J *always* puts parentheses
around polynomial numerators. It is therefore impossible to use the
->GROB command on a Rev J to create a GROB that looks like expression
(A) above; the simplest that can be had is expression (A').
Another minor change, while I'm at it: Rev A-E don't change the menu
when you press REPL; Rev J automatically flips to the appropriate
RULES menu.
None of these changes are documented anyplace that I'm aware of.
Please post any corrections & additions you find. Thanx.
-Joseph K. Horn- -Peripheral Vision, Ltd.-
akcs.joehorn@hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com
Disclaimer: I don't work for HP, EduCALC, or anybody else.
******************************************************************
* Appendix E: Compact Data Storage:
From Jim Donnelly (jimd@cv.hp.com):
A simple length-encoding technique can be put to use for a
free-format, very compact multi-field data storage system.
Two tiny programs, SUBNUM and STRCON are here to help the
process, and are listed near the end of this note. At the
end of the note is a directory that may be downloaded into
the HP 48 that contains the examples.
The principle is to store starting indices in the beginning
of a string that point to fields stored subsequently in the
string. The indices are stored in field order, with an
additional index at the end to accommodate the last field.
There are several small points worth mentioning:
1) Fields may be 0-length using this technique.
2) The execution time is uniform across all fields.
3) This technique saves about 4 bytes per field after
the first field, because the string prolog and length
are omitted for fields 2 -> n.
EXAMPLE:
--------
Indices | Fields
Character | 1 11111111 12222222222
Position : 1 2 3 4 |567890 12345678 90123456789
+--+--+--+--+------+--------+-----------+
String : | 5|11|19|30|Field1| Field2 | Field 3 |
+--+--+--+--+------+--------+-----------+
This is a string that contains 3 fields, and therefore 4
index entries. The first field begins at character 5, the
second field begins at character 11, and the third field
begins at character 19. To keep the pattern consistent,
notice that the index for field 4 is 30, which is one more
than the length of the 29 character data string.
To extract the second field, place the string on the stack,
use SUBNUM on character 2 to extract the starting position,
use SUBNUM on character 3 to extract the (ending position +1),
subtract 1 from the (ending position+1), then do a SUB to
get the field data. NOTE: The index for field 1 is stored
as character code 5, NOT "5"! To place the field index for
field 1 in the string, you would execute "data" 1 5 CHR REPL.
PROGRAM:
--------
The following program accepts an encoded data string in
level 2 and a field number in level 1:
DECODE "data" field# --> "field"
<< --> f
<<
DUP f SUBNUM ; "data" start -->
OVER f 1 + SUBNUM ; "data" start end+1 -->
1 - ; "data" start end -->
SUB ; "field" -->
>>
>>
DATA ENCODING
-------------
The following program expects a series of 'n' strings on
the stack and encodes them into a data string suitable
for reading by the first example above.
The programs SUBNUM and STRCON are used to assemble the
indices.
ENCODE field n ... field 1 n --> "data"
<< DUP 2 + DUP 1 - STRCON --> n data
<<
1 n
FOR i
data i SUBNUM OVER SIZE ; ... field index fieldsize
+ data SWAP ; ... field "data" index'
i 1 + i + SWAP CHR REPL ; ... field "data"'
SWAP + 'data' STO ; ...
NEXT
data ; "data"
>>
>>
In this example, four strings are encoded:
Input: 5: "String"
4: "Str"
3: "STR"
2: "STRING"
1: 4
Output: "xxxxxSTRINGSTRStrString" (23 character string)
(The first five characters have codes 6, 12, 15, 18, and 24)
VARIATION:
----------
The technique above has a practical limit of storing
up to 254 characters of data in a string. To overcome
this, just allocate two bytes for each field position.
The code to extract the starting index for becomes a
little more busy. In this case, the index is stored as
two characters in hex.
Indices | Fields
Character | 11111 11111222 22222223333
Position : 12 34 56 78|901234 56789012 34567890123
+--+--+--+--+------+--------+-----------+
String : |09|0F|17|21|Field1| Field2 | Field 3 |
+--+--+--+--+------+--------+-----------+
<< --> f
<<
DUP f 2 * 1 - ; "data" "data" indx1 -->
SUBNUM 16 * ; "data" 16*start_left_byte -->
OVER f 2 * SUBNUM + ; "data" start
OVER f 2 * 1 + SUBNUM ; "data" start end_left_byte -->
16 * 3PICK f 1 + 2 *
SUBNUM + 1 - ; "data" start end -->
SUB ; "field" -->
>>
>>
TWO VERY TINY HELPFUL PROGRAMS
------------------------------
SUBNUM "string" position --> code
<< DUP SUB NUM >>
STRCON code count --> "repeated string"
<< --> code count
<< "" code CHR 'code' STO
1 count START code + NEXT
>>
>>
A DIRECTORY YOU CAN DOWNLOAD
----------------------------
This is a directory object. Cut after the === to the end of
the file and download to your HP 48 using the ASCII transfer.
