HP48GX and Meta Kernel

[Jeff Duff]

Hello:

I would like to load a copy of Meta Kernel (obtained from hpcalc.org)onto my HP48GX. I understand that the files are too large for the built in memory and a card must be used. I will have an HP 1MB card, which must be used in slot 2. Will I be able to load Meta Kernel using the 1MB card, or will I have to purchase a 128k card for slot 1 so that the memory can be merged before loading Meta Kernel.

Thanks in advance for any input you may have!

Regards,

Jeff Duff

[bill]

You need the 128 kb card and it needs to be merged.

[Han]

Quote:

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You need the 128 kb card and it needs to be merged.

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Alternately, if you have a 512KB or smaller card, you can install Metakernel in all the banks and use it in card slot one without problems.

[bill platt]

Interesting...so you mean that even though card slot one specifies 128 kB or less, you can put a 512 kB kard in there, and you will see ports 2,3,4, as well as having port one merged to sysmem?

[Han]

Quote:

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Interesting...so you mean that even though card slot one specifies 128 kB or less, you can put a 512 kB kard in there, and you will see ports 2,3,4, as well as having port one merged to sysmem?

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No, card slot one only sees 128KB. However, due to the hardware of card slot one, you must have all banks be bit-wise the same. Anything larger than 512KB might cause hardware problems in both the calculator and the RAM card.

[bill platt]

OK I get it now. However, that still doesn't solve the problem of *loading* MK.

I seem to remember that to load MK, I needed to have a card in slot 2 with the installation program, as well as the slot one card as merged memory....

Then again maybe that was the old way...I can't remember now.

[Han]

The reason Metakernel comes with an installation program is because it eliminates having to install the 3 libraries which make up Metakernel in the correct order due to absolute address jumps.

So long as you do not run any programs which reconfigure the card slots, you should be safe using a 512KB card to as a 128KB card in card slot one (or a 256KB card).

You can obtain each of the libraries separately by pulling them from Emu48. Make note of the order in which the library numbers appear in Port 1 of Emu48. Then install the libraries exactly as you see them in each of the four (or two) banks of the 512KB (or 256KB) card. Then turn off the calculator and move the card into slot one.