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dhe · 03-23-2021, 09:47 AM

I received my unit yesterday. ( I was very surprised at how light it was!)
I'm a visual learner. Could one of you folks that have everything going, put up a video that shows how to install and how to program, plus any extra tips?
It would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan

mfleming · 03-23-2021, 03:20 PM

(03-23-2021 09:47 AM)dhe Wrote: I received my unit yesterday. ( I was very surprised at how light it was!)

Funny observation: As part of the process of scanning a package into their tracking system, the postal clerk must also weigh the package. The clerk can't just place the package on the scale and scan it because the package weight doesn't register (weight in increments of ounces). So the clerk drops the package from a height of about 12 inches onto the scale, where the impact leaves a reading of 1 or 2 oz. Then he/she can scan it.

I suppose I could have used a bubble lined envelope instead, but I've seen too many package contents go awry in the postal system. Also of note, my supplier ran short of boxes, so someone is going to be surprised to see their order arrive in a VHS cassette mailer...

Sylvain Cote · 03-26-2021, 11:22 PM

(03-20-2021 04:52 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote: Lucky guys ... mines are stuck at the Canadian customs in BC, I expect to receive them somewhere between the end of next week or the week after.

Package has been delivered today! nice weekend ahead Big Grin

**rprosperi** · 03-28-2021, 02:52 PM

(03-17-2021 08:15 PM)mfleming Wrote: J-F informs that his Math2B ROM has a minor bug fix taking it from rev. 6 to rev. 7. I've updated my git repository with the appropriate math2b7.dat file. All further MultiMods from today forward will have this version of the ROM. So, here's a challenge for those awaiting their MultiMod - on arrival, update the Ultimate ROM collection with the new Math2B image. Here are the steps

[snip]

Now just turn the 71 on, type POKE "2C000","3", turn the 71 off, then on and use the VER$ command to verify all ROMs are plugged back in.

That's it, all done!
~Mark

@Mark

Why is a "3" used here? In all other cases in the manual, this value is a "1"?

Does the next bit convey some information that this is an update, or something like that?

Got some time at last to install my MM and was just reviewing the docs and posts so it's all fresh...

mfleming · 03-28-2021, 04:31 PM

Good question. Basically bit 0 of the value you poke indicates the ROMs in the 7 16K "chips" should be enumerated when queried by the O/S. When I added the so-called hidden ROM I used bit 1 to indicate that it should also be enumerated as well (if present). So, poke "1" you get Forth, Math, and JPC. Poke a "3" and you get ULIB as well. The value "2" is undefined. I thought it might be useful to enable the hidden ROM separately from the main ones.

You can flip the hidden ROM in or out of the address space as needed. One reason might be to bring in a set of LEX files, copy a few to RAM then switch the set back out again. My original thought was to provide drivers for the serial port sometime in the future. I'd be delighted to see if someone comes up with something more clever!

~Mark

**rprosperi** · 03-28-2021, 05:01 PM

Thanks Mark!

Very prompt reply and also very helpful.

I have installed ULIB (in an IRAM) as part of my standard configuration for so long I don't need to use the hidden port for that, however...

There are some LEX file compatibility issues, so I plan to use the hidden port to install the LEX files that possibly conflict with others, which makes it easy to simply 'hide' that ROM when using troublesome LEXes. This is much easier than disabling the fighting LEX files and then re-enabling them later.

Installing the MM and configuring my system to use it as I need it took about 30 minutes all-in, including one bungled attempt as I did not initially remove my batteries (Bad Bob! Bad!) and left a RAM module installed; I've no idea which, if either, was the issue but I note it here as possible hint if other folks have trouble with installation.

Off to update the MATH ROM to 7B.

This is very cool Mark, thanks for creating these for the community! Smile

**rprosperi** · 03-28-2021, 07:01 PM

ROM updated, I'm good to go, the process is amazingly easy and quick. Now to go tweak the contents of the ROM images, there's still ROM space in the JPC image and I use a slightly different ML program.

Some troubleshooting suggestions for others trying to do the update:

A. Do not connect the RTS line of the USB interface to the MCLR pin on the board. The manual suggests this is optional, but is NOT needed and will prevent the serial connection from working (it is used when updating the f/w of the board itself, which will most likely never be needed by most users).

B. You may have to power-cycle the MM board after failing to connect (pull the J2 jumper off for 5+ seconds, then replace) to get it to respond to the serial interface. Some have reported it's not necessary, while for me it was. This probably has to do with which USB/serial interface you use and the exact sequence of connecting things, but if you can't seem to connect, just power-cycle and you'll probably be OK.

The above comments were confirmed by Mark.

Didier Lachieze · 03-28-2021, 07:02 PM

(03-28-2021 05:01 PM)rprosperi Wrote: Installing the MM and configuring my system to use it as I need it took about 30 minutes all-in, including one bungled attempt as I did not initially remove my batteries (Bad Bob! Bad!) and left a RAM module installed; I've no idea which, if either, was the issue but I note it here as possible hint if other folks have trouble with installation.

