HP-48SX with 128k RAM card - what should I put on it?

[Nigel (UK)]

I recently acquired an HP-48SX with 128k RAM card in excellent physical condition. Despite the low-contrast display and the slowness of the equation and program editors I have a soft spot for this machine, having bought one new in 1990 and used it intensively for several years. I never had a RAM card, though - too expensive!

My question is: what should I put on the RAM card now? In other words, what's your favourite software for this machine? Something free would be nice, but that isn't essential. I'm potentially interested in anything - utilities, things that speed up operations, even games. I've looked at hpcalc.org but advice from users here would be really helpful.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Nigel (UK)

[Jlouis]

I can't comment for others softwares, but to speed things up, you can consider speedui or metakernell.

Enjoy your 48sx. I love mine.

Cheers

[Nigel (UK)]

(06-17-2015 04:57 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  I can't comment for others softwares, but to speed things up, you can consider speedui or metakernell.

Enjoy your 48sx. I love mine.

Cheers

I thought that Metakernel and SpeedUI both required a 48G, at least for the current versions. Are there earlier versions of either that will run on a 48SX?

Nigel (UK)

[Dave Britten]

GX Library is a must. It adds a number of list manipulation features from the G/GX.

http://www.hpcalc.org/details.php?id=2796

Also, I recommend Keyman, just to get the ->TO? command. This allows you to put a SysRPL "takeover" instruction at the beginning of a program. If you have a program bound to a custom menu key assignment (or a user key assignment), this allows that key assignment to work even if you're in the program editor, matrix editor, etc. By doing this, you can define a number of custom menus that you can navigate between. For example, I have my standard custom menu saved as CST.DEF, and a CST.BASE for number bases. Store the name 'CST.DEF' into CST to set the default menu (this prevents the MENU command from overwriting the custom menu definition; just put 'CST.DEF' back into CST to restore it). Inside your CST.DEF list, assign the submenu keys to use TMENU like this (a snippet of my CST.DEF):

Code:

{ { "BASE \<< 'CST.BASE' TMENU \>> } { "CHARS" \<< 'CST.CHARS' TMENU \>> }...

You have to build up the programs and lists on the stack so that you can run ->TO? on those two programs before stuffing them into the lists. If you edit any of this as text and save it, it'll compile out the takeovers. It's a little cumbersome to set it up, but having nested custom menus is really great.

Anyway, here's Keyman:

http://www.hpcalc.org/details.php?id=2819

I also recommend the Solve Equation Library card, which can be had relatively cheaply via ebay. You might be familiar with the contents already, but you get a nice equation library, TVM solver with amortization, and the multiple equation solver.

[Dave Britten]

A couple more I forgot about:

USAG
View arguments to any built-in or library command.
http://www.hpcalc.org/details.php?id=1927

FLAGBROW
Fast system flag browser.
http://www.hpcalc.org/details.php?id=2417

[Steve Simpkin]

(06-17-2015 02:36 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  ... Despite the low-contrast display and the slowness of the equation and program editors I have a soft spot for this machine, having bought one new in 1990 and used it intensively for several years. I never had a RAM card, though - too expensive!

I bought mine new in 1991 and have used it daily (or at least weekly) at work for the past 23 years. One of the best purchases I have ever made.

[Raymond Del Tondo]

(06-17-2015 06:45 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  

(06-17-2015 04:57 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  I can't comment for others softwares, but to speed things up, you can consider speedui or metakernell.

Enjoy your 48sx. I love mine.

Cheers

I thought that Metakernel and SpeedUI both required a 48G, at least for the current versions. Are there earlier versions of either that will run on a 48SX?

Nigel (UK)

Yes, so far SpeedUI needs a G+/GX .
Currently I'm preparing a new version which includes lite versions of the core libs, so it will even fit into an 48G with only 32K RAM.
There is a small chance that at some time in the future, a stripped-down S series version may be realized, but that depends on spare time and willingness;-)

For MK, the latest SX beta version is more than 20 years old, and needs a whole 128K RAM card, or at least one slot, if you have the ROM card...

[Jlouis]

(06-17-2015 06:45 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  

(06-17-2015 04:57 PM)Jlouis Wrote:  I can't comment for others softwares, but to speed things up, you can consider speedui or metakernell.

Enjoy your 48sx. I love mine.

Cheers

I thought that Metakernel and SpeedUI both required a 48G, at least for the current versions. Are there earlier versions of either that will run on a 48SX?

Nigel (UK)

Nigel, sorry for indicate speedui for the sx. Raymond is its father, só nobody better than him to speak about it.

As for MK, as Raymond already said, can be installed in your 128k card (as far I remenber it takes a whole 128k card).

Cheers

[Jlouis]

[/quote]Yes, so far SpeedUI needs a G+/GX .
Currently I'm preparing a new version which includes lite versions of the core libs, so it will even fit into an 48G with only 32K RAM.
There is a small chance that at some time in the future, a stripped-down S series version may be realized, but that depends on spare time and willingness;-)
[/quote]

Raymond, I'm looking forward speedUI for the 48g, It will be amazing. Thank you very much in advance.

J.L.

[Bruno]

What do you wan't to do with your HP48SX ?

Personnaly, I use it for programming my own tools in sysRPL/ASM,
and simulate/experiment 'things' using built-in applications or User RPL.

