FRAM71 : Threads, Articles, Presentations, Manuals, etc.

[rprosperi]

(01-17-2021 10:27 AM)dmh Wrote:  Why do you want a 1AAAA? Doesn't it have the battery drain issue?

I assume the hardware is identical?

Or do you want the whole set ?

It's a collector thing...

Obsession is never pretty...

[Sylvain Cote]

(01-17-2021 11:46 AM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  The ROM was quickly updated to 1BBBB, less than two months later according to the internal ROM timestamp, but enough 1AAAA versions may have been built and sold because HP released a specific addendum for the 1AAAA problems (and the standby battery drain problem is not mentioned).

Does anyone have the CARDFIX magnetic card or the probable LEX/BIN file in it ? (mentioned in the addendum)
I have searched in Joe Horn HP-71 Goodies, but did not found it.

[Didier Lachieze]

Sylvain, one link you could add to your impressive FRAM71 summary is the "FRAM71B Detailed Configuration Examples" document from Erwin Grabler that was published here.

[Sylvain Cote]

(01-18-2021 08:55 AM)Didier Lachieze Wrote:  Sylvain, one link you could add to your impressive FRAM71 summary is the "FRAM71B Detailed Configuration Examples" document from Erwin Grabler that was published here.

Hello Didier, summary updated, Thank you!

[Sylvain Cote]

(01-16-2021 08:35 AM)dmh Wrote:  Has anyone successfully tested FRAM71 on ROM 1AAAA?

I just successfully loaded 1AAAA on a FRAM71 (2015) module inserted in a 1BBBB machine. (s/n: 2410A00145)
Front port takeover module is needed to activate the alternate OS. (see HERE)
VER$ correctly reports HP71:1AAAA when the takeover module is inserted in port #1 (leftmost port) and HP71:1BBBB when the takeover module is removed.
Everything seems to be working.
Sylvain

[Dave Frederickson]

(01-17-2021 11:23 AM)Howard Owen Wrote:  I imagine 1AAAA machines are rare. I've never seen an HP71B eBay auction that called out that version.

My 1AAAA was acquired from eBAy half a dozen years ago and was advertised as having a defective display. I salvaged a CPU board from another 71 to create a 1AAAA frankencalc, so the I/O hardware is original and the display is newer.

The original display also had a ding* in the case, so ... two birds.

I have a FRAM71B I can plug in to conduct whatever tests you like.

Dave

* ding: Originally defined as a dent in a surfboard, but you get my drift.

[dmh]

(01-16-2021 02:53 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  

(01-16-2021 12:50 PM)Hans Brueggemann Wrote:  [...] the HP-IL module's ROM (as opposed to the HP-71B's SYSTEM ROM) can't be upgraded to later versions by FRAM71(B). this is owing to the internal architecture of the HP-IL module.

Actually, it is possible to upgrade a HP-IL module 1A - more precisely override with the newer version 1B. The newer ROM version (1B) must be installed together with the JPC ROM and placed before the JPC ROM in port order. It can then be checked in the VER$ that the HPIL:1B appears before the HPIL:1A and thus takes precedence. The reason why it works is too long to explain here and is not the subject of this thread.

It is also possible to do it without the JPC ROM, by moving the HP-IL module to port 6 (yes, 6!), this requires an electric modification of the HP-71B board, see here. I did it just to check it works but would not recommend this method.

Anyway, the best solution is to find a module 1B, they are quite common and not too expensive, and this avoids the problems of some modules 1A with the PIL-Box (these problems come from electric/firmware differences of some modules 1A, not from the ROM version).

J-F

Looks like I have a 1A IL module (based on the serial number, just arrived and haven't plugged in as yet) so could you please expand on what the issue is and how I can workaround it? Can I use the FRAM71B to do this? I don't want to make any electrical modifications.

Will the PIL Box work at all or what doesn't work (I just checked your website and it mentions a different firmware version for the PIL Box but doesn't go into detail on the issue).

TIA, dmh

[J-F Garnier]

(02-08-2021 05:04 AM)dmh Wrote:  

(01-16-2021 02:53 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  Anyway, the best solution is to find a module 1B, they are quite common and not too expensive, and this avoids the problems of some modules 1A with the PIL-Box (these problems come from electric/firmware differences of some modules 1A, not from the ROM version).

Looks like I have a 1A IL module (based on the serial number, just arrived and haven't plugged in as yet) so could you please expand on what the issue is and how I can workaround it? Can I use the FRAM71B to do this? I don't want to make any electrical modifications.

Will the PIL Box work at all or what doesn't work (I just checked your website and it mentions a different firmware version for the PIL Box but doesn't go into detail on the issue).

The issue of some (not all) HP-IL modules 1A is described in this document. A fix for a simple HP-71B / PIL-Box configuration can be enabled with a jumper inside the PIL-Box.

Note that, as I mentioned above, the problem can not be solved by overriding the HP-IL ROM with the ROM 1B using the FRAM71.

J-F