User RAM on the HP-32S and HP-32SII Message #6 Posted by Karl Schneider on 24 Feb 2009, 2:01 a.m., in response to message #4 by Michael de Estrada
Quote:
As far as memory is concerned, the HP-32SII has a puny 384 bytes of memory, but the HP-42S has a reasonable 7K of memory,
The HP-32S had an already-miserly 390 bytes, then its successor HP-32SII lost six bytes even as the capability to store equations was ported from the HP-22S. This made the RAM even more inadequate.
The programming paradigm was good enough on both models to make it worthwhile to retain crafted user programs in permanent residence. Unfortunately, that can leave little room for other things -- very annoying.
I'd say that 2 kB would have been just right for the HP-32S/SII -- including 216 bytes reserved for 26 letter variables and the indirect register "i", so as not to illogically declare a variable nonexistent if its value happened to be zero.
Why couldn't the RAM from the HP-28C have been used?
The HP-32SII does offer a byte-saving trick: Non-negative integers not exceeding 254 can be stored in a program or equation using only 1.5 bytes, instead of the 9.5 bytes that all other numbers would require.
Here's an equation-based example for calculating balanced 3-phase apparent power [in MVA] from phase-to-phase rms voltage [in kV] and rms current [in A]:
M=K*A*SQRT(3)/1000 26 bytes
M=K*A*SQRT(3)/100/10 21 bytes
The latter runs a bit slower, but saves five bytes of RAM because "100/10" consists of three 1.5-byte objects, while "1000" is a 9.5-byte object.
Users really ought not to have to resort to tricks like that, though...
-- KS
Edited: 24 Feb 2009, 3:16 a.m.
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