BTW, when we are talking about ROM modules,

[Pavel Korensky]

anybody can share some binary (or HEX) images of HP-41 ROM modules ?
I am really interested about Diagnostic, Extended I/O and similar ROM images.
If anybody have some ROM images, you can contact me via e-mail

[David]

What can you do with those? Just curious?

[Pavel Korensky]

I want to use them in hardware ROM module emulator.

[David]

So for instance you could make a replica of a ppc module etc? Is that easy to do? I am also interested in picking up a few rare modules.

[Holger Veit (DE)]

>So for instance you could make a replica of a ppc module etc?
>Is that easy to do? I am also interested in picking up a few
>rare modules.

As long as the module is *passive*, i.e. a pure ROM, this
should not be too difficult. Some modules have additional
hardware in it, though; obviously the Card Reader ROM (which might still work for its "7XXX" emulation commands, though),
the HPIL module, the Time module, the Wand module, the
IR printer module, and the HEPAX module, to name the most
prominent ones.

For the PPC module, I am wondering though, whether it is
so attractive to have a replica in ROM - the code in there is not MCODE, but user code; so you could load the most
attractive things into user memory (I did this with MK and LB, for instance, until I had more powerful commands from the CCD module). From this point of view, it is meanwhile
outdated, and more a collector's item, and as such, one would of course not accept a copy.

Regards
Holger

[David]

"(I did this with MK and LB, for instance, until I had more powerful commands from the CCD module). From this point of view, it is meanwhile outdated, and more a collector's item, and as such, one would of course not accept a copy.
"

Yes this is true, but I still use my HP41 everyday, and ROMS such as the unit conversion in the thermal or petroleum roms would be a great thing to have (without using up a port because I don't need any of the other functions.) It's like buying a music CD....You only want 1 song, but have to buy the album to get it (and meanwhile get 10 other songs you have no use for). It would be great to have a few functions etc from different roms.

[Diego Diaz]

Sure, you can get'em. I did, just browse a little and they'll come up in several flavours...

I've even done my own one (flavour, I mean...)

That is, as the 41's ROM data is organized in 10bits words, and usual unit for binary info is the 8bit (byte) the original MLDL desing from Lynn A Wilkins, (published in the PPC Journal Vol. 9 Nr. 3 April 1982) used two chips, namely one 2732 for the Lower 8bits and one 2716 for the remaining upper 2bits, with a splitting-bits "organization".

Please take a look at: www.kuipers.to/hp41.htm, he's doing an amazing work about this issue.

and also: http://www.hpmuseum.org/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/hpmuseum/archv013.cgi?read=39344, another little contribution by my side.

Cheers.

[David]

Well.....that all looks like Greek to me. I am circuit challenged, hopefully one day an easier solution will be found.

[Diego Diaz]

Just to correct the link in my previous post:

http://www.kuipers.to/hp41.htm

Sorry Meindert :-(

[Meindert Kuipers]

I like Diego's approach as well, although bits are thrown away. That is not a big problem these days, but I remember the times when we were fighting to save every single byte. My usage of the 2 upper bits is more complicated, and requires an extra multiplexer, plus complicated logic when writing to MLDL RAM.
I am now at 2/3 filling of the CPLD, and still have to add bankswitching. I am considering to use Diego's approach when I am running out of CPLD macrocells, we will see.

Meindert

[Christof]

I would love a copy of the ppc rom- I'm not particularly concerned with serial numbers and boxes, more concerned with operation.

The PPC ROM in particular is very useful regardless of the programming language used to generate the rom as I don't always have 8K of storage (or whatever) to set aside for copies of the ROM :)

Add in the hpil/dev or ext/io and a few other hard to find roms and I would dearly love to have some actual *fit in the rom slot* roms to use when I need them.