========================================================================
%%HP: T(3)A(D)F(.);
DIR
DECODE
\<< \-> f
\<< DUP f
SUBNUM OVER f 1 +
SUBNUM 1 - SUB
\>>
\>>
ENCODE
\<< DUP 2 + DUP 1
- STRCON \-> n data
\<< 1 n
FOR i data
i SUBNUM OVER SIZE
+ data SWAP i 1 +
SWAP CHR REPL SWAP
+ 'data' STO
NEXT data
\>>
\>>
STRCON
\<< \-> code count
\<< "" code CHR
'code' STO 1 count
START code
+
NEXT
\>>
\>>
SUBNUM
\<< DUP SUB NUM
\>>
END
******************************************************************
* Appendix F: Various useful functions
Begin OBJFIX.DOC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OBJFIX by HP for SX and GX
When a binary object received by Kermit on the HP-48 is
left as a string beginning with HPHP48, OBJFIX will
extract the HP-48 object if the only problem is that
extra bytes got appended to the end.
OBJFIX takes a variable name in stack level 1 and
modifies the contents of the variable if no other
problems are detected.
[Note: This is like FIXIT by Horn & Heiskanen on Goodies
Disk #8, but this one is by HP and so I suppose it's
more reliable. Although it fails the test cases
included with FIXIT, that may be because they were
artifically contrived cases. Try both on real-world
downloads that need fixing. Which do you like better?
-jkh-]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
End OBJFIX.DOC
--------Cut-Between-the-Lines:-Begin-OBJFIX.ASC-----------------------
%%HP: T(3)A(D)F(.);
"D9D202BA81D9F81B2040D9D20F2A26DA91629C8145126489162C23072C80CCD2
0BD0008FB9760147108134164142C2818F24D534501008B2F41643150D73B840
58405438314A161966D2BF6BF6A6F5BE16314213114334CF8208A6F58F235A04
55136D7D4EA494D231A1CA101110131CA130DBE284F8FC0760D41198F29960D4
130142119EA1408F5E0108D341503223072D70B2130B21301460"
--------Cut-Between-the-Lines:-End-OBJFIX.ASC-------------------------
Begin FIXIT.DOC
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
(Comp.sources.hp48)
Item: 139 by akcs.joehorn@hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com [Joseph K. Horn]
and mheiskan@hut.fi [Mika Heiskanen]
Subj: Fixit v3.2, repairs bad downloads
Date: 14 Jul 1992
PURPOSE:
-------
Converts a badly uploaded string into the original object.
THEORY:
------
A lot of folks upload HP 48 objects poorly, such that when you
download them, you just get strings full of garbage that look
something like this:
"HPHP48-E#c&r$a%p@!*!..." [looks familiar, eh?]
That's because they uploaded it using XMODEM, or managed to screw it
up some other way. The following FIXIT program takes such a string
and extracts the actual HP 48 object that they originally intended to
upload (if at all possible).
Such object extraction can be done by hand, but it's too dangerous.
FIXIT minimizes the danger of Memory Clear. It checks whether the
extracted object is a valid one, and if not, drops it from the stack
before the HP 48 attempts to display it. All of the many bad
downloads I've archived over the years are fixed by FIXIT, whereas
about half of them cause a Memory Clear when extracted manually. No
guarantees, however. Use at your own risk.
The actual extraction is done by a "Code object" written by Mika
Heiskanen. The User RPL "shell" around this code object is what
minimizes the danger of Memory Clear; it was written by Joe Horn.
INSTRUCTIONS:
------------
BACKUP YOUR MEMORY, just in case the string contains a logic bomb.
Place the bad download on the stack (see "HPHP48-...") and run FIXIT.
Possible results:
(1) No error: the object was extracted successfully and is on level 1.
(2) "Bad Argument Type" error: you didn't have a string on level 1.
(3) "Bad Argument Value" error: the string wasn't of the proper form;
it must be an "HPHP48-..." downloaded string.
(4) "Invalid Definition" error: the object was mangled in transmission
so badly that its end was lost; the object cannot be extracted.
(5) "Undefined Result" error: there is no HP 48 object in the string.
(6) "Recover Memory? YES/NO": the string contained a bomb, and FIXIT
detonated it. Press YES to sift through the shrapnel and rubble
in a feeble attempt to resurrect the dead. Press NO to bury them.
EXAMPLES:
--------
To do the following examples, download the FIXIT directory to your HP 48
and get into it.
(1) Press HI. See "HPHP48-E%$@#%@...", a badly uploaded download.
Before pressing FIXIT to fix it, try doing what we all used to do:
press EDIT to see if we can recognize anything (usually a futile
attempt). We see:
"HPHP48-E%@$#%$@...
<< Melancholy Baby >>"
But looks can be deceiving; press ON to exit the editor, and then
press FIXIT to extract the intended upload:
<< Happy Camper >>
(2) Press WTAV; see another garbage download. But EDIT refuses; the
string contains nulls. Press FIXIT; see successfully extracted
directory.
(3) Press BAD1. Notice that it looks exactly like WTAV. (Press WTAV,
compare, then DROP). But its ending is all messed up; manually
extracting WTAV from BAD1 can cause Memory Clear. Press FIXIT and
see "Error: Invalid Definition" indicating that the object inside
BAD1 is so mangled that its end cannot be located.
