WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Printable Version +- HP Forums (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum) +-- Forum: HP Museum Forums (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum/forum-1.html) +--- Forum: Old HP Forum Archives (https://archived.hpcalc.org/museumforum/forum-2.html) +--- Thread: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect (/thread-186570.html) |
WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Jim Yohe - 06-18-2011 When selecting the Help > Manual up pops an error message saying that the path is incorrect to: ...wp34s\emulator\wp34s_Manual.pdf when it should be pointing to: ...wp34s\doc\Manual_wp_34s_2_0.pdf
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Marcus von Cube, Germany - 06-18-2011 Jim, that's intentional. The help file is always in the directory the emulator is started from and carries the same name independent of version number. That's the reason for the small copy_manual.cmd script in the distribution.
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Jim Yohe - 06-18-2011 So, apparently, before Help > Manual works we need to manually run the copy_manual.cmd program so it will copy the Manual_wp_34s_{x}_{y}.pdf file from the doc directory into the emulator directory and name it wp34s_Manual.pdf. I ran the program just now and it put the "missing" copy of the manual into the emulator director. Works fine now.
If selecting Help > Manual is supposed to first "check" for the existence of wp34s_Manual.pdf in the emulator directory and if not found then runs the copy_manual.cmd program before attempting to open the manual, then perhaps the routine needs adjusting because it wasn't doing this automatically.
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Marcus von Cube, Germany - 06-18-2011
Quote:
The emulator knows nothing about the directory layout of the distribution zip file which in turn is different from the directory structure of the development environment. It simply assumes everything to be in one directory. I've no plans to change that.
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - Joel Setton (France) - 06-19-2011 I'm still seeing this problem. The directory from which the emulator is started also contains the file wp34s_Manual.pdf, but when I try to access the manual I get an error pop-up which says Windows can't access the file C:\Program.
Joel Setton
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - fixed an issue with spaces in path name - Marcus von Cube, Germany - 06-19-2011
Quote: Sigh, Windows... It's looking somewhere down "C:\Program Files\". I'll check if the help command depends on the fact that there are (no) spaces in the directory path to its location. Otherwise, the behavior will not be touched.
EDIT: The issue with the pathname containing spaces should be fixed now. Edited: 19 June 2011, 4:26 a.m.
Re: WP 34s manual pointer incorrect - fixed an issue with spaces in path name - Joel Setton (France) - 06-19-2011 Good morning Marcus,
I tried the new version, and it works! This level of responsiveness is really wonderful (we would never expect the same kind of response from HP).
Joel Setton
Re: WP 34s manual typo - fhub - 06-24-2011 There's a small typo in the manual for the TVM formula: PMT - I/k * [.....] = 0 should be PMT + I/k * [.....] = 0
Edited: 24 June 2011, 6:47 p.m.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-25-2011 Next error in the manual: the description of the stack arithmetic with RCL-nn and RCL/nn is wrong (doesn't matter for RCL+nn or RCL*nn)! In the given example RCL-12 it subtracts r12 from x (not x from r12!), so the x<>y in the following "corresponding steps" is wrong.
Edited: 25 June 2011, 6:30 a.m.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 Just to clarify: this isn't a firmware bug, the manual is wrong.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-25-2011 Quote:Yes, and there are still a few other things not clear (or wrong?) in the manual:
I'm just starting to experiment with the WP34s emulator, and if I understand it correctly then the SLV command needs 2 initial guesses (in x and y).
So what's now correct? 2 initial guesses (in which case the manual routine would be wrong) or is just 1 enough?
Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 Solve wants two guesses but they can be the same & if so it tries to work out a second itself. It will use whatever is in X and Y as the two guesses.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-25-2011 Ok, then the manual is not very exact about using this 'PMT' routine.
But what's confusing me even more in this routine is the NOP after SLV 01 with the comment "this step must be included since SLV acts as test". Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 Solve acts as a conditional test. If it fails to find a root, it skips the next step. This is documented in the 34c and 15c manuals, the latter is pointed to in the description of solve in the command table.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-25-2011 Thanks, now I understand! And I see now that it would be a good idea to find manuals for the 34c, 15c (and maybe also for 41c, 32s, 16c etc....) and learn so how to use the WP34s. ;-)
BTW, for a calculator which has been a financial calc in its original state, this TVM handling is quite complicated and also very 'primitive'.