Even if I use my own tools, this could give you an idea on the type of tools that are usefull for programming :

My own libraries:

SysRPL/ASM developpement library : HPDL v1.1
RPL.TAB
Library splitter/builder : Library Tools v1.0
Hacker tools : System Tools v1.0b
Compressor : ROC v1.3g (designed for very low memory requirements, BZ require 10Kb to compress!!)
(Miscellaneous) Training Peaks v0.8b (To record sport training datas, compute and draw statistics)
DSPL CMD: A set of display commands
STR CMD : A set of string manipulation commands
STK CMD : A set of stack (and meta object) manipulation commands
LST CMD : A set of list manipulation commands
ARRY CMD : A set of array manipulation commands
GCMD v0.1 : A back port of a subset of the GX commands (more than the GX Library)

Public libraries:

ASM debugger : MLDL 2.0
Text Editor : MiniWriter 1.2

[Werner]

(06-19-2015 10:48 AM)Bruno Wrote:  GCMD v0.1 : A back port of a subset of the GX commands (more than the GX Library)

I'd like to see that one..

Cheers, Werner

[Bruno]

See attached file.
Library + source directory for compiling with HPDL.

Please be carreful, it's under development.

[Nigel (UK)]

Thanks for all the great ideas. So far, I've added Keyman, Ted (editor), Java (stack display program), and HrastProgrammer's TI-59 emulator (rather strange, that last one, but it works brilliantly). I've even got my HP-48SX talking to my Windows 7 laptop without problems! There's clearly a lot more to explore than I ever came across twenty years ago.

I've been sitting out in the garden this evening with the calculator. Under the evening sky the "dark blue on very slightly lighter blue" display looks clear and rather beautiful. This is a calculator for the great outdoors!

Nigel (UK)

[rprosperi]

(06-19-2015 10:48 AM)Bruno Wrote:  My own libraries:

SysRPL/ASM developpement library : HPDL v1.1
RPL.TAB
Library splitter/builder : Library Tools v1.0
Hacker tools : System Tools v1.0b
Compressor : ROC v1.3g (designed for very low memory requirements, BZ require 10Kb to compress!!)
(Miscellaneous) Training Peaks v0.8b (To record sport training datas, compute and draw statistics)
DSPL CMD: A set of display commands
STR CMD : A set of string manipulation commands
STK CMD : A set of stack (and meta object) manipulation commands
LST CMD : A set of list manipulation commands
ARRY CMD : A set of array manipulation commands
GCMD v0.1 : A back port of a subset of the GX commands (more than the GX Library)

Public libraries:

ASM debugger : MLDL 2.0
Text Editor : MiniWriter 1.2

Bruno - Thanks for sharing this great list; where can these tools be found? Some obviously are privately created, but I can't find many others on hpcalc.org and other common sites? For example HPDL 1.1 and Library Tools 1.0?

Perhaps as SX-era tools they have been displaced by later GX-level tools?

[Dave Britten]

Related question: anybody know of a library that provides all the "Menu 256" stuff from the 49/50? I decompiled and converted S~N once, but that's about it.

[rprosperi]

(06-20-2015 12:41 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Related question: anybody know of a library that provides all the "Menu 256" stuff from the 49/50? I decompiled and converted S~N once, but that's about it.

To get ALL the tools in Menu 256 you would need to use several sets of tools, such as Jazz on the Educalc Hacker ROM that Joe Horn compiled back in the day. I did this (build a '48 version of nearly all the Menu 256 tools) last year. Just about all of the needed tools can be found on hpcalc.org, but holler if you can't find them. I initially used Jazz 5.9 with Hack v8.0 but then later Jazz 6.8 with Hack 9.4 (plus some updated extra tools which Joe had added in to the earlier pkg). Both also include LIBEX V2.2g, a great 48G Library tool.

Lots of little challenges getting it all to work, but there's no better way to learn this stuff. HTH.

[HrastProgrammer]

(06-19-2015 08:20 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  HrastProgrammer's TI-59 emulator (rather strange, ...

Rather strange (1) that TI works on HP or (2) something else?

HP-41E and TI-57E should work on HP-48SX as well. Due to the small size TI-57E works even with the basic 32K of RAM ...

[Bruno]

(06-20-2015 12:24 AM)rprosperi Wrote:  Bruno - Thanks for sharing this great list; where can these tools be found? Some obviously are privately created, but I can't find many others on hpcalc.org and other common sites? For example HPDL 1.1 and Library Tools 1.0?

Perhaps as SX-era tools they have been displaced by later GX-level tools?

Sorry, my english is too bad, so it's possible you misunderstood me.

I wrote about all this tools, or at least modified existing one, this was only an 'exemple' list of useful tools for programming.
You can easily find a counterpart on HPCalc.

I've only published HPDL (some months ago on this forum), but nobody was interested in.
All my tools was compiled with HPDL.
ROC was originally written by Yann Collet, I rewritten all the code, corrected bugs,
and made some minor improvements, but never published it.
All the other tools was not published too, because of the success of HPDL... lol
These tools require at least a quick 'command guide' to be usable, so If some people
are interested in, I will make the job.

Attached, 3 libraries 'easy to use' with source code.

HPDL&ROC works on GX/SX
LibraryTools work only on SX

[Nigel (UK)]

(06-20-2015 05:38 AM)HrastProgrammer Wrote:  

(06-19-2015 08:20 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  HrastProgrammer's TI-59 emulator (rather strange, ...

Rather strange (1) that TI works on HP or (2) something else?

HP-41E and TI-57E should work on HP-48SX as well. Due to the small size TI-57E works even with the basic 32K of RAM ...

"Strange" in the sense that using an algebraic-logic calculator on an HP-48SX feels really peculiar. In every other way the behaviour of the software is exemplary!

Thank you for the pointers to the other two emulators as well.

Nigel (UK)

[HrastProgrammer]

(06-20-2015 12:35 PM)Nigel (UK) Wrote:  "Strange" in the sense that using an algebraic-logic calculator on an HP-48SX feels really peculiar.

Yes, this is a little strange indeed ... But CPU doesn't know anything about AOS and RPN anyway