(4) Press BAD2. Looks like WTAV again. But its body is messed up;
manually extracting it would create an External object that could
cause Memory Clear if evaluated. Press FIXIT and see "Error:
Undefined Result" indicating that there is nothing recognizable
inside BAD2.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
End FIXIT.DOC
--------Cut-Between-the-Lines:-Begin-FIXIT.ASC------------------------
%%HP: T(3)A(D)F(.);
"69A20FF7CE20000000402414442340C2A203B000840584054383D25403A20FF7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"
--------Cut-Between-the-Lines:-End-FIXIT.ASC--------------------------
*******************************************************************
(Shamelessly lifted from the HP-41C manual:)
The LASTX function is useful in calculations where a number occurs
more than once. By recovering a number using LASTX, you do not
have to key that number into the calculator again.
For example, calculate:
96.704 + 52.394706
--------------------
52.394706
Keystrokes: Stack:
------------------ --------------------
96.704 ENTER 96.704
52.304706 + 149.098706
LASTX 149.098706
52.304706
/ 2.84568265351
@
@ This is a version of LASTX for the HP 48
@
%%HP: T(3)A(D)F(.);
\<< DEPTH \-> n
\<< LASTARG DEPTH n
- DUP \-> s
\<< ROLLD s 1 -
DROPN
\>>
\>>
\>>
******************************************************************
* Appendix G: Rotation rate to angular frequency conversion bug
[Editor's Note: A counter point to this bug report is provided at
the end appendix]
By: Wlodek Mier-Jedrzejowicz
wlodek@ic.ac.uk (or if that fails, try wacm@doc.ic.ac.uk)
Posted to comp.sys.hp48 on April 29, 1994
----BEGIN QUOTED MATERIAL-----------
ROTATION RATE TO ANGULAR FREQUENCY CONVERSION BUG
There is a rotation rate conversion bug in the HP48G/GX which I have
not seen reported here before, so after discussion with the folks at
Corvallis I am posting this description. Warning: it is 159 lines long!
First - an example. Put the unit object 60_rpm in level 2 and the unit
object 1_r/s in level 1, then execute the command CONVERT. You are
asking the HP48 to convert a rotation rate of 60 revolutions per minute
into an angular frequency in radians per second. 60 rpm is 1 revolution
per second, or 2pi radians per second. No HP48G/GX will give this answer!
Not everyone uses rpm or is even aware of the existence of this unit -
it is one of the extra units in the UTILS menu of the Equation Library -
so here is a second example - add 2pi radians per second to one Hertz.
Put 6.2832_r/s in level 1, 1_Hz in level 1, and add. You are adding an
angular frequency of two pi (one cycle) per second to a rotation rate
of one per second, so the result should be a frequency of two Hertz. On
an HP48S/SX that is the answer. On an HP48G/GX it is not.
When units are converted, by CONVERT, or during arithmetic on unit
objects, the level 2 object is first turned into "base units", and then
the result is converted into the units of the level 1 object. On the
HP48S/SX, the "base unit" of angles is one rotation (or a "unit circle"
or a revolution or a cycle). So, the angle unit of rpm (a revolution)
or of Hz (a cycle if Hz is treated as a rotation rate) is already in
base units - conversions to angles involving rpm and Hz automatically
work correctly. On the HP48G/GX, the "base unit" of angles is the
current angle mode (DEG, RAD or GRAD) - so any conversion from rpm or
Hz (or any formula which works in cycles, rotations, revolutions, unit
circles) to angles should be preceded by a conversion from the unit
circle to the current angle. Apparently no-one noticed this would be
necessary, because it all worked automatically on the HP48S/SX.
So, when you convert 60_rpm to units of _r/s, an HP48G/GX converts not
60 rotations but 60 "base angle units" per minute to radians/second. In
RAD mode, you get 1 radian per second. In DEG mode you get 1 degree per
second, and in GRAD mode you get 1 grad per second (in each case
expressed in radians). That's three different answers, none of which is
correct! Exactly the same happens if you convert 1_Hz to angles per
second, and the inverse mistake is made if you convert angles per time
to cycles or rotations divided by time.
I first learned of this bug from a member of HPCC (the British club for
users of HP handhelds), Peter Embrey. He describes his troubles in
articles in the first two 1994 issues of our club journal, DATAFILE (in
Volume 13 number 1 pages 12 to 14 and V13n2p6). He was calculating the
energy stored by a flywheel - given by the formula (1/2)*I*omega^2 and
after a time he decided the answers had to be much too big when he
CONVERTed from kg*m^2*(r/s)^2 to W*h on an HP48GX. It turns out that
(r/s) are the correct units to get the right answer, but the GX was
converting to degrees per second as it was in DEG mode, so his answer
was too large by a factor of (360/2pi)^2 - a factor of about 3,300. In
this case, his HP48SX was not much better, since it converted from
radians to unit circles. The way to get the correct answer is to use an
HP48G or GX in RAD mode - or to divide out the radians from the formula
before using CONVERT. This is not yet a bug, but needs as much care as
does use of temperature units on the HP48. But when Peter tried to deal
with the problem by working in rpm, he came upon the bug described
above. My thanks to Peter for putting me on the trail!
Apparently this bug not been reported before - at least my friends in
HP tell me that it was not on their list of known problems until I told
them of it. (This means it is not fixed in the new revision R.) Why not
- does everyone know about it and work around it without thinking to
tell anyone else? Or does no-one use their HP48 to do calculations on
rotating bodies - or do most people do calculations with rotating
bodies in such a way that they do not encounter this problem? Could
there be hundreds of students and engineers out there calculating and
designing things on their HP48G/GX and getting wildly inaccurate
results? Has anyone built a disk drive or a jet engine which rotates
far too fast and will disintegrate because of this? No, of course not,
all engineers know that any design calculation absolutely must be
repeated on two entirely separate calculators or computer programs! :-|
Maybe some students have lost marks in exams because of this though -
but please, this is not intended to restart the discussion as to
whether calculators should be allowed in exams!
