HP Forum Archive 09

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Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #1 Posted by Steve on 5 Jan 2003, 11:26 a.m. I've done a lot of searching since my prior post, and I still can't find anyone claiming to have found a way to connect a 41 to a PC over serial (or anything else for that matter). Am I wasting my time even attempting such a thing? I recently acquired an HP/IL but I still need to find the IL/RS-232 converter. But will this be enough to move bytes between the 41 and a PC? Is there software for the 41 or PC to facilitate the transfer (e.g. move a program or the entire contents of memory)? Finally, if a 41 to PC connection is impossible (or too difficult to be practical), what is the preferred way to input (wand?) and output/save (disk, mag cards?) to/from the 41? Thanks! Steve

Re: Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #2 Posted by Michael Tjebben on 5 Jan 2003, 1:09 p.m., in response to message #1 by Steve Steve- If you search just a bit harder, you'll find that there is a link (given below)on this very site that gives quite a bit of information about transfering programs between a HP-41 and a PC. What is the best method depends a lot on what hardware you're able to find. An HP-9114 disk drive, I think, is the most convenient. However, you might have to wait some time to find one on ebay. The HP-IL/RS-232C adapter is better suited to transfer files and data between a PC and the HP41 and not really programs. It's just not straight-forward to do so. Anyway, if one has such an adapter, even the Hyperterminal that comes with Windows will allow one to transfer files. It is quite easy to print out files to barcode to transfer them from your pc to your HP-41, if you have a wand. The second link, below, will help you learn how to do that. Good luck! http://www.hpmuseum.org/software/41td/41docs.htm#how http://www.hpmuseum.org/software/41uc.htm

Re: Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #3 Posted by Tony Duell (UK) on 5 Jan 2003, 1:56 p.m., in response to message #1 by Steve Yes, I do it all the time. There are basically 4 methods that I use : (1) 3.5" disk (HP9114 disk drive on the HP41), (2) RS232 interface, (3) GPIO interface and (4) Wand. If you want to use the RS232 interface to transfer programs, you need an extended I/O ROM in the HP41 (it provides the INP and OUTP commands). Take a look at my LIF Utilites for Linux package (on the HPCC web site). It contains information (and programs as C source, which could probably be ported to other machines/OSes) on connecting the RS232 interface to a PC (warning : HP's use of the hadshake lines is crazy!) There's also a little circuit to link the PC's parallel port to the 82165 GPIO inteface for program/data transfer from PC to HP41. If you want to use the wand, there are basically 2 things you can do. One is to print out barcodes on the PC and scan them with the wand as usual. THe other is to make a small modification to the wand (solder an opto-isolator chip inside the HP41 module), and them simulate scanning a row of barcode by feeding the right pusle train into the opto-isolator. There's a circuit for doing this in the LIF Utilities for Linux package as well.

Re: Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #4 Posted by andy on 6 Jan 2003, 9:25 a.m., in response to message #3 by Tony Duell (UK) Another technique is to use an HPIL ISA card (82973A) and some old software like LINK (from southern software). Also, you'll need a 286 to run link. When you finally get all this equipment, interfacing your 41 to a PC is a snap...and a lot of fun too. You can connect the older PC to a newer PC via the serial port and transfer files from the web, to the new PC, to the old PC, to your 41! The original 82973A are hard to find and expensive, but Christopher Klug currently sells his own version of the 82973A and it works the same.

Re: Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #5 Posted by Christoph Klug on 7 Jan 2003, 5:10 a.m., in response to message #1 by Steve Dear Steve, Up to now the HP-IL/PC Interface Card is the defacto standard for interfacing the HP41 to PC. And only this solution gives you the most advantage features. In combination with the new EMU41 full version from Jean-Francois Garnier you control some real and virtual IL-Devices, for up and downloading data, programms, non-normalised-numbers = NNNīs, X-memory files, CCD-Module matrix files .... Furtermore you realise fast HP41 Barcode plots, multi column program plots, and last not least you get an advanced HP41 emulator solution which includes CX functions plus advanced modules like PPC, CCD, ZENROM, HEPAX and RAM-Box features.... Please refer to "HP41-PC Gateway & Emulator" at HP-Museum forum which was anounced end of December 2002, there you get somem more details about professional and advanced HP41-PC interfacing including up and downoading data and programs Best wishes from Germany - Christoph

Re: Has anyone successfully connected an HP-41 to a PC? Message #6 Posted by Christof (the US version) on 10 Jan 2003, 5:26 a.m., in response to message #5 by Christoph Klug Christoph- has anyone looked into a method to do and IR to HP-IL hack? I would dearly love to do HPIL interfacing to my 200LX, and the only way I see to do it wihtout falling back on the mythical pcmcia card or a (really EXPENSIVE) rs232/HP-IL converter would be to use the IR system. I'm not sure, but I think the 200Lx IR can be controlled well enough to generate and read HP-IL frames, at which point you just need to go from IR to the proper voltage and waveform on the wire, no? With similar facitilites (well controllable IR, that is) on the 95LX, the 48s/x/g/+/x and most laptops, it would seem to be very useful.

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