Some HP-50G Questions

[cdmackay]

(12-09-2018 02:04 PM)edryer Wrote:  Another interesting issue:

I always had a Samsung Micro SD Card (2GB) with a holder in the HP-50G, and when powering on there was always a three second or so delay before the LCD came alive and the Calculator functional. I thought this was normal...

I then managed to buy a 2GB "pure" SDHC card and used it in the slot - imagine my surprise when the Calculator started instantly!

It seems when using (at least in my case) Micro SD Cards + Adapter in the 50G there is a long delay to startup not seen with a straight SDHC card.

Both cards were formatted and "empty" to test.

There are some long threads on this, but I remember reading that one of the key points is to format the card as FAT16. If formatted FAT32 (which might be the default, for a 2GB card), it will take longer to read at startup.

My notes say:

• FAT16 is required for (re)flashing firmware, and recommended for startup speed
• 50g itself can only format to 1GB, but will happily use a 2GB card if formatted on a PC (FAT16)
• 50g will only use the first partition of a multi-partition card
• don't overfill root (or indeed any) directory, organise into sub-dirs, for better performance

I use a 2GB SD card, formatted to FAT16 (on a Mac). I don't have any noticeable delay when pressing ON (although I don't have much on the card).

Edit: I think microSD cards are always going to be slower than an otherwise equivalent SD card, as you say.