43s status

[Kinma]

Thank you for the elaborate answer!

Since the Giant Gecko has plenty of ram for the free42, would it be possible to write a ram compactor? I haven’t looked at the source code, so maybe this is difficult.

The WP34 is optimized for low memory environments, isn’t it?
Is it difficult to port this to the Gecko?

[walter b]

(10-08-2015 09:45 AM)Kinma Wrote:  The WP34 is optimized for low memory environments, isn’t it?

You bet.

Quote:Is it difficult to port this to the Gecko?

Eric wrote above he wants to try. He's the only one who can do this so far. He didn't respond to your question - so the odds are high it's non-trivial.

d:-)

[walter b]

(05-01-2015 12:40 AM)Sukiari Wrote:  How much money would it take to hire everybody involved full time and happily at that, and to purchase all the requisite materials? Take this figure, double or triple it, and put up a Kickstarter. Who knows, it might be the start of a calculator company ready to assume the mantle of the old HP (the *quality* HP, not the printer ink company).

Quite an interesting idea - though with no investor showing up in 6 months it looks like we must bury it ...

d;-)

[Jlouis]

(10-30-2015 09:18 AM)walter b Wrote:  

(05-01-2015 12:40 AM)Sukiari Wrote:  How much money would it take to hire everybody involved full time and happily at that, and to purchase all the requisite materials? Take this figure, double or triple it, and put up a Kickstarter. Who knows, it might be the start of a calculator company ready to assume the mantle of the old HP (the *quality* HP, not the printer ink company).

Quite an interesting idea - though with no investor showing up in 6 months it looks like we must bury it ...

d;-)

Hi Walter,

It's a pleasure to see you back!

Cheers

[walter b]

(09-29-2015 07:08 PM)brouhaha Wrote:  We expect to have the new PCB layout completed soon, build one unit for hardware validation, and if all goes well build more units for firmware development. We expect to make units available to the WP-34s developers before year end.

...

In the mean time, I'm working on porting WP-34s to the XC-40 hardware.

Well, six weeks to go till year end - and counting.

d:-?

(Edit: To our sensitive plants - this is just meant as a friendly reminder that half the time is over between announcement and appointment - without the slightest bit of information about progress in that matter, if I didn't miss anything. No offense intended. Fragen wird man doch noch dürfen, hoffentlich. )

[Harald]

(11-17-2015 09:38 PM)walter b Wrote:  

(09-29-2015 07:08 PM)brouhaha Wrote:  We expect to have the new PCB layout completed soon, build one unit for hardware validation, and if all goes well build more units for firmware development. We expect to make units available to the WP-34s developers before year end.

...

In the mean time, I'm working on porting WP-34s to the XC-40 hardware.

Well, six weeks to go till year end - and counting.

d:-?

Come on Walter,
These guys aren't retired yet. They have to fit the development arround their day jobs.

[walter b]

There are more people on this forum who aren't retired yet, and it's not the first year end ... But you're right, let's keep the reality factor below 0.05. It's just another appointment so far - hope dies last.

d:-) (taking said reality factor into account)

[d b]

Eric and Richard have a tough row to hoe, without the resources of an HP to call on. They have to get it running flawlessly on Eric's nonpariel, in a robust physical form that can be duplicated economically. They don't get to fall back on endless revisions as a strategy.
They also have to choose individual parts that will be available for a long time or they'll run into the problem that Jim & Chris have in the NP-25, and HP had in the 20b/30b: the unavailability of one necessary thing.
I want a 43 too, but I don't believe that crabbing at them about speed will get it done any faster.

[walter b]

Alas, I don't believe that 'showing interest' by being silent will get it done any faster.

d:-/

[ElectroDuende]

(11-18-2015 03:50 PM)Den Belillo (Martinez Ca.) Wrote:  They also have to choose individual parts that will be available for a long time or they'll run into the problem that Jim & Chris have in the NP-25, and HP had in the 20b/30b: the unavailability of one necessary thing.
I want a 43 too, but I don't believe that crabbing at them about speed will get it done any faster.

Tell me about it... The company where I work based all their product line, about six-eight years ago, in a uC family (ST uPSD) that has been recently discontinued. Our product life cycle is quite long, and it has been a major challenge to update, not only the board designs to a new platform (Microchip Pic32), but hundreds of different firmware versions in just a couple of years.

Unfortunately, this is not something that you can predict... (well, we believe that PIC32 has good chances to be a long lived platform, but you never know...)

[walter b]

A minor modification to the UI:
   

LBL turned out being needed more frequently. So it will get a lot on the keyboard.

d:-)

[Erico Serravite]

Can´t wait to get this new calculator! Thank you all for this hard work!

[jebem]

I apologize in advance, but I can't find the features specification for the 43S calculator anywhere.

I'm not addressing the hardware itself (that is another story), but the math features to be included in the calculator.
Is it a WP-34S on steroids taking advantage of a larger multi-line display?

Can this feature listing be published so we can have an idea of what it will be?

Thank you all.

