HP Classic upgrade kit - Multi Emulator (updated list of emulated models)

[Harald]

Finally the upgrade kit for the classic series calculators is available. It fits the HP 35, 45, 70 and 80.
It is based on Tonys wonderfull emulation of all the HP LED calculators. Tony has put in a huge ammount of time and effort to make his PIC work with my board and I am very greatfull he did this.

Calculator models emulated are:
Classic series: HP 35, 35b, 45, 55, 65, 70 and 80 (35b is with 2.02 bug rom)
Woodstock series: HP 21, 22, 25, 25c, 27, 29c and 67
Sting series: HP 10, 19c (including printing to tonys PC software via USB)
Spice series : HP 31e, 32e, 33e, 33c, 34c, 37e, 38e and 38c
Topcat Series: HP 91, 97 (including printing to tonys PC software via USB)
And finally the HP 46

There is program storage for all the programmable models. It is best to see Tonys website http://www.teenix.org for all the details on the emulator and PC tool.

The pcb is fully supported by Tonys PC software and can be upgraded via the integrated flash tool.

Compared to PANAMTIKs Woodstock LP it offers no low power mode and no functional improvements over the original calculators (appart from program storage for the programmable models).

The first batch of 10 boards has sold. I have components, but am waiting for more bare PCBs to arrive from china. This usually takes two weeks, but customs is slow right now and the package might be delayed. So please be patient...

But the installation requires no soldering what so ever. The original keyboard and display drivers are kept (which is why low power mode is not possible). The calculator is upgraded as follows:

This is the new PCB that needs installing:


Open up the calculator:


Remove the original PCB by carefully lifting it off the pins and replace it with the new PCB:


If you would like to be able to communicate with the PC tool, you have the option of cutting a hole in the battery compartment:






Once you are done with the installation of the new PCB, you can start using your upgraded calculator. The top left button accesses the main menue. If you long press it, you will get to this screen:


From here you can select the calculator model, simulate a "program / timer (if applicable) / run" switch, store or recall programs and display an about message.

About message:


Calculator selection:


This is the HP 65 after running the user diagnostic program:


I have just now finished the first couple of board and they are ready to order.
The boards cost €79 plus shipping (8 Euros world wide and insured). The chunk of that is component cost, with a small fee for testing and assembly and another small amount that will go to Tony to compensate him for his time and effort on the software.

Please PM me here with your address if you would like to order a board. Within Europe, UK and Australia I would prefer bank transfer, but paypal is available as an alternative.

Cheers,
Harald

Edit:
The PCB comes fully assembled and tested. No need to do any soldering.
Unfortunately I do not have any overlays available. If someone with the right skill set feels inclined to design / make overlays and would make them available I would very much appreciate it. Unfortunately I don't have the time and skills to do it properly myself.

[smp]

I know that we're not supposed to do this, but... PM sent!

smp

[teenix]

Hi Harald,

Nice job, well done :-)

cheers

Tony

[Harald]

One more important thing:
The board fits the HP 35, 45, 70 and 80.

[teenix]

(01-03-2018 05:51 PM)Harald Wrote:  Finally the upgrade kit for the classic series calculators is available.

Calculator models emulated are:
Classic series: HP 35, 45, 55, 65, 70 and 80
Woodstock series: HP 21, 22, 25, 27, 29c, 19c (including printing to tonys PC software via USB) and 67
Spice series : HP 31, 32, 33, 34c, 37 and 38

Hi Harald

I had some trouble with the HP-10 with your controller, but this morning I found the bug and it took just an extra code line to fix, so your controller also has this model working now, including the printer interface.

Part of what confused me is that when the calculator is switched to PRT, the display switches off. I should have remembered this as I still get caught on my own MultiCalc. It looks like the calculator is not working but in fact it is.

Your controller will show "dIS ALL Prn" for the HP10 switch menu.

All updated files are available from teenix.org

cheers

Tony

[smp]

(01-03-2018 08:09 PM)Harald Wrote:  One more important thing:
The board fits the HP 35, 45, 70 and 80.

I figured not the 65, perhaps because of the magnetic card reader. What about the 55? I'm just curious...

smp

[Harald]

(01-03-2018 08:54 PM)smp Wrote:  

(01-03-2018 08:09 PM)Harald Wrote:  One more important thing:
The board fits the HP 35, 45, 70 and 80.

