HP50g emulator connectivity

[Neve]

Hi all,

I’ve been playing with the HP50g emulator for a bit, I have a real HP50g as well.
The real one connects perfectly with the HP connectivity kit on a PC or on a Mac running Windows (10) and the connectivity kit in a VM.
However, the emulator cannot connect to the kit. Maybe I’m doing something wrong…
The help manual stipulates that it can, and shows how to do it. But none of my 50g emulators have the necessary options available.

All Ports are disabled, and cannot be enabled…. See attached pictures.

Any ideas???

PS: On a side note, does anyone know if a MacOS connectivity kit exists for the HP50g? I can’t find one anywhere.

Thanks all

[3298]

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  the HP50g emulator

That's not very specific ... most people use Emu48, and I know the screenshots can't be from x49gp (which only has the main UI consisting of a calculator image, plus the context menu and two folder- / file-open dialogs added by me). Honestly, I don't recognize that settings menu; I'll resort to telling you what I do know about emulator import and export.

Anyway, on Emu48 (designed for Windows, but also works on Wine last time I checked), the easiest option for import and export of objects is in one of the menus. You don't need any separate program for that. For import, you can also drag&drop the file onto the emulator's screen, which does the rest of the import procedure for you.

On x49gp (which isn't compatible with Windows - but it is compatible with Linux and Mac), file transfer is only possible via the SD card. You can mount a folder as SD in the context menu that pops up when you right-click on the virtual screen; that creates a virtual SD on the fly from the folder contents. Alternatively, you can mount a file as SD, but the file would have to be a binary image with file system inside which is recognized by the calculator (FAT16 or FAT32), which makes it difficult to get normal object files inside. If the object is on a real SD card (e.g. because it was put there by the physical calculator), its device file (e.g. /dev/sdb) could be used for that option, though.

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  PS: On a side note, does anyone know if a MacOS connectivity kit exists for the HP50g? I can’t find one anywhere.

I'm on Linux, but since software availability on Mac is usually similar, I'll list what I use:
- Most of the time, I move files via the SD card.
- There is a third-party program called HPTalx, which talks to the calculator via kermit on the USB cable.
- Plain ol' kermit or xmodem in a terminal should do the job too. As with HPTalx, the port the calculator ought to show up as is ttyUSB<number>, or ttyS<number> if you happen to use some kind of serial cable instead of USB.

[Neve]

(07-09-2021 04:53 PM)3298 Wrote:  

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  the HP50g emulator

That's not very specific ... most people use Emu48, and I know the screenshots can't be from x49gp (which only has the main UI consisting of a calculator image, plus the context menu and two folder- / file-open dialogs added by me). Honestly, I don't recognize that settings menu; I'll resort to telling you what I do know about emulator import and export.

This is the official HP50g emulator from HP.
I’m not fond of Emu48. I find it too complicated.

(07-09-2021 04:53 PM)3298 Wrote:  On x49gp (which isn't compatible with Windows - but it is compatible with Linux and Mac), file transfer is only possible via the SD card. You can mount a folder as SD in the context menu that pops up when you right-click on the virtual screen; that creates a virtual SD on the fly from the folder contents. Alternatively, you can mount a file as SD, but the file would have to be a binary image with file system inside which is recognized by the calculator (FAT16 or FAT32), which makes it difficult to get normal object files inside. If the object is on a real SD card (e.g. because it was put there by the physical calculator), its device file (e.g. /dev/sdb) could be used for that option, though.

Do you happen to have a link? The one I found here https://sourceforge.net/projects/x49gp/
Is empty…

(07-09-2021 04:53 PM)3298 Wrote:  I'm on Linux, but since software availability on Mac is usually similar, I'll list what I use:
- Most of the time, I move files via the SD card.
- There is a third-party program called HPTalx, which talks to the calculator via kermit on the USB cable.
- Plain ol' kermit or xmodem in a terminal should do the job too. As with HPTalx, the port the calculator ought to show up as is ttyUSB<number>, or ttyS<number> if you happen to use some kind of serial cable instead of USB.

I’ll try HPTalx if I can find it.

[3298]

(07-09-2021 05:50 PM)Neve Wrote:  This is the official HP50g emulator from HP.
I’m not fond of Emu48. I find it too complicated.

I have no experience with that one, sorry. But maybe someone else on this forum does ... ?
My only guess would be that this emulator tries to do things in a way that isn't compatible with (1) the VM, (2) 64-bit systems, or (3) modern Windows security. I don't have any idea how to work around such issues, though.

But I do have a random idea: Does the emulator have an menu with an entry to directly import or export files, by chance? I mean one like what I described for Emu48. That would let you bypass the connectivity kit.

