Question: 71B <-HPIL -> 71B

[john smith]

Hi all:

I've just been lent an HP-71B which has this interesting
LEX file in IRAM, port 0. Now, I would like to transfer
that LEX file to my own 71B. I don't have neither the card reader,
nor any other mass storage device, but both 71Bs do have
an HP-IL ROM plugged-in, and I've also got the required
HP-IL cables.

I would like to connect both machines via HP-IL, then
issue some command which would copy the LEX file from the
one 71B to the other, but I don't know how to set them up to
recognize each other, nor the required command syntax to
perform the transfer, so I would really appreciate if some
knowledgeable expert would provide some kind of how-to.
For that matter, I also don't know how to free "port 0" in
my own HP-71B, which I guess would be needed before
performing the actual transfer.

Thanks.

[Mike (Stgt)]

I assume you have an HPIL manual for the 71B at hand. There should be described that HPIL allows only one controler in the loop at any time. So one 71B should be set up as device _before_ connecting the loop. AFAIK you need a little routine on both 71Bs, one that converts your file to hex chunks and on the other a routine that converts it back to something useful.

At least that would be the way I'd try.

Ciao.....Mike

[Raymond Del Tondo]

Hi Mike,

I haven't checked, but would it work if done the following way:

1: Set target HP-71 as device.
2: connect loop
3: COPY LEX file to device

Regards,

Raymond

[john smith]

Hi Raymond,

"1: Set target HP-71 as device. 2: connect loop 3: COPY LEX file to device"

Thanks for the info, seems an easy procedure, but not having the manual I can't know how to perform the individual steps you mention. Could you please state exactly what commands are needed to do that ? I mean, something like this:

10 SET TARGET HP-71B TO LOOP(0)

20 COPY "MYLEX" TO LOOP(0)

you get the idea.

[Mike (Stgt)]

I did not touch my HP-71B for a long time, so I only remember the concept, not the exact commands.

BTW, you received the money?

Ciao.....Mike

[john smith]

"BTW, you received the money?"

What money ? What are you talking about ?
"You're not thinking I'm someone else?"

I'm a collector, sir, I sell *nothing*.

Just to keep on topic: is the newly announced HP-12C Platinum for real ? Is it in the shops already ? Any
differences other than RPN/Algebraic and 400+ programming steps ?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't hold a candle next to such
business models like old venerable Sharp PC-1421 (aka EL-5510) Business/Financial Computer, but still it might be interesting for completeness, if nothing else.

At the very least, if it does have 400 steps, it will be possible to program Black-Scholes on it without twisting your brain (needless to say, B-S can be programmed in said Sharp model in four lines of BASIC, effortlessly, leaving some 16,000 bytes or so free).

[john smith]

"BTW, you received the money?"
"What money ? What are you talking about ? "You're not thinking I'm someone else?"

Excuse me, Mike, my mistake. My web browser was indenting
your reply (to Raymond) incorrectly, and I thought your BTW was addressed at me, which I couldn't understand.

I apologize. And of course, thanks for your help.

[Mike (Stgt)]

No need to appologize! Without salutation in the message body it was not clear on first glance whom I addressed my BTW.

Ciao.....Mike

[Raymond Del Tondo]

Hi Mike,

yes, money received. Many thanks!

Regards,

Raymond

[john smith]

Thanks for your reply, Mike, but regrettably I don't have the HP-IL ROM manual, perhaps someone who does can shed some light on the exact commands needed.

What you say of only one controller active in the loop at any one time does make sense. As for the conversion to hex and back, I sincerely hope there's no need for that, because as the HP-IL ROM adds up to 50+ new keywords to BASIC, I expect it to also extend the functionality of many others, so perhaps there's some extended syntax of COPY, PRINT, or OUTPUT that allows for direct file transfers among 71Bs. Can someone please confirm if this is indeed the case ?

[John E Coplantz]

Try this

Connect the HP71 to the HPIL cables

Then type RESTORE IO endline
On the computer with the lex file type

COPY (file name) to :HP71

On the computer receiving the file type

type COPY :LOOP

Next press endline on both computers.

If it works both displays just blink.

[Ellis Easley]

That manual is on the Museum CD-ROMs.

I know it's popular to despise the profit motive, but not only does buying Dave's CD-ROMs help him pay for the website, it is also an enormous bargain!

From someone who has spent a LOT of money over the years for manuals for obsolete equipment acquired cheaply, and still feels he is coming out ahead.

Sorry if I sound defensive, but this past weekend I asked for a manual that I already had on the Museum CD-ROMs, so I'm doing penance.

[Rodger Rosenbaum]

John,

Try this. Enter the following Basic program into the source machine, naming it SEND71.

10 DIM F$[100]
20 RESTORE IO
30 RESET HPIL
40 CONTROL ON
50 REMOTE
60 OUTPUT :HP71 ; "RESTOREIO"
70 INPUT "FILE? ";F$
80 IF F$="" THEN OUTPUT :HP71 ; "OFFIO" @ OFF IO @ STOP
90 OUTPUT :HP71 ; "COPY :LOOP"
100 COPY F$ TO :HP71
110 GOTO 70

Turn on both HP71's; execute RESTORE IO and then RESET HPIL
then OFFIO on both machines. This get both of them in a
known state. Connect them with HPIL cables. On the source
machine run SEND71. It will prompt you for a file name;
type in the file you wish to send to the other HP71 and then
hit enter. SEND71 will prompt you for another file name.
Keep typing in the names of files you wish to send. When
you're done, hit enter without any file name and SEND71 will
stop. The destination machine can even be powered down, and
SEND71 will wake it up.

Rodger

[Rodger Rosenbaum]

I should have mentioned in the previous posting, when you
type RESTORE IO on the two HP71's, you will get a
"LOOP BROKEN" error if the HP71's HPIL port isn't connected
to anything. The way to avoid this is to connect a single
HPIL cable from in to out on the HPIL port of the HP71
before you execute RESTORE IO.

Or just have the two HP71's hooked together before you
start.

Rodger

[john smith]

Thank you very much for your detailed answer to my question. Same for all other people who offered advice, of course. I'll try all the procedures given next weekend, and will post whether I succeeded or not.

Again, thanks a lot to all of you, this forum is *really* superb !

[Rodger Rosenbaum]

John,

I was just re-reading your original post, and thought I would clarify a few points. I assume you don't have an owner's manual, since you say you don't know how to free port ram. The procedure I gave you for copying that lex file will copy it to main ram, and it will run just fine there. You could copy it to a free ported ram, and it might be safer there from a system crash. To free port ram, type:

FREE PORT(0), or FREE PORT(.01) or FREE PORT(.02), etc.

Then to copy the lex file which will be in main ram to the port, type: COPY FILENAME TO :PORT(0)
Don't type COPY FILENAME.LEX TO :PORT(0); the 71 doesn't use file extensions in commands. You can't have two files with the same name but different extensions in the 71. File types such as LEX, BASIC, TEXT and KEY aren't really extensions as in windows.

To see what's in a port, type CAT :PORT(0) or CAT :PORT(.01), etc.

To reclaim the ram, type: CLAIM PORT(0) This will also destroy anything which was in the port, such as a LEX file.

When you use SEND71 to copy the LEX file, you don't need to include the path in the file name given to SEND71; it will find it even if is in a port. SEND71 will send it to main ram on the destination machine.

[john smith]

Best regards.