I figured not the 65, perhaps because of the magnetic card reader. What about the 55? I'm just curious...

smp

Not the 55 either. It has one (or was it more?) extra connection to the PCB. So while it is doable, it would mean a different PCB needs to be designed. The 65 would require much smaller PCB and I am not sure all the components would fit. The 67 is s completely different design, as it is technically a Woodstock.

I have had one request for a 65 board and none for the 55 so far. I doubt the demand justifies designing boards for 55 and 65.

Cheers
Harald

[smp]

(01-03-2018 09:34 PM)Harald Wrote:  

(01-03-2018 08:54 PM)smp Wrote:  I figured not the 65, perhaps because of the magnetic card reader. What about the 55? I'm just curious...

smp

Not the 55 either. It has one (or was it more?) extra connection to the PCB. So while it is doable, it would mean a different PCB needs to be designed. The 65 would require much smaller PCB and I am not sure all the components would fit. <...snip...>

Thanks for the explanation. I'm very glad to be getting this upgrade for my HP-45!

smp

[HP-Collection]

A very nice job, indeed.
I'm really thinking of buying such a PCB, but I quarrel with a problem: The calculator used can be selected by software, but multifunctional is unfortunately not due to the different key assignments of the different calculators. Do you have a solution for that yet? Or do you suggest to use only one calculators ROM?

[Harald]

(01-04-2018 12:03 AM)HP-Collection Wrote:  A very nice job, indeed.
I'm really thinking of buying such a PCB, but I quarrel with a problem: The calculator used can be selected by software, but multifunctional is unfortunately not due to the different key assignments of the different calculators. Do you have a solution for that yet? Or do you suggest to use only one calculators ROM?

Well, the obvious solution would be one overlay for each calculator model with all the functions, including the shifted ones, on it. If an HP35 was used, the overlay would hide all the original functions, except "pi". Of course this would have to be a non sticky overlay.
Unfortunately I don't have such an overlay.

[smp]

Hi Harald,

While I am waiting for my upgrade processor to arrive, I got to wondering: Does the HP-45 emulation allow one to access the HP-45 timer function?

Since I never had the courage to perform the crystal installation, my HP-45 remains a stock unit. I can access the undocumented timer function by pressing RCL and then pressing CHS and 7 and 8 simultaneously.

Does this work on your multi-calculator upgrade when the HP-45 is selected?

Thanks!

smp

[Harald]

(01-05-2018 09:05 PM)smp Wrote:  Hi Harald,

While I am waiting for my upgrade processor to arrive, I got to wondering: Does the HP-45 emulation allow one to access the HP-45 timer function?

Since I never had the courage to perform the crystal installation, my HP-45 remains a stock unit. I can access the undocumented timer function by pressing RCL and then pressing CHS and 7 and 8 simultaneously.

Does this work on your multi-calculator upgrade when the HP-45 is selected?

Thanks!

smp

Yes, it does work. Tony has implemented it. Timer mode is entered by pressing rcl enter.
The timers have better accuracy than on most unmodified HP 45s,
but they are not perfect. They are off by a few seconds per hour.

[smp]

(01-05-2018 11:17 PM)Harald Wrote:  

(01-05-2018 09:05 PM)smp Wrote:  Hi Harald,

While I am waiting for my upgrade processor to arrive, I got to wondering: Does the HP-45 emulation allow one to access the HP-45 timer function?

Since I never had the courage to perform the crystal installation, my HP-45 remains a stock unit. I can access the undocumented timer function by pressing RCL and then pressing CHS and 7 and 8 simultaneously.

Does this work on your multi-calculator upgrade when the HP-45 is selected?

Thanks!

smp

Yes, it does work. Tony has implemented it. Timer mode is entered by pressing rcl enter.
The timers have better accuracy than on most unmodified HP 45s,
but they are not perfect. They are off by a few seconds per hour.

Thanks very much for your reply.

I've been looking through Tony's manual for the multi-calculator kit, and I found a few pages in the middle of it that describe how to use the menus. I think they will apply to your upgrade as well? I also found the one page of notes that describe a highlight for a few of the calculators - and the hidden timer in the HP-45 was mentioned.

Does your upgrade contain all the HP-65 and HP-67 programs, too?

I am not clear about the other programmable calculators - what amount of program memory is available for them, or whether or not their programs are saved when you power off?

Does your upgrade default to the HP-35 on every power on, or does it remember what the last selected calculator was?

Thanks very much for all your attention!

smp

[teenix]

(01-06-2018 12:15 AM)smp Wrote:  Does your upgrade contain all the HP-65 and HP-67 programs, too?