I want to underline again that apparently no-one has reported this
before - which must mean that few people have been affected by it. It
is therefore not a good reason to throw away your HP48G/GX or get on a
high horse and demand that HP replace your HP48G/GX - but I think it is
important that people be warned so they can take appropriate avoiding
action. The rest of this message goes into more detail - if you never
worry about rotation calculations then you can safely ignore the rest -
though you might find it interesting, so don't stop yet :-)
One way to avoid this would be to add a new unit to the HP48 - call it
what you like - the "cycle" or "rotation" or "revolution" or "unit
circle". As I wrote above, this is already implied in the HP48S/SX; to
see this on an HP48S/SX, put 360 degrees in level 1 and execute UBASE -
the result is 1, meaning that 360 degrees are equivalent to one base
unit of angle measurement, but that there is no named HP48 unit
corresponding to this. In contrast, UBASE on an HP48G/GX considers the
base unit of angle measurement to be the radian, even though CONVERT
behaves as though the base unit is the current angle mode. There appear
to be two different norms for base angle units on the HP48G/GX!
The whole subject gets very little mention in HP's manuals. In the
original HP48SX manual (two volumes, spiral bound), the section on
"Dimensionless Units of Angle" in chapter 13, on page 198, warns the
reader about the danger of using dimensionless units and states how
angle units and scalars are treated. In the later HP48S and HP48SX
manual (one volume), the same warning is given in "Converting
Dimensionless Units of Angle", on page 13-12. The HP48G Series User's
Manual, in "Converting Angular Units" on page 10-7, says that
conversion will interpret a scalar according to the current angle
mode setting. (A scalar is a pure number with no units.)
For a detailed description, look in the HP48S/SX edition of "HP48
Insights Vol II", section 21.4.3. This book is written by Dr Bill
Wickes, who was the design team leader of the HP48SX, and who wrote
the "Insights" books largely to provide the sort of explanations and
details that get left out of manuals. A good explanation of angle units
is exactly the sort of thing one can find there! He explains the
pitfalls and unavoidable contradictions of working with angles in the
HP48 units system and points out that the HP48S/SX make the somewhat
arbitrary choice of using 2pi as the base unit of angles, thereby
making conversions between angles per time and Hertz work correctly.
Maybe no-one on the HP48G/GX team read this while they were making
changes from the HP48S/SX! Why did they change the base unit at all?
Most likely they were trying to deal with another contradiction: the
units system lets you add pure numbers to angles, since both are
dimensionless. If you add the number 1 in level 2 to the unit object
0_r in level 1 on an HP48S/SX, the number 1 is treated as 1 base unit,
or 2pi radians, and the result is 6.2832_r - but if you take the SIN of
the number 1 instead, it is not treated as 2pi, but as 1 unit of the
current angle mode. The change made on the HP48G/GX does resolve this
contradiction, but at the cost of introducing the bug described above.
As mentioned, a way to resolve the problems involved would be to add
the angle unit "cycle" explicitly to the HP48 units system. Hz would
then be treated as cycles per second when used in calculations
involving rotations - rpm would be treated as cycles per minute, and
conversions would go from cycles to the appropriate angle units. This
suggestion was made by Peter Embrey in his articles, and the folks at
HP accept that this is a good solution - but they have not implemented
it yet. In the meantime, be very, very careful when converting between
units of rotation rate and units of angular frequency. I would urge
everyone who does not yet have a copy of Insights II to buy one and
read the relevant section - maybe that will even entice Bill Wickes
into publishing his long-awaited HP48G/GX version of the book!
I have not yet mentioned solid angles. In principle there should be no
problem - on both the HP48S/SX and the HP48G/GX the base unit of solid
angle is a "unit sphere", or 4pi steradians. On the HP48S/SX you can
add the pure number 1 to 0_sr and get 12.5664_sr (4pi steradians). The
HP48G/GX manuals imply that exactly the same should happen, but on my
(version L) HP48GX this gives the error message "Inconsistent Units".
This is yet another undocumented difference between the Series S and
Series G but at least it is no bug!
Apologies for making this description so long, I hope most people will
agree that a subject like this deserves a careful description! For my
next trick - some details on the HP48 Random Number Generator.
----END QUOTED MATERIAL-----------
Additional insight from Eric Haas (ERICHAAS@delphi.com)
"The angular conversion bug is actually in the definition
of the rpm unit. If you put 1_rpm on the stack, and type
UBASE, you get 1.66666666667E-2_1/s. Notice that there
is no angular unit in the definition. If the rpm unit is
instead defined as 6_=F8/s, all conversions to and from
rpms will work just fine. As an easy work-around, define
the unit RPM as 6_=F8/s and use that instead of the
built-in unit.
If desired, one could also define the unit HZ as 60_rpm
or 360_=F8/s. However, as Hz is sometimes used to describe
things other than rotation rates, such a definition
would not be appropriate for all circumstances."