(07-09-2021 05:50 PM)Neve Wrote:  Do you happen to have a link? The one I found here https://sourceforge.net/projects/x49gp/
Is empty…

Yeah ... x49gp development has moved through several repositories over time. A couple of people contributed, and not everyone found the most up-to-date repository at the respective times, creating mess of branches and forks. A while back I got fellow forum member Claudio L. to merge the most relevant ones together and put a whole bunch of my patches on top of it. Since then, his GitHub repository is the best place to get it from. Eric also packaged it on his site hpcalc.org here. Regardless of where you download it, you'll have to compile, but that shouldn't be much of a problem. The Readme file knows the details.

(07-09-2021 05:50 PM)Neve Wrote:  I’ll try HPTalx if I can find it.

There is an old SourceForge site for it, but my browser doesn't like it (unencrypted only), so I'll point you to the hpcalc.org entry instead. This seems to be source only too, so just do the "./configure" and "make" dance. I didn't have to interact with the compilation process myself because I'm an Arch Linux user and the AUR has the necessary files to let my computer do it for me, so I'm a bit fuzzy on the compilation details - but this project seems to have a Readme file as well. Judging by the AUR entry, a few patches may be necessary to make it work on today's computers, but let's not get ahead of ourselves ... just see how far you get, and ask for assistance if the terminal responds by spewing errors.

[Neve]

Hi 3298,

Sorry for the late reply. We’re probably many hours apart.

Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is due to the fact that my laptop and my VM on the Mac are running Windows 10…. Who knows.
I just found very weird/unusual that both the HP50g emulator, and the Connectivity Kit are both officially from HP, and they don’t go together despite the instructions in the manual.
I’ll give the compilation a try.

I’ve installed Emy48 Version 1.63. But I can’t find a nice and good looking HP50g skin for it. Anything you or anyone can recommend?

Thanks,

[John Keith]

(07-10-2021 05:53 PM)Neve Wrote:  I’ve installed Emy48 Version 1.63. But I can’t find a nice and good looking HP50g skin for it. Anything you or anyone can recommend?

Thanks,

Give this a try: Real calc skins for EMU48

[Neve]

(07-10-2021 06:01 PM)John Keith Wrote:  

(07-10-2021 05:53 PM)Neve Wrote:  I’ve installed Emy48 Version 1.63. But I can’t find a nice and good looking HP50g skin for it. Anything you or anyone can recommend?

Thanks,

Give this a try: Real calc skins for EMU48

Thanks John,

I’ll try it.

Regards

[Mark Power]

For connecting to the HP50g to macOS I use hoppi which is on hpcalc.org.

[Neve]

(07-10-2021 07:36 PM)Mark Power Wrote:  For connecting to the HP50g to macOS I use hoppi which is on hpcalc.org.

Hmmm…. Interesting. Thanks. I’ll look into it as well.

Regards

[Neve]

(07-10-2021 06:06 PM)Neve Wrote:  

(07-10-2021 06:01 PM)John Keith Wrote:  Give this a try: Real calc skins for EMU48

Thanks John,

I’ll try it.

Regards

HP49 and 50g don't seem to be recognized by the version I have...
https://www.hpcalc.org/details/3644

[John Keith]

You may also need this extension.

[Neve]

(07-11-2021 01:21 PM)John Keith Wrote:  You may also need this extension.

Thanks again John, that awesome.
I just replace the original with this, correct? There are no instructions I can see.
It seems to work fine so far.

[Nate]

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  Hi all,

I’ve been playing with the HP50g emulator for a bit, I have a real HP50g as well.
The real one connects perfectly with the HP connectivity kit on a PC or on a Mac running Windows (10) and the connectivity kit in a VM.
However, the emulator cannot connect to the kit. Maybe I’m doing something wrong…
The help manual stipulates that it can, and shows how to do it. But none of my 50g emulators have the necessary options available.

All Ports are disabled, and cannot be enabled…. See attached pictures.

Any ideas???

PS: On a side note, does anyone know if a MacOS connectivity kit exists for the HP50g? I can’t find one anywhere.

Thanks all

I believe the only way to connect the HP-50g emulator to the HP Connectivity Kit is to use a null-modem emulator. The process is a bit finicky. It is nice to be able to use the Backup and Restore functions of the connectivity kit to have a clone of my physical calculator.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/com0com/
https://pete.akeo.ie/2011/07/com0com-sig...ivers.html

EDIT: I missed the part where said you weren't using Emu48, so the first screenshot I attached is irrelevant. I don't typically use the official HP-50g emulator, but I verified that using the null-modem emulator will allow you to connect to the HP Connectivity Kit. Once installed, you will be able to select a COM port from the Virtual USB Port dropdown down menu.

   

   

[Neve]

(08-08-2021 01:37 AM)Nate Wrote:  

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  Hi all,

I’ve been playing with the HP50g emulator for a bit, I have a real HP50g as well.
The real one connects perfectly with the HP connectivity kit on a PC or on a Mac running Windows (10) and the connectivity kit in a VM.
However, the emulator cannot connect to the kit. Maybe I’m doing something wrong…
The help manual stipulates that it can, and shows how to do it. But none of my 50g emulators have the necessary options available.

All Ports are disabled, and cannot be enabled…. See attached pictures.

Any ideas???

