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MattGreer · (This post was last modified: 09-19-2019 03:28 AM by MattGreer.)

Received the newest member of my HP calculator family today. Everything seems in order except for the fact that (and I knew this ahead of time) the serial number sticker on the back is missing. I think I can get that from the calculator internally, correct?

I tried to perform a self test by hitting [ON] and [F4] simultaneously, but that didn't work. I tried [ON] [F5] to no avail. So I pulled out the paper clip and reset the calculator. A couple splash screens came on when the calculator booted, one was for Stat49 which I looked up and I see what that is, no big deal I think. Then there's this (see attached photo). What is that? Is that what's preventing me from doing a full factory reset? I'd like to do a system test on the calculator to make sure everything is OK but it seems I'm unable to do that.

Your advice is appreciated!

Thanks,
-Matt

OK, more of an update, found some hints on educalc.

Version HP50-C
Revision #2.09

With the calculator off I tried pressing the +/- button and hitting the reset switch with a paper clip but that didn't do anything either.

cyrille de brébisson · 09-19-2019, 05:12 AM

hello,

try reseting it with the delete (from memory) button pressed during the boot process...
does this help?

Cyrille

MattGreer · 09-19-2019, 05:27 AM

(09-19-2019 05:12 AM)cyrille de brébisson Wrote: hello,

try reseting it with the delete (from memory) button pressed during the boot process...
does this help?

Cyrille

I wasn't sure what you meant, so I held down the del key (the back arrow key) and hit the [ON] button, nothing happened. Calculator just turned on. I appreciate the help. Any other ideas?

MattGreer · 09-19-2019, 05:36 AM

Found it!

This page explains what I did wrong. Not the +/- key, but rather the [+] and the [-] key at the same time.

Self testing commencing!

BartDB · (This post was last modified: 09-19-2019 09:37 AM by BartDB.)

Hi,

The splash screen you are seeing the the MetaKernel. It was an add-on for the 48-series, but is included as part of the ROM in the 50g.

https://www.hpcalc.org/hp48/apps/mk/mk.php

You have 2.09 and might want to upgrade to 2.15
https://www.hpcalc.org/details/7097

Note that none of the resets will delete the flash memory (port 2). Any programs and libraries installed there will remain after resets. You would have to delete it manually.

However, the Equation Library and Periodic table are also stored there. These can be recovered though (they're included in the zip file with ROM 2.15).

So a "factory" HP-50g would have been reset with ON-F1-F6 with 'NO' to "recover memory?" and the following in the Flash:
PRTBL: Periodic Table L229
EQLIB: Equation Lib L227
EQLIB: Equation Data L226

Edit:
To see the internal serial number, type (in RPN mode):
256 ATTACH [Enter]
SERIAL [Enter]

NOTE: this is not the same as the external serial number (missing in your case).

-B

Claudio L. · 09-19-2019, 03:37 PM

Just wanted to add that the closest thing to a factory reset is to clear your RAM and clear your flash completely by following the section "How to recover to stock rom" that I'm linking to here.

MattGreer · 09-19-2019, 03:58 PM

Claudio, thank you so much for that information!

I did manage to find the information about 2.15. I was concerned about the bug reports listed on that page, however. Do you have any thoughts on that subject?

Claudio L. · 09-20-2019, 04:42 PM

(09-19-2019 03:58 PM)MattGreer Wrote: Claudio, thank you so much for that information!

I did manage to find the information about 2.15. I was concerned about the bug reports listed on that page, however. Do you have any thoughts on that subject?

Disregard those comments completely, any bugs in 2.15 are also present in the 2.09 you calc came with.

ijabbott · 09-20-2019, 08:34 PM

(09-20-2019 04:42 PM)Claudio L. Wrote:
(09-19-2019 03:58 PM)MattGreer Wrote: Claudio, thank you so much for that information!

I did manage to find the information about 2.15. I was concerned about the bug reports listed on that page, however. Do you have any thoughts on that subject?

Disregard those comments completely, any bugs in 2.15 are also present in the 2.09 you calc came with.

Does that include the IFTE bug? According to this thread, it was a regression introduced in 2.10.

grsbanks · 09-21-2019, 11:12 AM

I don't think there's much point in stressing over any of the bugs documented, either before #2.15 or after it. It's not as if they're going to be fixed any time soon so you just learn to avoid them or to live with them!