******************************************************************
* Appendix H: How to make a Serial Cable for your HP48
>From: prompt@xs4all.nl (Frank A. Vorstenbosch)
HOW TO MAKE A SERIAL CABLE FOR YOUR HP48
========================================
THE CONNECTOR FOR YOUR HP48
The connector used in your HP48 is a 4 pin (i.e. male) connector,
with pins spaced 2 mm (NOT 0.1") apart. These connectors are not
readily available in stores so you'll have to improvise. If you
happen to have a broken floppy drive or harddisk lying around,
look inside and see if you can find a connector there that will fit
the HP48. Do not use a 0.1" connector, as this will damage the
pins in your calculator.
If you can't find a usable connector, then you'll have to make one
yourself. For this you need four pins taken from a wire-wrap IC
socket (available from Radio Shack or some other shop catering for
DIY electronics). The smallest IC socket available usually has 8
pins; so don't worry if you damage a pin while removing it from the
hard plastic socket. The pins of the wire-wrap socket are about
1" long, thereby making soldering them easier than standard sockets.
Next, solder a 'fork' from thin rigid metal wires, to hold the four
IC pins spaced at exactly 2 mm while you glue them together with
superglue. Glue a plastic 'handle' to the four IC pins to be able
to remove the connector from the HP48. You can also indicate the
top side of the connector on this handle.
Note that the hole in the HP48 in which the connector should go
is not symmetrical; the pins are nearer to the top of the calculator
than the bottom, and you can use this to make it difficult to insert
the connector the wrong way up.
Connector to plug
in your HP48 (F) HP48 connector (M)
______ ______
|oooo| |....|
\____/ \____/
pin 4 pin 1 pin 1 pin 4
MAKING THE CONNECTIONS
You can use either a 9 or a 25 pin female sub-D socket for the
PC-side of the cable.
9-pin RS232 25-pin RS232
connector (F) connector (F)
pin 5 pin 1 pin 13 pin 1
------------- ---------------------------
| o o o o o | | o o o o o o o o o o o o |
\ o o o o / \ o o o o o o o o o o o /
--------- -----------------------
pin 9 pin 6 pin 25 pin 14
Use flexible 4-wire cable to connect the four contacts of your HP48
connector to the PC connector. Pin 1 of the HP48 should be
connected to the metal shield of the RS232 connector. Usually it
is not easy to solder this shield; first scratching the shield bare
(it has some kind of coating) using a screwdriver or a file will
help. If this doesn't work, simply leave pin 1 of the HP48
disconnected. Note that pins 2 and 3 of the RS232 connector must
be swapped when you use a 25-pin connector.
HP to PC cable
HP48 | RS232-9 | RS232-25
-----+---------+----------
1 | shield | shield
2 | 2 | 3
3 | 3 | 2
4 | 5 | 7
Before connecting the completed cable to your HP48, check for
short-circuits using an ohmmeter or multimeter set to ohms or
"diode test".
HP TO HP CABLE
If you want to use 9600 bps communication between two HP48s, then
make two HP48 connectors and simply connect the two, swapping pins
two and three.
HP to HP cable
HP#1 | HP#2
-----+-----
1 | 1
2 | 3
3 | 2
4 | 4
WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER ETC.
Although the serial interface of the HP48 is protected internally,
it is possible to damage the calculator when a wrong connection is
made. I am not responsible for any errors in this file, or for any
mistakes you may make.
******************************************************************
END PART 3 OF 4
--
madd0118@nova.gmi.edu ------><------ Keith D. Maddock
"Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong. I'm mad but not ill"
Freightliner Corp, Portland, Oregon/GMI Engineering & Mgt Inst: So2,ME-Auto
comp.sys.hp48 FAQ Maintainer (GX-R), Eagle Scout, Delta Tau Delta EI-B, :-)
From madd0118@gmi.edu (Keith Maddock)
Date: 10 March 1995 22:25:42 GMT
Archive-name: hp/hp48-faq/part4
Last-modified: 12/12/1994
Version: 3.01
Posting-Freqency: every 14 days or so
*********************************************************
HP 48 S/SX/G/GX Frequently Asked Questions List
*********************************************************
PART 4 of 4: Appendix I: HP48 "BEST PROGRAMS AND WHERE TO GET THEM" LIST
Maintained by Keith Maddock (madd0118@nova.gmi.edu)
**********************************************************************
HP48 "BEST PROGRAMS AND WHERE TO GET THEM" LIST
**********************************************************************
This list is designed to help HP48 users locate useful, well
written programs for their HP48, selected by HP48 users who send
in recommendations for their favorite programs.
Many HP48 programs can be found on the following FTP sites:
wuarchive.wustl.edu : /systems/hp/hp48
*cbs.cis.com : /pub/hp48g
hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com : /pub
*( All programs in the main file areas (excluding uploads,
unprocessed directories) at cbs.cis.com are GX compatible.
The index file at cbs.cis.com is very well maintained and has
excellent program descriptions. )
CompuServe has a modest HP 48 archive in the HP handhelds forum.
Type "go HPSYSTEMS" to access the forum. HP 48-specific files can
be found in DL 4
Appendices:
1) Other HP48 FTP Sites
2) FTP by Mail
3) HP48 BBS's
4) Goodies Disks
The entries in the list generally follow this format:
PROGRAM AUTHOR
SUMMARY
COMPATIBLE APPROX SIZE
LOCATION
Compatibility is noted by either SX (SX only), GX (GX only),
SX/GX (SX and GX), or SX/GX? (Works on SX, not sure about GX). If you
try a SX/GX? program on a GX, let me know if it works/doesn't so I can
change it on the list!
