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Garth Wilson · 02-21-2021, 02:46 AM

I got a card reader quite a few years ago to have for housing an MLDL2000 or maybe something of my own creation in the shell. The MLDL2000 idea went down though and I now have a CLONIX-D module that's nearly full (having only 4K left which is not enough for the next ROM module image I would like which is 8K). Any need I thought I might have for doing my own MCode has also gone down, since Angel has provided so many great things in his ROM module images which dramatically improve program execution speed (and size) in any discipline. I've never even tried the card reader, since I have a couple of the tape drives that work perfectly, and I also have a double extended-memory module so the 41cx holds just about everything I could want, all at once. When I need more memory, there's always something I'm done with and can delete. I do keep hoping that someone will make something to install in a tape-drive housing to work with SD cards instead of tapes. This kind of thing could be built into a card-reader housing too, or a microSD card could even fit in the smaller modules; but if it's in the tape-drive housing and interfaced via HP-IL, all the file functions are already there (as far as the 41 is concerned).

Maximilian Hohmann · 02-21-2021, 01:36 PM

Hello!

(02-21-2021 02:46 AM)Garth Wilson Wrote: I've never even tried the card reader, ...

This is actually the only bit in Garth's posting with which I disagree: I have tried my two cardreaders and even replaced their "gummy wheels". But other than for the sake of collecting I see no use for them. If you want to seriuosly use your calculator there are much better ways to store your programs and memories in the year 2021, all of which have been mentioned above.
But I would not sacrifice a cardreader - unless it is totally beyond repair - just to obtain a housing for a modern storage device. I would rather go for something 3D printed instead.

Regards
Max

NB: I will never forget what a major PIA those cardreaders could be when you really needed them... No, I will not use one again for real.

aurelio · 02-21-2021, 02:57 PM

it would be useful to find a system to power the hp41 externally from the mains with a card reader connected, leaving the battery pack rechargeable in backup. do you know if it is possible or someone has already studied how to achieve this?

David Hayden · 02-26-2021, 02:54 PM

I'll mention another possibility: the barcode reader.

Sure, you can't save programs, but if you type the programs into your PC, you use HP41UC to compile them into RAW files for your emulators and generate barcode to read them into the 41C.

More importantly, you can generate barcode for all the other wonderful programs that are available as RAW files, or use the barcodes that Jackie Woldering created for many programs in PPC.

So basically, a wand means that saving programs is more trouble, but it lets you read far more programs.

Dave Britten · 02-26-2021, 03:16 PM

Yeah, I would definitely like to get ahold of a barcode reader. Is it possible to scan single instructions in while entering a program? e.g. create a notebook of synthetic instructions and enter them directly with your "magic wand".

Sylvain Cote · 02-26-2021, 05:17 PM

(02-26-2021 03:16 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: Is it possible to scan single instructions in while entering a program?

Absolutely! ... see Wand Paper Keyboard → Recto & Verso

**rprosperi** · 02-26-2021, 05:44 PM

(02-26-2021 05:17 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:
(02-26-2021 03:16 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: Is it possible to scan single instructions in while entering a program?
Absolutely! ... see Wand Paper Keyboard → Recto & Verso

In addition to the paper keyboard HP provided, there was a collection of common Synthetic instruction barcodes published I believe in the PPC Journal, though it may have been in a 3rd-party book (e.g. Jarret's SPME). Wickes green book includes bar code for the Byte jumper (and another ?) and also the full character set.

Dave Britten · 02-26-2021, 06:09 PM

(02-26-2021 05:17 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:
(02-26-2021 03:16 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: Is it possible to scan single instructions in while entering a program?
Absolutely! ... see Wand Paper Keyboard → Recto & Verso

Nice, I'd seen the paper keyboard stuff before, but didn't know if it could be used to scan in arbitrary (and synthetic) instructions while entering a program. Guess I'll have to put one of these on my shopping list. Wink

Dave Britten · 02-26-2021, 07:30 PM

The card reader I ordered arrived this morning, and seems to be working well. It's a ROM 1G version, so I think I'm safe from the VER/X-MEM bug.

Don't know how fast it eats batteries, but I stocked up on 24 N cells, so I should at least have enough to write cards for all of my most important programs. Wink

Garth Wilson · 02-26-2021, 07:58 PM

(02-26-2021 03:16 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: Yeah, I would definitely like to get hold of a barcode reader. Is it possible to scan single instructions in while entering a program? e.g. create a notebook of synthetic instructions and enter them directly with your "magic wand".

If you have one of Diego's modules, or a 41CL or other modern 41 upgrade, the cheaper (and easier-on-batteries) solution would be to use the ZENROM or other such module that makes all the synthetics as if they were not synthetic at all, so you can enter them directly from the keyboard.