The Museum of HP Calculators

HP Forum Archive 20

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #1 Posted by Ángel Martin on 18 Jan 2011, 5:51 p.m.

We have not Lewis Carroll but other few people to thank for this new 41 MCODE collection (to mention a few names: David Yerka, Hĺkan Thörngren, David van Leeuwen, and the wonderful anonymous CCD Module programmers - BTW does anyone know their names?)

So building upon their work, here's to let you know about the release of the BUFFERLAND module, absolutely free of charge (don't look for it on TAS = at least the price is right :) compiling a collection of your favorite Buffer-related functions, plus adding a few new ones from my own harvest, like:

- creation, deletion, and clearing of buffers
- buffer header, size and other vital signs
- exchange (STO/RCL) with "normal" data registers
- transfering to/from XMEM
- re-issuing the buffer id# - a hacker delight
- BFCAT, a buffer catalog featuring SST and BST- interactive operation (and certainly not an easy one to crack!)
- and the proverbial "much more"... did I say Key Assignments are also part of the pack?

All in all, the right toolset to make this seemingly obscure part of the 41 OS/Memory as transparent as main data registers or program memory can be.

And the better news is: just in time to be included in Monte's 41CL image file! and of course the usual submission to TOS will follow for those of you curious enough and/or interested in the subject...

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did programming it (never mind the sleepless hours trying to get it all work!_

Cheers, 'AM

Edited: 18 Jan 2011, 5:54 p.m.

      
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #2 Posted by Frido Bohn on 19 Jan 2011, 3:35 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Ángel Martin

Hello Ángel,

sorry for being slow on the uptake but what is a "buffer" in terms of the HP41?

Is there any straightforward literature about this?

Regards
Frido

            
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #3 Posted by Ángel Martin on 19 Jan 2011, 4:24 a.m.,
in response to message #2 by Frido Bohn

Quote:
what is a "buffer" in terms of the HP41?

Buffers are reserved memory areas used by diverse application packs for internal housekeeping or calculations. Notorious buffers are the Advantage's for SOLVE/INTEG, the HP-Devel for MONITOR/SCOPE, and (of course) the 41Z for the complex stack.

Probably best to look at the comprehensive section in the book "Extend your HP-41", by Wlodeck - or just google for "41C buffers" :-)

Buffer table taken from the ICEBOX manual.-

Buffer id# Module/Eprom Reason
1          David Assembler MCODE Labels already existing
2          David Assembler MCODE Labels referred to
3          Eramco RSU-1B ASCII file pointers
4          Eramco RSU-1A Data File Pointers
5          CCD Module, Seed, Word Size, Matrix Name
6          Extended IL (Skwid) Accessory ID of current device
7          Extended IL (Skwid) Print Cols, number & width
8          41Z, Complex Stack, POLAR/REC settings
10         Time Module Alarms information
11         Plotter Module Data and barcode parameters
12         IL Development, CMT-200 IL buffer and monitoring
13         CMT-300 Status Info
14         Advantage INTEG & SOLVE scratch
15*        Mainframe Key Assignments
*) KA area isn’t really a buffer.
>

Edited: 19 Jan 2011, 4:31 a.m.

      
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #4 Posted by Paul Dale on 19 Jan 2011, 3:40 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Ángel Martin

Quote:
And the better news is: just in time to be included in Monte's 41CL image file! and of course the usual submission to TOS will follow for those of you curious enough and/or interested in the subject...

But no management of the extra CL memory :-(

- Pauli

            
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #5 Posted by Ángel Martin on 19 Jan 2011, 4:25 a.m.,
in response to message #4 by Paul Dale

Quote:
But no management of the extra CL memory :-(

Sorry but I don't understand your remark: buffers are in main RAM and have nothing to do with the 41CL MMU or its design?

                  
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #6 Posted by Paul Dale on 19 Jan 2011, 4:58 a.m.,
in response to message #5 by Ángel Martin

All the aforementioned transfer functions but to the CL's extra RAM.

Fairly rhetorical actually.

- Pauli

      
Re: 41 MCODE: Alice in Bufferland
Message #7 Posted by Geir Isene on 19 Jan 2011, 10:52 a.m.,
in response to message #1 by Ángel Martin

I am eagerly awaiting this one.

[ Return to Index | Top of Index ]

Go back to the main exhibit hall