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Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
02-06-2015, 08:26 PM
Post: #1
Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
Hello!

So I got my hands on a Zenwand (Zengrange, Serial No. D05675). It seems to work. At least I got it to react to some Barcodes and represent their content onscreen.

I have a few questions, before I venture deeper into this:

1.
http://www.hpmuseum.org/software/swcds.htm
mentions a "Zenwand-71 Owner's Manual" as content of that disc. I own Ed. 7.00 of the DVD Set but can't find that manual there. Am I missing something? I would like to do some reading. Can anybody help?

2.
I can find hardly any HP-71B related barcode links on the web which does not surprise me, but is disappointing nevertheless. I would have hoped for some programs in barcode form or software to convert listings into barcode. Anybody anything there?

3.
Can anybody clarify, whether there where indeed different versions of the Zenwand: One commercial and the other proprietory to the British DHSS (I found mine in the UK...)? Are they indeed different? Some of the commands I found "do something", when I try them on mine, others don't...

Thanks to anybody who can shed a bit of light on this!

Andreas
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02-06-2015, 08:58 PM
Post: #2
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-06-2015 08:26 PM)anetzer Wrote:  2.
I can find hardly any HP-71B related barcode links on the web which does not surprise me, but is disappointing nevertheless. I would have hoped for some programs in barcode form or software to convert listings into barcode. Anybody anything there?


Andreas

Since the wand is not from HP, and HP never published any 'standard' for how one should record programs (Basic or Forth) nothing popular ever emerged in the user community. I recall there was some mention in mid -80s PPC-COJ or maybe CHHU journals about trying to get this going, but I never saw anything come of it; the high cost was a factor too. The wand was used mostly by vertical applications, and many of those understandably weren't compatible with each other.

--Bob Prosperi
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02-07-2015, 01:53 AM
Post: #3
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-06-2015 08:26 PM)anetzer Wrote:  1.
http://www.hpmuseum.org/software/swcds.htm
mentions a "Zenwand-71 Owner's Manual" as content of that disc. I own Ed. 7.00 of the DVD Set but can't find that manual there. Am I missing something? I would like to do some reading. Can anybody help?

I was never included in the v7 and it's not even mentioned in v8.
Tony Duell posted some of the wand commands here.
I have two ZenWand and have searched several times for the manual but never found it on the net. 8-(

(02-06-2015 08:26 PM)anetzer Wrote:  2.
I can find hardly any HP-71B related barcode links on the web which does not surprise me, but is disappointing nevertheless. I would have hoped for some programs in barcode form or software to convert listings into barcode. Anybody anything there?

Like Robert posted, the ZenWand was made to read commercial/retail bar codes like code11, code39, codabar and so on.
Unfortunately, it was never made to support paper program loading like the HP-41 Wand.
BTW the HP-75D Wand has the same limitation as the ZenWand.

(02-06-2015 08:26 PM)anetzer Wrote:  3.
Can anybody clarify, whether there where indeed different versions of the Zenwand: One commercial and the other proprietory to the British DHSS (I found mine in the UK...)? Are they indeed different? Some of the commands I found "do something", when I try them on mine, others don't...

There is a conversation here that highlight the differences.

Best regards,

Sylvain
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02-07-2015, 10:21 AM
Post: #4
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-07-2015 01:53 AM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  I have two ZenWand and have searched several times for the manual but never found it on the net. 8-(

Good news: I've got a hard copy of the actual manual on my shelf, dated September 1985, spiral bound, 18cm × 21.5 cm, black ink only (no other colors were used), 92 pages (some intentionally left blank). I'll scan and upload it ASAP (busy weekend coming up...).

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-Joe-
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02-07-2015, 10:26 AM
Post: #5
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-07-2015 10:21 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  
(02-07-2015 01:53 AM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  I have two ZenWand and have searched several times for the manual but never found it on the net. 8-(

Good news: I've got a hard copy of the actual manual on my shelf, dated September 1985, spiral bound, 18cm × 21.5 cm, black ink only (no other colors were used), 92 pages (some intentionally left blank). I'll scan and upload it ASAP (busy weekend coming up...).