PS: On a side note, does anyone know if a MacOS connectivity kit exists for the HP50g? I can’t find one anywhere.

Thanks all

I believe the only way to connect the HP-50g emulator to the HP Connectivity Kit is to use a null-modem emulator. The process is a bit finicky. It is nice to be able to use the Backup and Restore functions of the connectivity kit to have a clone of my physical calculator.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/com0com/
https://pete.akeo.ie/2011/07/com0com-sig...ivers.html

EDIT: I missed the part where said you weren't using Emu48, so the first screenshot I attached is irrelevant. I don't typically use the official HP-50g emulator, but I verified that using the null-modem emulator will allow you to connect to the HP Connectivity Kit. Once installed, you will be able to select a COM port from the Virtual USB Port dropdown down menu.

Hi,

Thanks, that’s brilliant. Since I’ve finally succeeded in making it work the way I wanted, I’ve come to like Emu48, but I’ll definitely try that!!

Many thanks!!!

[Neve]

(08-08-2021 01:37 AM)Nate Wrote:  

(07-09-2021 12:52 PM)Neve Wrote:  Hi all,

I’ve been playing with the HP50g emulator for a bit, I have a real HP50g as well.
The real one connects perfectly with the HP connectivity kit on a PC or on a Mac running Windows (10) and the connectivity kit in a VM.
However, the emulator cannot connect to the kit. Maybe I’m doing something wrong…
The help manual stipulates that it can, and shows how to do it. But none of my 50g emulators have the necessary options available.

All Ports are disabled, and cannot be enabled…. See attached pictures.

Any ideas???

PS: On a side note, does anyone know if a MacOS connectivity kit exists for the HP50g? I can’t find one anywhere.

Thanks all

I believe the only way to connect the HP-50g emulator to the HP Connectivity Kit is to use a null-modem emulator. The process is a bit finicky. It is nice to be able to use the Backup and Restore functions of the connectivity kit to have a clone of my physical calculator.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/com0com/
https://pete.akeo.ie/2011/07/com0com-sig...ivers.html

EDIT: I missed the part where said you weren't using Emu48, so the first screenshot I attached is irrelevant. I don't typically use the official HP-50g emulator, but I verified that using the null-modem emulator will allow you to connect to the HP Connectivity Kit. Once installed, you will be able to select a COM port from the Virtual USB Port dropdown down menu.

Hi Nate,

The virtual COM ports are indeed recognized (COM7 & COM8 on my machine), but the connectivity kit doesn’t connect to the calculator. I may not be configuring the COM ports correctly.

[HP67]

It's been a long time and I don't have all the bits and pieces in front of me, but I was able to use kermit on several platforms. It's quite handy and worked great with my HP 48s and 50 gs.

Since you have a MacOS host I suppose there should be a kermit package available or if not it builds easily from source.

[Nate]

(08-09-2021 01:30 PM)Neve Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 01:37 AM)Nate Wrote:  I believe the only way to connect the HP-50g emulator to the HP Connectivity Kit is to use a null-modem emulator. The process is a bit finicky. It is nice to be able to use the Backup and Restore functions of the connectivity kit to have a clone of my physical calculator.

https://sourceforge.net/projects/com0com/
https://pete.akeo.ie/2011/07/com0com-sig...ivers.html

EDIT: I missed the part where said you weren't using Emu48, so the first screenshot I attached is irrelevant. I don't typically use the official HP-50g emulator, but I verified that using the null-modem emulator will allow you to connect to the HP Connectivity Kit. Once installed, you will be able to select a COM port from the Virtual USB Port dropdown down menu.

Hi Nate,

The virtual COM ports are indeed recognized (COM7 & COM8 on my machine), but the connectivity kit doesn’t connect to the calculator. I may not be configuring the COM ports correctly.

Sorry I missed this. I have to manually choose what COM port to use from the drop-down menu in Conn4X. The Automatic setting doesn't work for me. In your case it would be COM7.

On the EMU48 side, under File -> Settings make sure the COM port is selected under Serial Ports -> Wire. Here you should be able to select COM8 from the drop-down.

After that, I use the right shift/ right arrow shortcut to execute the XSERV command and then connect Conn4x.

[Neve]

(09-07-2021 02:32 AM)Nate Wrote:  

(08-09-2021 01:30 PM)Neve Wrote:  Hi Nate,

The virtual COM ports are indeed recognized (COM7 & COM8 on my machine), but the connectivity kit doesn’t connect to the calculator. I may not be configuring the COM ports correctly.

Sorry I missed this. I have to manually choose what COM port to use from the drop-down menu in Conn4X. The Automatic setting doesn't work for me. In your case it would be COM7.

On the EMU48 side, under File -> Settings make sure the COM port is selected under Serial Ports -> Wire. Here you should be able to select COM8 from the drop-down.

After that, I use the right shift/ right arrow shortcut to execute the XSERV command and then connect Conn4x.

Thanks Nate.

Unfortunately I tried that…. Not working for me…

:-(