I am not clear about the other programmable calculators - what amount of program memory is available for them, or whether or not their programs are saved when you power off?

Does your upgrade default to the HP-35 on every power on, or does it remember what the last selected calculator was?

Thanks very much for all your attention!

smp

Hi smp,

I thought I'd jump in to help Harald out.

Haralds module will work exactly as described in the MultiCalc manual except that there are no switches except for the ON/OFF switch. To get access to the switches for other models, a menu was created to access them. Each calculator has its own switch menu if it actually has switches.

For example, if the HP21 is selected you will see Deg Rad displayed as the switch selection menu.

The MultiCalc download at teenix.org has 150 HP65 programs and the programming examples from the HP67 owners manual ready to go.

The calculator has memory that can store and recall up to 306 programs total for the HP65 and HP67 plus a total of 320 programs for the other programmable models. You can save and recall them from memory.

The calculators function as they normally would, in that the memory is lost when you turn off the calculator, however you can recall the program from memory if you choose to. The HP19c, HP29C and HP34C will operate in continuous memory mode and are subject to the restrictions in the respective owners manuals.

The selected calculator will still work when next turned on, even if all power is removed. It also remembers the last switch positions.

cheers

Tony

[smp]

(01-06-2018 12:53 AM)teenix Wrote:  Hi smp,

I thought I'd jump in to help Harald out. <...snip...>

Hi Tony,

Thanks very much for all this assistance. Greatly appreciated. I can't wait to get my hands on Harald's upgrade board!

smp

[smp]

(01-05-2018 11:17 PM)Harald Wrote:  

(01-05-2018 09:05 PM)smp Wrote:  Hi Harald,

While I am waiting for my upgrade processor to arrive, I got to wondering: Does the HP-45 emulation allow one to access the HP-45 timer function?

<...snip...>

Yes, it does work. Tony has implemented it. Timer mode is entered by pressing rcl enter.
The timers have better accuracy than on most unmodified HP 45s,
but they are not perfect. They are off by a few seconds per hour.

Hi again, Harald. Just to finish off this thought, I will be very happy with a timer that is off only a few seconds per hour. Right now, my HP-45 is off by 4 or so seconds per minute!

Thanks!

smp

[Sylvain Cote]

I am using macOS, Linux & BSD's systems.
Is there a way to upgrade the board using one of these ?
If not, is there a document that explains the protocol used so I can write my own software that does it ?
My two VM running Windows 7 (32 & 64 bits) have stopped working after a Microsoft update and I need to rebuild them but I have no time to do it now.
Sylvain

[teenix]

(01-14-2018 12:43 AM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  I am using macOS, Linux & BSD's systems.
Is there a way to upgrade the board using one of these ?
If not, is there a document that explains the protocol used so I can write my own software that does it ?
My two VM running Windows 7 (32 & 64 bits) have stopped working after a Microsoft update and I need to rebuild them but I have no time to do it now.
Sylvain

Hi Silvain,

I have thought about publishing the communications protocol but it has become quite complex. I will look into it though once the software settles down.

cheers

Tony

[Sylvain Cote]

(01-14-2018 01:33 AM)teenix Wrote:  

(01-14-2018 12:43 AM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  I am using macOS, Linux & BSD's systems.
Is there a way to upgrade the board using one of these ?
If not, is there a document that explains the protocol used so I can write my own software that does it ?
My two VM running Windows 7 (32 & 64 bits) have stopped working after a Microsoft update and I need to rebuild them but I have no time to do it now.
Sylvain

Hi Silvain,
I have thought about publishing the communications protocol but it has become quite complex. I will look into it though once the software settles down.
cheers
Tony

Hello Tony,
Thank you for your quick response.
So it means that for the time being, I have to find my Windows CD's somewhere and redo my VM's.
I had to do it anyway, but this time, once its stable, working and locked down, no more Windows Update ever.
Regards
Sylvain

[rprosperi]

(01-14-2018 01:53 AM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  Hello Tony,
Thank you for your quick response.
So it means that for the time being, I have to find my Windows CD's somewhere and redo my VM's.
I had to do it anyway, but this time, once its stable, working and locked down, no more Windows Update ever.
Regards
Sylvain

I can load it and then ship it to you if that helps. Probably not sustainable over and over again into the future, but it may not be a while until an update is required so it could save you a bunch of work until you have time to rebuild the VMs.