WOW!
Thank you very much Joe.

Now I'll have to dig to reach my Zenwand...

Greetings,
    Massimo

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02-07-2015, 11:57 AM (This post was last modified: 02-09-2015 02:52 AM by Joe Horn.)
Post: #6
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
Ok, here it is. 4.48 MB (searchable): http://holyjoe.net/HP71/ZenWand-71_Owner's_Manual.pdf

I skipped the blank pages; those page numbers are therefore intentionally missing. *

Please see the copyright notice on PDF page 2: (c) Zengrange Limited, England, 1985. I did not obtain anybody's permission to upload this scan, and will remove it posthaste if requested to do so.

* EDIT: The PDF has been rebuilt with blank pages inserted where blank pages should be, to facilitate easy printing. The link above points to the newly rebuilt PDF.

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02-07-2015, 02:48 PM
Post: #7
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
Ehi, faster than light!

Thanks again.

Greetings,
    Massimo

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02-07-2015, 06:09 PM
Post: #8
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-07-2015 10:21 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Good news: I've got a hard copy of the actual manual on my shelf, dated September 1985, spiral bound, 18cm × 21.5 cm, black ink only (no other colors were used), 92 pages (some intentionally left blank). I'll scan and upload it ASAP (busy weekend coming up...).

(02-07-2015 11:57 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Ok, here it is ...

Thank you so much Joe.
I have been searching for that manual for quite some time.
Thanks again!

Kind regards,

Sylvain
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02-07-2015, 06:48 PM
Post: #9
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
Hello Joe,

While reading the manual and readying it for printing/cutting/binding for the bookshelf.
I am reinserting the following pages to reproduced as much as possible the original manual.
Page II - Blank - ok
Page IV - Blank - ok
Page 23 - Is that page really blank ? it seems more like a missing page, could you check please.
Page 38 - Blank - ok
Page 66 - Blank - ok
Page 74 - Blank - ok
Page 76 - Blank - ok

Best regards,

Sylvain
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02-07-2015, 07:06 PM
Post: #10
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
While on the subject of barcodes ...

HP Digital Bar Code Wand (HEDS-3000 & HEDS-3050) Technical Data
HP Application note 1013 : Elements of a Bar Code System

Sylvain
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02-08-2015, 01:22 AM
Post: #11
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-07-2015 06:48 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  Hello Joe,

While reading the manual and readying it for printing/cutting/binding for the bookshelf.
I am reinserting the following pages to reproduced as much as possible the original manual.
Page II - Blank - ok
Page IV - Blank - ok

Page iv is not blank, but page vi is blank.

(02-07-2015 06:48 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  Page 23 - Is that page really blank ? it seems more like a missing page, could you check please.

Oops! Good catch; I accidentally skipped that page. I have now added it to the online PDF (same link as before: http://holyjoe.net/HP71/ZenWand-71_Owner's_Manual.pdf)

(02-07-2015 06:48 PM)Sylvain Cote Wrote:  Page 38 - Blank - ok
Page 66 - Blank - ok
Page 74 - Blank - ok
Page 76 - Blank - ok

All correct. To prevent future confusion, I have inserted blank pages into the PDF to correspond to blank pages in the original manual. Please delete the old version you downloaded yesterday. It no longer exists online.

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02-08-2015, 02:13 AM
Post: #12
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-08-2015 01:22 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Page iv is not blank, but page vi is blank.

Yep! it was a typo.

(02-08-2015 01:22 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Oops! Good catch;
...
To prevent future confusion, I have inserted blank pages into the PDF to correspond to blank pages in the original manual.

Great! Thank you very very much! 8-)

I just printed a test page and surprise the page size is the same as a normal HP-71B manual.
I would have expected the page size to be the same as the ZENROM manual but no.
Not that it matters, just unexpected. ;-)

Sylvain
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02-08-2015, 10:55 AM
Post: #13
RE: Zengrange Zenwand for HP-71B: Questions
(02-07-2015 11:57 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  Ok, here it is.


I stand in awe. Thank you very much indeed!

a.
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