HP32SII Emulator

[D.W.]

Does anyone know if a life-like emulator exists for the now-extinct HP32SII which is as realistic as the fantastic HP41 emulator. And if a good HP32SII emulator exists where can it be found?

[Randy Sloyer]

While my knowledge of HP emulators is not the broadest, I do know that if one existed, it could only be a rough facsimile. The creator would have to write the entire program from scratch as there is no way that I am aware of to access the microcode contained in the 32Sii. Even if you could find a hidden entry point, you would have to hand transcribe the image as the unit has no printing ability.

Most all of the very faithful to the original emulators out there are processor simulation engines that run on top of an image of the original HP microcode. This is how the 28,41,42 and 48 series machine emulators work.

Anyway you go with a project of this complexity, it's a pretty tough nut to crack.

[Patrick]

I know I'm asking a lot, but wouldn't it be possible to take the ROM chip from a defunct unit and put it into a piece of hardware that could read out its guts?

This would be a great breadboard project for a first year EE student! Do we know enough about the ROM package (electrically) for someone to accomplish this?

[Nelson M. Sicuro (Brazil)]

I think that the ROM is inside the Saturn CPU, so it will be impossible to get it - but I don't know it for shure.

Good luck!

Nelson

[Christoph Giesselink]

As somebody know, there is a HP32SII emulator, but because of the ROM image problem Randy wrote about, it isn't available. The ROM image can't be uploaded from an original calculator, so we must wait that HP makes a copy of the ROM image available.

BTW, the HP32SII use the Sacajawea 1LR3 chip, another chip of the Saturn family chips, quite similar to the Lewis 1LR2 chip. The HP32SII is fully programmed in assembler, no RPL code inside.

Regards

Christoph