Re: Question and Answer Message #7 Posted by Howard Owen on 26 Mar 2006, 8:20 p.m., in response to message #6 by Eric
It's a very cool expansion system for the HP-41. It gives you RAM in the calculator's ROM address space, and the tools to manipulate it. That allows you to load any ROM module image you care to into the RAM. So you can run practically any HP-41 module ever made. You can also use the HEPAX to write your own HP-41 modules.
The HEPAX is quite rare. But there are several solutions that let you run the HEPAX code without owning an HEPAX set up. Diego Diaz has his Clonix family of modules. The NovRAM and Nov32 modules will run the HEPAX code. There's also the MLDL2000, by Meindert Kuipers, which also allows you to load the HEPAX code. Also, many of the simulators of the HP-41, including HP-41X by HrastProgrammer, emu41 by JF Garnier and this, unfortunately unnamable simulator will run the HEPAX code.
So the point is, a technology enthusiast could satisfy the urge to play with the admittedly very cool technology for a lot less money, even for free in the case of some of the simulators. The auction linked to above must have the high price solely due to the rarity of the original HEPAX. One of the participants in the bidding war is a very experienced HP collector, so we can't just chalk the price up to market irrationality.
Regards, Howard
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