Franz
Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 If you want a financial calculator, don't re-flash the 30b. I am never going to do as good a job on the financial functions as HP has done. I don't want to and I've little interest in doing so as a hobby. The TVM program has been included because Walter thought it would be worthwhile even in this primitive state. I tend to agree and occasionally have to estimate loan repayments and durations. The command as implemented occupies a total of forty bytes of flash. I can live with that much to provide this service. I wouldn't want to dedicate too much more to what is not and never will be a core function for a scientific calculator.
81fe: 1054 4d56 LBL'TVM' Anyway, I doubt we'd include any augmented functions in the flash image, however adding them to the growing software library would be worthwhile.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 Quote: Get the DVD archive of this museum. Worth every cent and it includes all the manuals you'll require.
- Pauli
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-25-2011 Yes, I've already extracted this XROM routine for TVM with the wp34s commandline version. :-)
Just one last short question: Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-25-2011 They are the console version converting internal characters into printable versions. [times] is not '*' they are different characters. Likewise, [^x] is a superscript x not the two characters '^' and 'x'. The printouts are exactly what is inside the calculator, not the usual short cuts people use.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Walter B - 06-27-2011 Quote:... as recommended in the welcome message of the WP 34S manual for long d8-) Our manual is a supplementary text only as stated there - I don't think it makes much sense to copy and paste what was written by better authors before. Walter
Edited: 27 June 2011, 3:33 a.m.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-27-2011 Quote:Well, I'm not sure whether I should agree or not.
Think about the following: BTW, my main reason were the errors in the manual that I've reported above, not the general quality of the manual.
Franz Edited: 27 June 2011, 5:59 a.m.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Paul Dale - 06-27-2011 Is this an offer to write the missing material for the project? This would be very welcome and greatly appreciated. Walter and I are just two people who have been doing this in our spare time for a couple of years. Unlike HP and other commercial ventures, neither Walter nor I are planning on making any money from this exercise so we cannot realistically pay for the kind of professional writing you seem to believe is required. Our available time is finite and not great so we have to take short cuts. Referring to old and readily available manuals makes perfect sense to both Walter and myself and it saves a lot of writing and proofreading effort. So if you or someone else is offering to write the missing manual sections, we'll provide all the assistance we can and be overjoyed someone else cares about the project to a similar level that we do. Otherwise, purchase the MoHPC DVD collection and you'll have the required reference material. As I've said before these DVDs are great value and worthwhile for any HP calculator fan. - Pauli
Edited: 27 June 2011, 6:18 a.m.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Gene Wright - 06-27-2011 Jake and I had offered to do just this, only requesting to get a word version of the current full manual. However, all I was given was the word copy of a much older previous version. The manual as it is now is a very complex reference document full of references to previous sections of the manual and is not easy to read, even by experienced users. Well, it is what it is. However, Jake and I were willing to write chapters in the style of previous manuals making as few assumptions as possible. Chapters on complex numbers, integration with examples, etc. But, I have not understood the seeming reluctance to help and encourage this effort. Because of this apparent resistance or a NIH reaction, we have done little in this regard. I think that is a real shame, as a much better manual with very few assumptions would do wonders for the spread of the fantastic 34s.
IMO.
Re: WP 34s manual error - Marcus von Cube, Germany - 06-27-2011 Gene, I would not mix the reference manual with the user's guide i a single document because there is the danger of diverging versions of the same material. So the "much older version", together with its fonts and other support files, should be fine as a start. Just take the formatting to have a consistent style and start from scratch otherwise.
Re: WP 34s manual error - fhub - 06-27-2011 Quote:Yes, I agree! I'm a mathematician, using and programming computers since about 30 years and so I would say I'm quite experienced, but when reading some parts of this manual (e.g. the tables of addressing modes) I have to put myself into a state of 'deep meditation' to understand anything ... ;-)
Edited: 27 June 2011, 1:05 p.m.
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