If you want to recommend a program that is not on this list, send
email to: "madd0118@nova.gmi.edu" with all the appropriate
information. Please tell me the exact path and location , or I can't
put it in the list. Recommendations from users are the only thing that
keep the list growing!
**********************************************************************
******************** Frequently Asked Questions********************
FAQ Keith Maddock
Contains valuable answers to frequently asked questions. Read it!
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/48faq301.zip
******************** Games********************
Arkanoid HP Mad
Breakout game, editor
SX 9k
GD 8
Boulder DasHP David Presle aka ORUS
Classic game of Boulder Dash - get the diamonds without getting smashed
SX 14.5k
GD 8
Columns Spartacus
Tetris-like Game
SX/GX 13k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/columns.zip
Columns 2 Spartacus
Columns with grey scale
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/columns2.zip
Diamonds Doug Cannon
Great game! - bounce to get the Diamonds! Editor's favorite!
SX 12k
wuarchive.wustl.edu :
/systems/hp/hp48/comp.sources.hp48/volume09/diamonds.mf
GX (converted to GX by Herve Couplet) 13.9k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/diamonds.lib ***
Double Tetris Christian Bourgeois
Fast, smooth tetris, with 2 player via IR! Can play SX vs GX!
SX 9.8k
bode.ee.ualberta.ca: /pub/HP48/games/france/detris.zip
hemul.nada.kth.se: /home/d89-bga/hp/games/dtetris.zip
GX 12k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/dtetris.lib ***
Frogger 1.0 Dallan Christensen
Classic Game of Frogger for the HP48
SX 7.9k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads frogv10.zip ***
Garbage Detlef Muller
Sokoban Clone
SX/GX 7.6k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/garbage.zip
H. Piper! Raul Raines
Like Pipe Dreams , SCHIP
SX/GX 1.9k
GD 3
Hapaman Davor Jadrijevic
Pacman Clone
GX 5.4k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/hapaman.zip
Ice Cube v1.1 Pigallio Lilian
Great action video arcade game! Uses 4 color gray scales.
SX/GX 20k
GD 9, cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/ice1_1.zip ***
Joust Erin S. Catto
Joust video arcade game, SCHIP
SX/GX 2.4k
GD 5
La Mine aux Diamants Pigallio Lilian
Boulder Dash clone
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/diamants.uue ***
Lemmings C. de Dinechin
Save the lemmings from killing themselves..
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/lemmings.lib ***
Phoenix Davor Jadrijevic
Phoenix Clone
GX 9.4k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/phoenixg.zip
SX
seq.uncwil.edu: /hp48/Uploads/phoenixs.zip ***
Reversi Leon Pavlov
Quick Reversi
SX
GD 8
SCHIP Erik Bryntse
Video Game interpreter, runs SCHIP games
SX 2.2k
GD 3
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/schipgx.zip
Shapes Doug Cannon
Mastermind, Hi Score
SX/GX 7.2k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/shapes.zip
Skunk Doug Cannon
Dice Game
SX/GX 11k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/games/skunk.zip
Space Trek 48 (alpha) Jim Donnelly (One of the HP48 design team!)
Classic Star Trek for the HP48!
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/trek48.zip ***
Super Car 1K1
Race around the 5 tracks
GX 15.7k
cbs.cis.com: pub/hp48g/uploads/supercar.gx ***
Tetris Detlef Mueller
Tetris Clone - Small, Fast, Great!
SX/GX 3.2k
wuarchive.wustl.edu :
/systems/hp/hp48/comp.sources.hp48/volume10/tetris.dm
Vaders v2.1 Joe Ervin
Space Invaders
SX/GX 9k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/vaders21.zip
Willy Mario Mikocevic Mozgy
Arcade adventure game
SX/GX 17k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/willy.zip ***
******************** Utilities********************
4colors Pigallio Lilian
Utilities for making 4 grayscale graphics
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/4colors.zip ***
Billy v4.0
Converts some SX applications to run on GX
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/billy40.lib ***
BKUP 4.1 Bob Apodaca
Complete memory backup utility w/ xmodem. A must if you use ram cards!
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/bkup41.zip ***
Clk HP
Keeps clock very accurate
SX/GX 7k
GD 8
CodeLock
Password protection program
SX Scotty Thompson
GD 7
GX Todd Eckrich
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/codelk13.lib ***
Copy-Rom Burhan Afandi
Copies contents of ROM or RAM cards to another port, or your PC
SX
wuarchive.wustl.edu: /systems/hp/hp48/util/copyrom.Z
Fixit v3.2 Mika Heiskanen & Joe Horn
Repairs "HPHP48-" Bad Downloads
SX/GX
GD 8 (also see OBJfix)
FoneManager v1.4 Jeoff Krontz
Database Program
SX/GX
GD 9, cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/foneman14.zip ***
fxrecv Cary McCallister
fixes bug in xmodem for G/GX
GX 0.099k
GD 9
GROBer Donald R. Asmus
Convert GROB to Mac PICT
SX/GX
wuarchive.wustl.edu : /systems/hp/hp48/binaries/GROBer.hqx.Z
Gateway 48 v2.8b Erik Bryntse
Password Protect your HP
SX 2k
GD 7
HP Development Tools HP
Development Tools for System RPL and libraries on PC.