EDIT:

Just found the HHC 2015 43S published specification draft.
Is that all that is available for now?

[walter b]

(12-10-2015 02:18 PM)jebem Wrote:  Just found the HHC 2015 43S published specification draft.
Is that all that is available for now?

In principle, yes. There are, however, drafts of an Owner's Manual (190 pages), a Reference Manual (189 pages), and an Applications manual (59 pages). Pagecount is as it is now. It will change.

And yes again, it will be a WP 34S on steroids. The steroids are mainly from the display Eric and Richard found and used (see p. 25 of Jake's presentation for its specs). This fact alone allows for all the features shown there: softkeys, menus, matrix handling, extended alpha fonts, etc.

As I wrote here many times, the display is the crucial part of a good calculator nowadays - you can't do what can't be displayed. And what can be displayed can be done provided there's sufficient HW and SW supporting it.

If there's more you want to know, don't hesitate to ask. We'll find somebody who is able to answer.

d:-)

[Vtile]

I must ask .. where is Pi (<- ok found it <x.x> ) and the triconometric functions? Are those under softmenu? It is nice to see that there is dedicated complex key, it will carry a long way, also on fly polar to rectangular coordinate transformation??.

One thing I have wondered, why the number keys are the lower part of the keyboards in these smaller calculators. I would actually understand it if those were used in desk like computer keyboard, but the displays doesn't support such use since they are in same plane as keyboard and since don't offer much readability. Why the function and fourcalc keys aren't reversed like in this mockup picture. (Enter is just victim of copypaste). This way it would be better balanced when using with one hand or even two hands.

Edit. Does the R->P and P->R mean the polar to rectangular coordinate change. If so why it is split to two keys as it can be behind one toggling key and save one key to other task.

[walter b]

(12-12-2015 03:12 AM)Vtile Wrote:  I must ask .. where is Pi (<- ok found it <x.x> ) and the triconometric functions? Are those under softmenu? It is nice to see that there is dedicated complex key, it will carry a long way, also on fly polar to rectangular coordinate transformation??.
Does the R->P and P->R mean the polar to rectangular coordinate change. If so why it is split to two keys as it can be behind one toggling key and save one key to other task.

Trigonometric functions are under TRIG. Pressing TRIG opens a menu (like each underlined label will do). Then press one of the top row keys to call a function.

R.->P will work for one complex or two real numbers. So will P->R. Thus, a toggle isn't an option.

About putting numeric keys up: Well, you might have noticed this forum is ruled by traditionalists. There must be reasons why the overwhelming majority of pocket calculators are designed this way. And if you create a layout, please don't drop zero.

d:-)

[sa-penguin]

The simple QWERTY keyboard has variations for international use. Even in the "english" layout, there are variations - like Dvorak.
For something as personal as a calculator, provided the physical keycaps are all the same size / shape, it's just a matter of rearranging a lookup table to have any setup you like.
The old 41 series let you add an overlay, which covered the labelling on the faceplate. If you combine that with a case that lets you replace keycaps, you can have any setup you want.

You want numbers up the top? Open the case, move the keycaps, edit the keymap file, and you're done.

You wish to add or change 2nd functions of a given button? Then you need to order or make custom keycaps. Good luck with that: I think the text will need to be engraved, then filled with yellow paint.

This concept has ben raised before, in one of these threads.

[d b]

Vtile;
There will be plenty of room for that missing 0 when you get rid of the extra 7,8,& 9. Also, there are two divides but no plus. The other glaring one is something that someone said here many years ago. If you put the big enter key in the middle of the keyboard, it will create easy to find "high value real estate" around it. Since you're thinking about screen size; I'd guess you get diminishing returns on usefulness per line on anything above 5, but others, in other work might see that differently. The real decider there would probably be what you can get that will keep being available. -db

[quantalume]

(12-12-2015 05:56 AM)walter b Wrote:  Well, you might have noticed this forum is ruled by traditionalists.
d:-)

Speaking of tradition, shouldn't the order of operation keys, from top to bottom, be - + X ÷ ?

[jebem]

Because it is weekend.
I'm sleepless from my Friday's nightly flight back from yet another business trip to Brazil (this time was Curitiba).
And I'm not sure if I should go to sleep or stay awake and go for my midday meeting to collect yet another HP-19BII.
While I'm awake looking for some extra information on the HP-19BII internals, I have found more interesting pictures on the DIY calculators.

Following are direct links to some great high resolution pictures and information on the various DIY calculator iterations published by jdripper ( Eric at Brouhaha ? ) on Flickr:

Early DIY RPN calculators
DIY3 calculator in 3D-printed case
DIY4 Jul 2011
DIY4 graphic display evaluation
DIY4X Sept 2011
DIY4X new display adapter, Jan-2012
DIY4X using new display adapter, Jan-2012
DIY4X powered from USB, Jan-2012
DIY4X calculator originally designed for HP-41CX running Thomas Okken's Free42.
DIY5 calculator running Free42

Not sure if this was published here before, but if it was, this is a refresh.