Thinking about an HP-41CL

[rprosperi]

(08-06-2016 05:33 PM)smp Wrote:  Trying to get into HP-41C programming, I am running into many programs that have synthetic instructions in them.... so, I'm wondering about simply obtaining one of the PPC ROMs. I believe it has a byte loader in it, so I would not have to worry about generating one, and I could get on with entering programs as I wish.

Is this a good idea, or should I simply cool my heels and wait until Monte has more 41CL boards available?

It appears that my HP-41C, along with my Quad Memory module, my Extended Functions/Memory module, and a PPC module might really be sufficient. Or, am I fooling myself?

It's hard for me to advise any 41C user not to get a PPC ROM; they are somewhat ridiculously priced these days.... but yes, this is a good solution if you are going to skip the 41CL, and only buy a couple of physical ROM modules; the PPC ROM has about the best bang-for-your-buck even 30+ years later.

If you will be getting a 41CL (which I do recommend without hesitation) then best to skip getting a real PPC ROM now, as the 41CL has this built-in, along with several hundred other ROMs. You will pay nearly as much for a PPC ROM as the 41CL, which makes the 41Cl a no-brainer... at least to me. Note this advice ignores all collecting and/or investment aspects of having a PPC ROM.


After conversion, your 41CL includes all the standard and extended RAM the 41 can handle, and all your ports are free to (logically) mount any combination of ROMs you may want. The only physical ROM to consider getting is the TIME Module, as this is required to provide the crystal needed by the clock functions, but this is only needed if you plan to use the clock and alarm features.