MS-DOS, SX/GX
GD 4
MS-Kermit v3.11 Columbia University
MS-Kermit works with Kermit on your HP for file transfers.
MS-DOS <-> SX/GX
wuarchive.wustl.edu : /systems/hp/hp48/kermit/kermit311.zip
OBJfix HP
Fixes Bad "HPHP48-" downloads
SX/GX
GD 9
PSND Brian Maguire
Send Objects from a Port
SX
GD 7
RPL-48 Detlef Mueller
HP48 Developing System - System RPL, Libraries
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/programming/rpl48v20.zip
Remote 3.3 BG Bjorn Gahm
Use HP48 as a remote control for most anything
SX/GX
nada.kth.se: /home/d89-bga/hp/files/posted/rem33bg.zip
Remote3 Detlef Mueller
Learning Remote
SX/GX
GD 7
Remote4 Steve VanDevender
Learning Remote
SX/GX
GD 7
SCH48 William J Levenson
A scheduler w/ calendar, appt. management, daily timeline, etc.
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/SCH48v20.zip
wuarchive.wustl.edu: /systems/hp/hp48/comp.sources.hp48/volume09/sch48.bl
GD 9
Ship Mark Adler
Ship and Unship ( .exe and .C source)
MS-DOS or any platform with C compiler
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/dos/unship.zip
Note: See FAQ for info on using Ship, and getting Ship on other platforms.
SSS Stefan Wolfrum
SysRPL Shell, helps programming in SysRPL
SX/GX 15K
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/sss22.zip
Stack Display Rick Grevelle
Display 4/5/7 size stack
SX
GD 8
Sto-Fix Detlef Muller
Fixes Bugs in ROMs L, M
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/utilities/stofix.zip
String Writer v4.1b Jean-Yves Avenard
Great Editor
SX/GX 16.5k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/stwrt41b.zip ***
Note: v4.2 is available through author for a fee. See v4.1b for details.
USEND/URECV 3 Dan Kirkland
Significantly faster IR file transfers (4-6x faster than SEND)
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/usnd3.dk ***
******************** Scientific********************
Circuit Simulator 2.61 Per Stenius
Makes DC, AC, and transient simulations, and more
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/electrical/csim261.zip
******************** Math********************
ALG48 V1.0 Claude-Nicolas Fiechter
Advanced algebraic symbolic calculations, sybolic matrices
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com /pub/hp48g/uploads/alg48v10.zip ***
CNTR 3.00 Cesar Crusius
Discrete/continuous control systems design. Inv. Z and Lapalace trans.
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/cntr300.zip ***
Math v2.10 Cesar Crusius
Symbolic/numerical Matrices, polynomials
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/math210.zip ***
PROOT Bill Wickes
Super Fast Polynomial Roots finder
SX
GD 7
GX
Built in: [PURPLE/LEFT-SHIFT-SOLVE] [POLY] [PROOT]
QPiRac
Replaces ->Q, shows quotients, pi, radicals, LN, and EXP. VERY useful!
SX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/qpiracs.v30 ***
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/qpiracv30g ***
SIMN v4.1 Sune Bredahl
Solves systems of equations
GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/simneq41.zip ***
******************** Docs ********************
Batts Joe Horn
Info about Batteries
SX/GX
GD 8
Drain.doc Doug Cannon
Battery Drain Table
SX/GX
GD 9
GX Programming Tips Doug Cannon
Developing Tips
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/programming/gxtips.zip
Library Charlie Patton
Library Info
SX/GX
GD 8
MLINPUT Joe Ervin
Keyboard Input from ML
SX/GX
GD 7
******************** Graphics********************
Bounce Doug Cannon
Status Line Animation
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/animations/bounce.zip
Claudia Mohamed Fatri
Grayscale Demo of Supermodel
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/graphics/claudia.zip
Fantasma Carl Gibbons
Haloween Demo
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/animations/fantasma.zip
Hula Erick Hammersmark
Great Animation
SX/GX 11.7k
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/animations/hula.zip
Tank Doug Cannon
Status Line Animation
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/animations/tank.zip
Train Jeremy Smith
Status Line Animation
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/animations/train.zip
******************** Music/Sound********************
Duet Carl Gibbons
Duet with two tones
SX/GX
wuarchive.wustl.edu :
/systems/hp/hp48/comp.sources.hp48/volume11/duet.cg.Z
Tricorder Steven Ourada
Beeps when close to an object, uses IR port, fun to amuse friends with
SX/GX
cbs.cis.com: /pub/hp48g/uploads/tricorde.zip
*** Note: Any programs in uploads directories are subject to movement
into their appropriate directories (i.e. games or utilities), or removal
by the archive maintainer. There is also the possiblity that the program
might a different zipfile name. If information has changed that you know
of , let me (keithm) know. Also, programs in the uploads directories of
cbs.cis.com are not necessarily GX compatible. Please do not upload non-GX-
compatible programs to cbs.cis.com. thanks!
