HP-41 GPS Module - True or fiction?

[4ster]

(11-07-2016 10:53 PM)Valentin Albillo Wrote:   
Hi, Ángel:

(11-06-2016 03:49 PM)Ángel Martin Wrote:  Well, fiction so far... but the question is could it be done?

I wouldn't be so sure about the "fiction" part.

Back in the 80's...

Among those people there were some that worked at HP and/or had some insight as to new products, modules, etc., and lo and behold, at one of those gatherings someone wished to show us all an HP-41C fitted with a beta GPS ROM module.


Best regards.
V.
 

I'm a little light on my history but I recall that Corvallis Micro Technologies (CMT) was started by ex-HP Corvallis engineers. They made at least 2 products that plugged into HP-41 ports, the CMT-200 Data Acquisition and Control unit, and the CMT-300 Multimeter. As the market changed they started making Field Data Recorders for harsh environments, the MC-V was a staple in the forest industry in the Pacific Northwest. The MC-V morphed into the MC-GPS, a very capable mapping grade GPS receiver. One of the options for the MC-V/MC-GPS was HP-41 emulation firmware.

Speculation: Perhaps CMT was experimenting with GPS in the late '80s and you saw a very early version of CMT's work on the 41.

More on topic:
Instead of trying to fit a GPS receiver and antenna into a module, how about using a defunct card reader case? It would provide better options for an optimal antenna mount and provide more room to fit the GPS engine, including space for a separate battery for the GPS.