Would the HP-15C Limited Edition Firmware Age Away?

[Greg]

The HP-29C comes up with "Error" the first time you run it as the microcode checks for a "magic number" in the RAM. At first power-up, normally in the HP factory for the real thing, you see the "Error". After that the CMOS RAM is initialized and all goes smoothly.

You may see a time lag initially as files download over the net. Each digit, and the "E", "r" and "o" are "digits" from the calculator's perspective, is a small picture. The first time the calculator displays a digit you haven't seen before, it downloads across the net. It shouldn't take long and once it's in your browser cache, it should be instantaneous. There used to be a technique of preloading files like this to get them to you before you ever need them. That's a bit redundant given the "install" link downloads them anyway. The main difference between "use" and "install" is the browser will keep the files with an "install". With "use", normal caching rules apply and the browser may free up space and re-download as it sees fit.

To use the emulators offline, choose the install link and then pin the page to your home screen. There's usually an option like that in phone/tablet browsers. There's an equivalent for desktop browsers (Chrome has "Add to desktop"). You can see it function offline by turning on airplane mode (or pulling out your network cable). If you saw "The application has been installed or updated" all of the files will be local and instantly available. I use the hp67u on my phone and a lot of times I'm in poor coverage areas or disconnected.

I do find it frustrating the first time I run one of the emulators on a new device that digits take a little while to come up. Usually it's something missing from "0.00" (eg "0", "." or "0." depending on whether it's a woodstock in 12 digit mode or a '67 / classic in 15 digit mode) or 2 ENTER 3 + giving " .00" then "5.00". I guess I'm used to it and tune out while it loads. It's normally only the first time but I'll have a think through the options to improve that.

The hp29u emulator is only 368 KB and it is hard to find a desktop or phone app that small. It might be worth clicking the install option, waiting for the message and seeing if that performs better for you. To uninstall, use your browser to clear browsing data for the http://www.sydneysmith.com site. That will free up the downloaded files.

Hope this helps.