Wp34s unit conversions

[Cristian Arezzini]

I just had to use the wp34s conversions in "real life" for the first time yesterday, and I had a problem with the user interface.
Basically, I had to convert a few values from cm to inches. I entered the value, entered the Conv menu, chose the appropriate conversion, and read the result on the display.
Then to convert the other values I had to do it all again, because if you try to enter another number, the calculator just changes units, keeping the same argument, until you press Enter or Exit.
Now, in real life it never happens that if, for example, you need to convert 12.34 cm in inches, then you have to convert 12.34 lbs to kg or whatever; it's much more likely that if you are converting cm to inches, you will need to convert more of the same units.

So I would suggest the following modification: you enter the Conv menu, choose the units, then press Enter to acknowledge the actual conversion you need; then you can repeatedly enter arguments and they are all converted, without the need to re-do everything from scratch.
Then if you press Enter twice, the calc could exit the conv menu leaving the latest value on the stack; or pressing Exit would just exit without modifying the stack.

What do you all think? I think this (or something similar) would be much more user-friendly in "real life" than it is now! :)

Cristian

[Walter B]

Ciao Cristian,

I'm not sure I got you right. When I do some conversions of the same kind, e.g. cm to inches, I work like this:

12,3

[f][CONV][C][v][v]

[XEQ]

3,4

[f][CONV]

[XEQ]

5,6

[f][CONV]

[XEQ] 

etc.

This looks easy enough for me. YMMV.

Walter

[Cristian Arezzini]

Walter, I just tried it again, and it works as you said - and it indeed is easy enough.
I could have sworn that yesterday, everytime I re-entered the Conv menu, it started again from the first item in the menu. I have re-flashed since yesterday, but I doubt anything has changed there - I suppose I was just doing something wrong. Again. :(
Anyway, it is ok indeed, just disregard my above post!

Cristian

[Marcus von Cube, Germany]

Cristian, which revision are you running and on which hardware? I'm still tracking down the lock-ups other users have reported.

The strange behavior of the CONV menu might be caused by just reading the values while still in the menu and then trying to reenter the new input value which will definitely not work. You need to XEQ or ENTER^ first.

[Paul Dale]

The conversions are designed to change the value in X rather than just viewing the converted value. The latter is useless in a program. The lower line display was a later addition and is useful but the primary purpose is still to do a conversion. Press XEQ or ENTER to convert and exit the catalogue.

I suspect your typing digits caused the catalogue to navigate elsewhere which confused things. Digits enter alpha characters and these cause navigation like all catalogues.

- Pauli