Plotter Module - PRCL command hangs in EMU41

[jch]

Hello,

In an attempt to emulate the HP-41 Plotter module in Free42 HP-IL eXtensions, I'm trying to understand how commands of the Plotter Module make use of the Input/Output buffer.
I hoped the PRCL command might help, but unfortunately, on EMU41 this command hangs the emulator.
I'd like to know if this command fails on a real HP-41 too?

Best regards.
Jean-Christophe.

Edit: update subject.

[J-F Garnier]

(06-02-2017 03:45 PM)jch Wrote:  I hoped the PRCL command might help, but unfortunately, on EMU41 this command hangs the emulator.

I made a quick test in Emu41, that didn't hang Emu41 at all:
0 PRCL --> "PL:PLS PINIT" message. That's correct, there is no Plotter I/O buffer before PINIT.
PINIT --> "NO PLOTTER". That's correct too. But now, the Plotter I/O buffer is created.
0 PRCL --> 1.00
0 PDIR 0 PRCL --> 1.01 correct with the PDIR direction
90 PDIR 0 PRCL --> 1.10 that reflects the new PDIR direction.
25 PRCL --> alpha-string as expected.
26 PRCL --> NONEXISTENT as expected.

Are you sure you correctly loaded the 8k Plotter ROM?

J-F

[jch]

(06-02-2017 04:35 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  Are you sure you correctly loaded the 8k Plotter ROM?

Hi J-F,

NEWPLOT is running fine with PyIlper, but of course, something must be wrong.
May I have swapped both halves of the ROM? Could it be that I downloaded a bad module from TOS?

JCH.

[J-F Garnier]

(06-02-2017 08:39 PM)jch Wrote:  NEWPLOT is running fine with PyIlper, but of course, something must be wrong.

Do you have a way to make emu41 work with pyILPER ??
For sure it will interest some people here :-)

Quote:May I have swapped both halves of the ROM? Could it be that I downloaded a bad module from TOS?

The ROM must be installed in two consecutive even-odd pages.
In Emu41, you can check that the 4k ROMs are correct with the embedded debugger:
Ctrl-Z to enter the debugger,
c command, you should get '8: 17 PL-1A OK' and '9: 18 PL-2A OK',
r to return to emulation.

J-F

[jch]

(06-03-2017 07:21 AM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  

(06-02-2017 08:39 PM)jch Wrote:  NEWPLOT is running fine with PyIlper, but of course, something must be wrong.

Do you have a way to make emu41 work with pyILPER ??
For sure it will interest some people here :-)

Yes, I have. A somewhat twisted solution, but using only straightforward pieces:
1 Virtual Box VM under DOS 6.22 to host EMU41.
1 ComOCom null modem emulator to provide a couple of serial ports, one for the VM, the other for PyIlper.
1 PyIlper configured for a serial port.

I had to use a VM with Com port redirection as this is the only way to keep an MS Dos Int14 handler in our modern world, DosEmu doesn't fully handle it

Quote:The ROM must be installed in two consecutive even-odd pages.
In Emu41, you can check that the 4k ROMs are correct with the embedded debugger:
Ctrl-Z to enter the debugger,
c command, you should get '8: 17 PL-1A OK' and '9: 18 PL-2A OK',
r to return to emulation.

Got it!
I got '8: 18 PL-1A OK' and '9: 17 PL-2A OK', so I reversed the copy order of both ROMs, 'copy plotter2.bin /b + plotter1.bin /b plotter.bin' and now everythings' running as expected!

Many thanks, for your help and especially for all that stuff (EMU41, PIL-Box, ILPer) you bred!

JCH.

[Sylvain Cote]

(06-03-2017 09:49 AM)jch Wrote:  1 ComOCom null modem emulator to provide a couple of serial ports, one for the VM, the other for PyIlper.

I was not aware of this utility and it got me searching for the equivalent on Linux and macOS.
I have not tried it yet, but I found an interesting thread on stackoverflow: Null modem emulator (com0com) for linux
Thanks!

Sylvain

[jch]

I'm afraid I forgot to mention that I'm using a -slightly- modified version of PyIlper that does not check for the presence of the PIL-Box on a serial port.