BartDB · 09-23-2019, 05:19 PM

There is a workaroud for the IFTE bug, a bit more verbose but you can use IF...THEN...ELSE...END

For example code that gives the IFTE error:

Code:

«

 'IFTE(X<1,X,X^2)' STEQ

 ERASE -3 3 XRNG -10 10 YRNG

 DRAX DRAW PICTURE

»

This one will not error and draw the required graph:

Code:

«

 « IF X 1 < THEN X ELSE X SQ END » STEQ

 ERASE -3 3 XRNG -10 10 YRNG

 DRAX DRAW PICTURE

»

MattGreer · 09-23-2019, 05:26 PM

I now have two 50g's... kind of by accident. And I realized after the first one that I really just love my 48GX. I hate hate hate pop up menus where I have to scroll through stuff. 48GX I can go directly to what I want.

A "GUI" interface is not always better! I don't suppose someone made a total interface replacement for the 50g to make it "look" like a 48, did they? lololol

BartDB · 09-23-2019, 05:44 PM

(09-23-2019 05:26 PM)MattGreer Wrote: I hate hate hate pop up menus where I have to scroll through stuff. 48GX I can go directly to what I want.

Set flag -117 to set the calculator to use soft menus instead of choose boxes.

ijabbott · 09-23-2019, 06:24 PM

(09-23-2019 05:44 PM)BartDB Wrote:
(09-23-2019 05:26 PM)MattGreer Wrote: I hate hate hate pop up menus where I have to scroll through stuff. 48GX I can go directly to what I want.

Set flag -117 to set the calculator to use soft menus instead of choose boxes.

That certainly helps a lot, although there are places where the full stack environment of the 48 series has been replaced with an input form on the 49/50 series.

cdmackay · 09-23-2019, 07:01 PM

(09-23-2019 06:24 PM)ijabbott Wrote: That certainly helps a lot, although there are places where the full stack environment of the 48 series has been replaced with an input form on the 49/50 series.

I have a note of a few menus to which you can get directly, with n MENU, including the 48's SYMB & STAT:

0 MENU # last menu, also ↰+NXT
1 # CST custom menu
30 # "white menu" solver
93 # HP48 SYMB
96 # HP48 STAT
2269 # lots of goodies
<libnum> # library’s commands

which might help a little.

MattGreer · 09-23-2019, 07:26 PM

I have to say I love this forum. You all are amazing and super helpful, thank you!

Yeah, when I saw I had to hit [SHIFT] [MODE] to get to my often used CST menu I had to ask myself, why oh why did HP think we would be changing the MODE settings more than using the custom menu? Maybe folks do change that a lot. Dunno.

-117 did it! I have my menu back! So happy. Smile

ijabbott · 09-23-2019, 08:37 PM

(09-23-2019 07:01 PM)cdmackay Wrote:
(09-23-2019 06:24 PM)ijabbott Wrote: That certainly helps a lot, although there are places where the full stack environment of the 48 series has been replaced with an input form on the 49/50 series.

I have a note of a few menus to which you can get directly, with n MENU, including the 48's SYMB & STAT:

0 MENU # last menu, also ↰+NXT
1 # CST custom menu
30 # "white menu" solver
93 # HP48 SYMB
96 # HP48 STAT
2269 # lots of goodies
<libnum> # library’s commands

which might help a little.

That's useful to know. Thanks!

Carsen · 09-24-2019, 04:42 AM

(09-23-2019 07:26 PM)MattGreer Wrote: I have to say I love this forum. You all are amazing and super helpful, thank you!

Yeah, when I saw I had to hit [SHIFT] [MODE] to get to my often used CST menu I had to ask myself, why oh why did HP think we would be changing the MODE settings more than using the custom menu? Maybe folks do change that a lot. Dunno.

-117 did it! I have my menu back! So happy.

Good news, there are ways around that! One could rewrite the unshifted function of a key to function exactly like the CUSTOM key using userRPL, sysRPL, or the library KEYMAN. I recommend using KEYMAN because I have heard excellent reviews from forum members. If you don't want to download a library, go with userRPL. I suggest checking out the APPS or SYMB key to rewrite over because most of the functions they provide are redundant.

Personally, I rewrote the APPS key using sysRPL to get my unshifted CUSTOM key.

Hope it helps.

MattGreer · 09-24-2019, 04:59 AM

(09-24-2019 04:42 AM)Carsen Wrote: Personally, I rewrote the APPS key using sysRPL to get my unshifted CUSTOM key.

Just makes me wonder what they were thinking when they set that up. Like one function would be used more than CST? lol