HP Forums

First, I've read the HP71 HP-IL module several times.

Second, I love the PIL Box. I love the ILPer software. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I've had great success using it all with my HP41 and for the most part, my HP71. With one exception. I do not understand how to store a program onto either of the mass storage devices using the ILPer from my HP71. I use it often with my HP41 as storage.

I can set it as the PRINTER and DISPLAY for my HP71. I can initialize both of the devices from my HP71. I can see the addresses and device IDs. I can do a CAT (which of course is empty). I see the HP-IL commands flowing in the ILPer's scope. However, when I try to do any file operation, I'm sure I'm formatting the command wrong. I typically get an "Excess Chars" error message.

Could anyone who has managed to setup the ILPer as a mass storage for the HP71 give me a quick walk through? I"m convinced it is simply a command formatting error, but I've hit a mental block and can't get through it.

Thanks.

(10-16-2017 06:21 PM)dingebre Wrote: [ -> ]Could anyone who has managed to setup the ILPer as a mass storage for the HP71 give me a quick walk through? I"m convinced it is simply a command formatting error, but I've hit a mental block and can't get through it.

Thanks.

Mass storage devices can be accessed using the device name :TAPE, or :MASSMEM, or :[device number]. So for the first storage device in IL-Per, this would be :TAPE(1), :MASSMEM(1) or (assuming the PIL-Box is the first device on your loop) :2 for the first (top) logical drive or :3 for the second (bottom) logical drive. (The first logical device in IL-Per is the virtual printer, so the first drive would be device #2 and the second drive :3, if addressing by device number).

So, to copy file MYFILE to the first logical drive:

(Do RESTORE IO before any loop operations to assign devices and ensure loop continuity)

COPY MYFILE TO MYFILE:TAPE(1)
or
COPY MYFILE TO MYFILE:MASSMEM(1)
or
COPY MYFILE TO MYFILE:2

Note you can also specify a different filename, such as:

COPY MYFILE TO NEWFILE:TAPE(1)

Also, if you want to keep the same filename, you can actually omit the filename:

COPY MYFILE TO :TAPE(1)

To copy to a different filename on the 2nd IL-Per drive:

COPY MYFILE TO NEWNAME:TAPE(2)

There are many variations, but try these examples as a starting place. If these don't work as expected, something isn't right.

Also, have you formatted the virtual drives prior to use? On the 71B, you would do:

INITIALIZE [VOL-LABEL]:TAPE(1), where VOL-LABEL is an optional volume label for that particular virtual disk.

Thank you Bob. To answer your question, yes, I did initialize the drive with no error messages and I could see the HP-IL traffic with the ILPer scope.

I'll try the things you wrote and I'll let you know.

David

(10-16-2017 11:09 PM)rprosperi Wrote: [ -> ]Also, have you formatted the virtual drives prior to use? On the 71B, you would do:

INITIALIZE [VOL-LABEL]:TAPE(1), where VOL-LABEL is an optional volume label for that particular virtual disk.

Before you can initialize a virtual drive you must mount a LIF disc image. One way is to create a zero byte file, rename the extension to .LIF or .DAT, and then mount the image using the Open file diaglog in the Mass Storage area of the ILPer window. A LIF disc image can also be created and initialized using HPDir.

Dave

Success!

Thank you for the help.

I"m still trying to fully understand the HP71 environment and the syntax. This little venture has helped a lot.

I think one of the problems is I was trying to use the MASSMEM device as opposed to the TAPE device. But, in the end, I was able to save and load the program files I was trying to back up.

Again, thank you.

David

Dear Dave,

I am trying to follow your examples, but I get all kind of error messages. With a physical tape drive I am able to write programs to it.
With my pil-box it does not work out.
I did the following:
lifinit -z -m cass tape01.dat 64
liflabel tape01.dat TAPE01
in pyILPER it is shown as the lif image file tape01.dat
If I
INITIALIZE :2
I get an hpil error: device type
If I
COPY TESTHENK TO TTT:2
I get no error, but I cannot figure out where it went. In the scope I see activity by scrolling data.
I will not get any further. Do you have a suggestion?

Kind regards,
Henk Schellen