I had the same issue when installing the MM in my HP 71B: I didn't follow the recommendations in the manual and kept the batteries in the 71b and didn't remove the jumper JP2. After POKE "2C000",“1“ no additional ROM was showing up in VER$.
I feared that I had bricked the MM. I removed everything, batteries, MM and JP2 jumper, and restarted the whole installation procedure as described in the manual and this time it worked OK.

mfleming · 03-28-2021, 08:26 PM

One low probability event (LPE?) that occasionally occurs when the MM is hot plugged or powers up after batteries are inserted is that the boot loader thinks it sees a Break condition (Rx input held low) and waits for a client connection instead of transferring control to the emulator. I have the input configured with an internal weak pullup, but with nothing connected to that input pin it might just look low to the boot loader immediately after a reset.

If the MM doesn't respond after the Poke command/power cycle, try resetting the MM by pulling the J2 power jumper, or by briefly shorting the Gnd and MCLR pins on the serial port. I'm going to summarize this and a few other things on a page of the Programming Pad document so it can serve as a quick reference guide/FAQ. As mentioned earlier, user manuals written by engineers tend to be waaay too long...

dhe · 04-02-2021, 10:06 AM

Hi,
Is there any chance one of you good knowledgeable folks could put up a video on programming, installing and using?
Thank you for the consideration,

wbvreeuwijk · 04-02-2021, 02:29 PM

Hi,

I received my MultiMod today and trying to load an image, but this part doesn't seem to work for me. I'm using Tera Term and get the prompt; I'm able to execute the commands. I've set the flow control to Xon/Xoff. However, when I use the "Send File" function, the terminal window prompts for commit after a few bytes. I then selected the binary transfer option in send file, and now the upload stops after 17386 bytes transferred.

It is probably something stupid that I overlooked.

I notice that I need to set receive New-Line to auto, as otherwise, I'm not able to see the output of the commands.

Any hints are highly appreciated.

**rprosperi** · 04-02-2021, 03:00 PM

Which image file are you trying to send? Have you examined it (e.g. with text editor) to ensure that it is indeed ASCII HEX data?

You should NOT send it as binary, send as ASCII (default) as this is what it's expecting (ASCII HEX string data).

I'd connect it all up, adjust settings (disable binary and set AUTO) pull the jumper to reinitialize the MM and then tap enter to confirm it's responding.

wbvreeuwijk · 04-02-2021, 03:41 PM

(04-02-2021 03:00 PM)rprosperi Wrote: Which image file are you trying to send? Have you examined it (e.g. with text editor) to ensure that it is indeed ASCII HEX data?

You should NOT send it as binary, send as ASCII (default) as this is what it's expecting (ASCII HEX string data).

I'd connect it all up, adjust settings (disable binary and set AUTO) pull the jumper to reinitialize the MM and then tap enter to confirm it's responding.

Thanks for the feedback Rob. I'm trying the first programming pad "J-F's Ultimate ROM".

I have tried sending as ASCII as well. Now trying using minicom. The first ROM I'm trying is ulib52.dat trying to load image 0. The dat-file is taken from the github.

wbvreeuwijk · 04-02-2021, 04:43 PM

I fixed my issue by switching to a different USB->Serial converter.

I'm now able to load the ROMs.

Thanks.

**rprosperi** · 04-02-2021, 06:05 PM

(04-02-2021 04:43 PM)wbvreeuwijk Wrote: I fixed my issue by switching to a different USB->Serial converter.

I'm now able to load the ROMs.

Thanks.

Great news, glad you got it all running. Very cool device, and now that you've got the update process down, you can start checking out all the other ROMs.

If you're an RPN fan (odds are high) try installing the C71 ROM. It's a great set of Voyager emulators (one is 11C / 12C, the other is a 16C). Takes a lot of ROM, but very nice.

Good luck! Smile

mfleming · 04-10-2021, 11:06 PM

The set of DAT files containing ROM images have been updated in the github repository. The python program (in the utils directory) used to create a DAT file from a BNI file is also updated.

The files are now a third smaller and load to flash faster as a result. Uploading a 32KB ROM image is reduced from about 52 seconds to only around 34 seconds. Just the thing for the impatient. I highly recommend downloading the new DAT files from

https://github.com/mafleming/HP71MultiMod

~Mark

Eddie W. Shore · 09-12-2022, 03:01 AM

Is the MultiMod ROM still on sale?

Thanks,

Eddie

mfleming · 09-12-2022, 12:20 PM

Sadly, no. The Microchip PIC processor used on the board is not in stock and not expected to be in stock until at least May of next year (Mouser) or just listed as unavailable (Digikey). Another shortage brought to you by the Global Panic of 2020 Smile

I am however running some VHDL testbenches . . .

~Mark

Eddie W. Shore · (This post was last modified: 09-13-2022 02:54 AM by Eddie W. Shore.)

Thank you for the update, Mark. I agree with you, 2020 has messed everything up, and I do mean everything.

Eddie

nickyvarian · (This post was last modified: 12-26-2022 02:58 AM by nickyvarian.)

(03-20-2021 04:35 PM)Dave Britten Wrote: Got my MultiMod today, and it seems to be working well, according to VER$.

I ran into an issue flashing a ROM image, and the terminal output went haywire, frozen on a "Commit?" prompt a couple seconds into uploading. I had to remove the power jumper to get the module responding again. But now the ROM table is corrupt - it's showing HARD on ROMs 1-5, which shouldn't be possible, and I can't figure out how to unset this. Is there some way to clear/reset the ROM table so I can start fresh? The MCLR jumper didn't appear to do it.

I am also facing the same problem as you.