Threaded Mode | Linear Mode

SamE · 04-26-2018, 01:46 PM

Is there any software for modern computers that will interface with a 48SX? I have a 48 to USB adapter, but haven't found any software for it.

DavidM · (This post was last modified: 04-26-2018 03:50 PM by DavidM.)

(04-26-2018 01:46 PM)SamE Wrote: Is there any software for modern computers that will interface with a 48SX? I have a 48 to USB adapter, but haven't found any software for it.

I use a program called HPComm on my Win7 laptop, available here. I've linked to the version I use with the 48sx. I no longer remember why, but I couldn't use the newer version of the program. While the interface of version 2.4 is dated, it is at least still functional on my system.

The biggest issue I'm aware of with this version of HPComm is that it appears to only support COM ports 1-4. This works OK for me, as I have a real serial port on my laptop's docking station that shows up as COM1. The USB/serial adapter I have shows up as COM9, so it's not accessible from HPComm with my setup.

Edit addition: the USB/serial adapter can be reassigned to an unused port in the 1-4 range (I just tried it with COM2). This allowed HPComm to communicate successfully through that adapter in addition to the existing serial port.

There's probably other solutions as well, this is just the particular setup I use to communicate with the 48sx.

**rprosperi** · 04-26-2018, 04:00 PM

(04-26-2018 02:46 PM)DavidM Wrote:
(04-26-2018 01:46 PM)SamE Wrote: Is there any software for modern computers that will interface with a 48SX? I have a 48 to USB adapter, but haven't found any software for it.

I use a program called HPComm on my Win7 laptop, available here. I've linked to the version I use with the 48sx. I no longer remember why, but I couldn't use the newer version of the program. While the interface of version 2.4 is dated, it is at least still functional on my system.

The biggest issue I'm aware of with this version of HPComm is that it appears to only support COM ports 1-4. This works OK for me, as I have a real serial port on my laptop's docking station that shows up as COM1. The USB/serial adapter I have shows up as COM9, so it's not accessible from HPComm with my setup.

There's probably other solutions as well, this is just the particular setup I use to communicate with the 48sx.

The older (v3) version of HP's Connkit also supports the 48SX, and can be found here:

https://www.educalc.net/1047482.page

In addition, the 3rd-party program "Transfile Win 48" does as well, and can be found for sale on eBay. I've also seen this included in some collections of '48 freeware' though I don't know for sure if it actually is free to distribute, so I recommend the purchase, it is not expensive.

@DavidM - regarding the COM port number for USB connections; you can typically assign the COM port number in the USB driver settings page, accessed via Win-7 Device Manager. Though details can vary among chipsets, on mine current PIL-Box setup (FTDI chipset), this is accessed in Device Manager as follows:

Right-click on "USB Serial Port (COM5)" under Ports
Click Properties in the menu that opens
Click on Port Settings tab
Click "Advanced" button
Choose COM PORT number from the drop-down list

On FTDI settings, it will allow setting the port number up to 256, and will also show you the ports currently "in use", which really means that drivers are installed, and not necessarily actively being used.

Dave Britten · 04-26-2018, 04:11 PM

Any serial communication software that supports Kermit file transfers will do the trick. I'm pretty sure that includes Tera Term.

DavidM · 04-26-2018, 04:43 PM

(04-26-2018 04:00 PM)rprosperi Wrote: The older (v3) version of HP's Connkit also supports the 48SX, and can be found here:

https://www.educalc.net/1047482.page

Hey Bob -

I just tried that app both with COM1 (serial port) and COM2 (USB/Serial adapter), and couldn't see any way to make it connect with my 48sx. The built-in help is sparse, and doesn't mention anything about connecting to systems other than the specified 40gs/39g/39g+. I couldn't see anything relevant to connecting with other systems.

Would you be able to provide a brief overview of the steps you take to establish a connection? I'm not seeing any menu items or controls that would initiate communication, and the panes in the main window simply show the PC's local file system hierarchy.

(04-26-2018 04:00 PM)rprosperi Wrote: @DavidM - regarding the COM port number for USB connections; you can typically assign the COM port number in the USB driver settings page, accessed via Win-7 Device Manager...

Thanks, Bob. I actually updated my original post, probably as you were typing up your response. Yes, I was able to change the assigned port of my USB/Serial adapter to COM2 successfully. HPComm worked with it in the same fashion as the docking station's serial port.

**rprosperi** · 04-26-2018, 05:07 PM

(04-26-2018 04:43 PM)DavidM Wrote: Would you be able to provide a brief overview of the steps you take to establish a connection? I'm not seeing any menu items or controls that would initiate communication, and the panes in the main window simply show the PC's local file system hierarchy.

Upon launching conn3x, it pops-up a dialog with instructions on key-sequence to initiate server mode (on the 48SX, [Rt-Shift] [PRG]), then click OK, and conn3x then proceeds to open.

In the lower-right pane, it prompts "Doubleclick to try to reconnect". Doing so launches the splash screen again, you can see traffic on the machine, and the conn3x app opens with PC folder tree/folder contents in upper Left/Right, and 48SX Home folder/contents in lower Left/Right panes. This takes more than a few seconds.

