HP Forum Archive 13

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HP-IL mass storage Message #1 Posted by Pavel Korensky on 6 Nov 2003, 3:39 p.m. Hello, today I got (free of charge) another HP82161A tape unit. The unit is not working. Maybe, something is wrong with the motor, because the tape is not moving and the rewind does not work. I did not have time to test it yet. But I got one idea. If the HP-IL part is working, it should be possible to build some kind of mass storage and put it inside the 82161A plastic case. I was thinking about some microcontroller (ATMega or maybe SC-12) and MMC card or CF card. The card connector assembly can be glued to the cassette door (for simple media exchange). Anybody tried to do something similar ? The second possibility, how to use the HP-IL components is to build something like HP-IL/USB or HP-IL/Ethernet convertor and use PC with USB or Ethernet for connection to the HP-IL system. The PC can simulate the mass storage, printer, etc.

Re: HP-IL mass storage Message #2 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 6 Nov 2003, 4:43 p.m., in response to message #1 by Pavel Korensky Hello Pavel, AFAIK similar solutions exist. Are you sure the battery of the drive isn't just too flat or even dead? The battery must have a specific minimal charge level to allow the motor to work correctly. As for the HP-IL <-> PC mass storage. Just use something like TRANS41, maybe it even runs with your IL-RS232 interface somehow ? Regards, Raymond

Re: HP-IL mass storage Message #3 Posted by Pavel Korensky on 6 Nov 2003, 5:06 p.m., in response to message #2 by Raymond Del Tondo This is not a problem with batteries. The unit was stored for a lot of years in a very wet environment (cellar) and the corrosion worked on it. I suppose that all mechanical parts are useless. There was some mould (is it a right term for for a nasty grey/green organism ?) inside the box. I will disassemble the unit to parts and I will try to clean and dry them. I was thinking about the possibility to use the case and HP-IL components and made some kind of battery operated mass storage from those components. In the meantime, I got a third idea. Maybe I can build the HP-IL analyser. Just connect the HP-IL chip to some PIC or Atmel microcontroller and hook the whole design to USB and write some PC software. Or hook the HP-IL to the SC-12 and connect it to the PC via Ethernet. The rest is only software on PC side.

Re: HP-IL mass storagen and PC interface Message #4 Posted by Christoph Klug on 7 Nov 2003, 3:35 a.m., in response to message #3 by Pavel Korensky Dear Pavel, for both HP-IL applications you describe exist solutions : 1: Mass storage = the CMT RAM-Disk-Unit with up to 512 Kbyte RAM and RS232 option (I am looking this nice device...) 2: PC interfacing = full version of EMU41 which includes HP-IL support (and works with HP-IL PC interface card) Your idea about creating a IL-mass storage device is absolutely nice - this solution would expand the actual development projects of HP41 ROM/RAM storage systems (plug in module or card reader case). Furthermore your solution would be interestig for any handheld which supports HP-IL (for example HP71) Best wishes from Germany - Christoph Klug

Re: HP-IL mass storagen and PC interface Message #5 Posted by Pavel Korensky on 7 Nov 2003, 4:19 p.m., in response to message #4 by Christoph Klug I was reading some materials today and I was thinking about the mass storage. Probably, I will use ATMega microcontroller and MMC card. The 64MB card will be formated as a set of 512 files, each file 128KB long. The LIF medium filesystem will be implemented inside each file. With this arrangement, the whole system can behave like HP-IL cassette drive with 512 cassettes. For "tape exchange", there will be some push buttons and some display. But firstly, I will use the HP-IL chip for the implementation of HP-IL analyzer. I need to find what commands are used by HP-41 for communication with the tape unit. Or better, do you know where to find the listing of device dependent commands for HP-IL mass storage peripherals ? I am too lazy to read the whole HP cassette control ASM listing.

Re: HP-IL mass storagen and PC interface Message #6 Posted by Raymond Del Tondo on 7 Nov 2003, 5:59 p.m., in response to message #5 by Pavel Korensky Hi Pavel, for the DDL/DDT commands: IIRC, there are tables of the related commands in the tape drive manual. Regards, Raymond

Re: HP-IL mass storagen and PC interface Message #7 Posted by Pavel Korensky on 7 Nov 2003, 8:34 p.m., in response to message #6 by Raymond Del Tondo I am really sorry. Of course, you are right. I forgot that this manual was written during the old, better times.

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