**********************************************************************
***********************************
APPENDIX 1: OTHER FTP SITES
***********************************
hpcvaaz.cv.hp.com : /pub
hpcsos.col.hp.com : /pub
gmuvax2.gmu.edu : /hp48
oak.oakland.edu : /pub/ham/hp48 (amateur radio related files)
plains.nodak.edu : /pub/hpcalc/hp48
ee.utah.edu : /hp48
calvin.stanford.edu : /new_uploads
ftp.eu.net : /newsarchive/comp/sources/hp48
ftp.itc.univie.at : /pub/hp48 (mirror of seq.uncwil)
bode.ee.ualberta.ca : /pub/HP48
faui43.informatik.uni-erlangen.de : /pub/hp48
ftp.fht-mannheim.de :
nic.funet.fi : /pub/archive/comp.sources.hp48/index
/pub/misc/hp48sx
hplyot.obspm.fr : /hp48 /hp48/mirrors/cbs.cis.com
ftp.luth.se : /pub/misc/hp48
nada.kth.se : /home/d89-bga/hp
puffin.doc.ic.ac.uk : /computing/systems/handhelds/hp48
***********************************
APPENDIX 2: FTP BY MAIL
***********************************
For those of you who don't have FTP access, you can FTP
programs by mail. To do this, you send commands via email message to
the ftpmail server, and it then sends back the programs, usually in a
uuencoded format by email
For access to any ftp site, I use the sunsite ftpmail server. It is
the fastest I've used. To get more information, send a mail message to
"ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu" with the content of:
help
quit
There are other FTP by mail servers like the sunsite server, but
they are much more heavily used, and take longer.
***********************************
APPENDIX 3: BBS'S WITH HP48 STUFF
***********************************
(206) 562-7083 644-2723 Foundations in Science 14.4 civan@eskimo.com (48/100)
(205) 895-6152 (300-2400) UAH ACCESS BBS, U. Alabama Huntsville.(28/48/95/100)
(205) 895-6992 (9600-14.4)Join Conf.#17 for instant HP48 access, has G-Disks
(405) 372-7204 The Ninth Bit BBS 14.4 scott.wilkins@ninth.ucc.okstate.edu(48)
(416) 968-6633 Raiders of Lost Arg 38400n81 john.ricciuti@can.rem.com (48/95)
(503) 640-4263 NES BBX goodies disks in file area 22 (48)
(503) 750-4448 The official Hewlett Packard BBS, Corvallis, OR (48)
(503) 750-3277 Second node, 9600 baud
(514) 472-8565 Adanac BBS, FidoNet FREQ 1:242/818, 2400n81 (28.8 soon) (48)
(612) 642-5906 [(hp)]al BBS,usenet,in ternet mail, rab@lydia.mn.org (48/95/100)
(617) 558-4582 Electronic Design News BBS, open to all (48)
(708) 304-0666 Nybble's Byte 24 hr 28.8kbps Usenet/Internet (28/48/95/100/etc)
(708) 657-9543 Terrapin Station
(801) 371-8760 '48 Files BBS, over 3000 HP48 files and more, 14.4. (48)
+33-149-887-691 THE 0NE BBS, France, lots of latest French warez for 48 (48)
***********************************
APPENDIX 4: HP GOODIES DISKS
***********************************
The HP Goodies Disks are a set of disks that are chock full of
great HP48 files. They are collected by Joe Horn, and sold through
Educalc. They contain all shareware/freeware files. Right now there are
9 disks. They can be obtained via anonymous ftp from the places listed
below. , or they can be purchased from EduCalc. In the listings above,
they are referred to by "GD #". All the goodies disks have a file
"fileinfo.src" which contains an index of all the files. I would
recommend everybody looking through all these disks, as there is lots of
GREAT stuff on them!
EduCalc: 1-800-677-7001
wuarchive.wustl.edu: /systems/hp/hp48/EduCalc
(Disks 1-8)
also at:
hplyot.obspm.fr, bode.ee.ualberta.ca, UAH BBS
Compuserve (see beginning of this list)
Somebody has started a mailserver for the Goodies Disks. I'll paste his
message directly in from his posting:
"If you want to get the goodies disks you must mail:
File-Request@ve6hf.ampr.ab.ca
In the body of the message type in:
HELP
QUIT
To get a file from the HP directory type in:
GET /files/hp/filename.zip UUE
QUIT
"
***********************************
APPENDIX 5: CONTRIBUTORS
***********************************
Keith Maddock thanks the following international contributors (11
countries) for their invaluable help in compliling this list:
United States Europe, North and South America
-------------------- ------------------------------------
Doug Cannon Maarten van den Hoek (Netherlands)
David Peterson Pieter-Bas IJdens (Netherlands)
Egan Ford Bjorn Gahm (Sweden)
Jeremy Smith Cesar Crusius (Brazil)
Chris Spell Stevens Wouter (Belguim)
Chuck Dinsmore Wlodek A C Mier-Jedrzejowicz (U.K.)
Dallan Christensen Jens Kerle (Germany)
Andrew Dooley Yves Gadioux (France)
Thomas De Matteis Jean-Francois Larin (Canada)
Allen Arnold Kevin Cheng (Australia)
David Moisan Ryan D Youck (Canada)
Rich Brown Lilian Pigallio (France)
Maynard Riley Mario Mikocevic Mozgy (Croatia)
James Cook Rachid Benzaoui (HPdream) (France)
Ray Richardson Stefan Wolfrum (Germany)
**********************************************************************
END PART 4 OF 4
END FAQ