One can then drag-and-drop items from the PC to the 48SX; a transfer progress dialog opens and shows packet-by-packet progress. One can also remotely delete files, etc.

Notes:

I'm using V3.0r4
The COM port must be properly set upon program entry, as I don't believe there is a 'Connect now' feature, though clicking the "Doubleclick to try to reconnect" prompt may have been the intended way to do so.

DavidM · 04-26-2018, 06:47 PM

(04-26-2018 05:07 PM)rprosperi Wrote: Notes:

I'm using V3.0r4
The COM port must be properly set upon program entry...

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something (wouldn't be the first time!). The version you originally linked appears to be CONNX3 Version 2.1 Build 1330, and from what I've seen it simply doesn't support communicating with the 48 or 49 series at all.

The only thing I see with a version of 3.0r4 is the newer version of HPComm, which is available from other sources. The installer for 3.0r4 doesn't seem to work on my Win7 system (have tried with a variety of compatibility modes, with and without "Run as administrator" chosen). The included InstallShield setup.exe starts, then simply locks up before anything is ever displayed. I believe that was the original problem I had when I tried this before, which is why I had to resort to the earlier version of HPComm in the first place.

After some extended arm-twisting, I've been able to try HPComm 3.0r4 on my laptop by installing it on an "XP Mode" instance, then copying the folder it created for the app over to my native Win7 System. Though doing it this way has bypassed the usual O/S support for updating the "installed applications" data (and setting up the uninstaller), the app does at least appear to function as was originally designed. I'm pretty sure this is simply the updated version of the HPComm I already had, so I'm already familiar with its use.

Thanks for the pointer about the version you have, that was a nice clue to help see where the disconnect occurred.

**rprosperi** · 04-26-2018, 10:46 PM

(04-26-2018 06:47 PM)DavidM Wrote: Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something (wouldn't be the first time!). The version you originally linked appears to be CONNX3 Version 2.1 Build 1330, and from what I've seen it simply doesn't support communicating with the 48 or 49 series at all.

The only thing I see with a version of 3.0r4 is the newer version of HPComm, which is available from other sources. The installer for 3.0r4 doesn't seem to work on my Win7 system (have tried with a variety of compatibility modes, with and without "Run as administrator" chosen). The included InstallShield setup.exe starts, then simply locks up before anything is ever displayed. I believe that was the original problem I had when I tried this before, which is why I had to resort to the earlier version of HPComm in the first place.

You are completely right, the link I posted was misfiled, that is for an older version of conn3x. I'm not sure where the HPComm 3.0r4 I have came from, I was pretty sure it was from Educalc.net but clearly not; you're likely right that it came from hpcalc.org Sorry for the bad link.

I've used this version for so long, I've come to think of it as Conn3x, but I guess it actually is not.

One trick to get older programs to install onto Win-7 is to simply set XP Compatibility mode for the installer .exe file (set on the Properties...Compatibility tab); often just tricking the installer into believing it's on XP is enough to get the app installed (I'm using Win-7 Pro x64) and working properly.

DavidM · 04-26-2018, 11:02 PM

(04-26-2018 10:46 PM)rprosperi Wrote: One trick to get older programs to install onto Win-7 is to simply set XP Compatibility mode for the installer .exe file (set on the Properties...Compatibility tab); often just tricking the installer into believing it's on XP is enough to get the app installed (I'm using Win-7 Pro x64) and working properly.

I tried every combination of compatibility modes (with "Run as Administrator") available. No dice. Even when running the installer in the XP Mode instance, an error occurred indicating a file couldn't be created. The reported file path was collapsed with an ellipsis, so I wasn't able to tell what the attempted location was. But at least in that case, I was presented with an "ignore" option (which I chose). That's how I was able to obtain the final installed version of the subdirectory. It appears to work without issue at present, so I'm OK with it.

One other common issue I've seen with older installers like this is that they sometimes aren't able to successfully check the amount of available space on today's larger hard drives. In effect, they end up with negative values for the available space and don't always handle that situation very gracefully. I wonder if that's part of what is going on with this one.

In any event, thanks for the pointer to app. It caused me to make another attempt to get it installed, and I was at least able to get it running this time!

**rprosperi** · 04-27-2018, 01:39 AM

(04-26-2018 11:02 PM)DavidM Wrote: One other common issue I've seen with older installers like this is that they sometimes aren't able to successfully check the amount of available space on today's larger hard drives. In effect, they end up with negative values for the available space and don't always handle that situation very gracefully. I wonder if that's part of what is going on with this one.

In any event, thanks for the pointer to app. It caused me to make another attempt to get it installed, and I was at least able to get it running this time!

I have it installed on a relatively small drive (250GB) so maybe it worked for that reason for me. There was probably less than 100GB free space when installed, but I don't know for sure. Since you have it working, I agree, it's probably best to leave it alone... Glad the discussion helped! 48SX machines are too cool to not continue using, especially with the black LCD; I agree they're the best looking machines among all of them.