CMT MC-41M User Manual

[Sylvain Cote]

I have recently acquired a CMT MC-II HandHeld Computer. 8-)
The computer has the MC-41M (41CX emulator) module, but unfortunately the manual is missing.
I would greatly appreciate, if somebody was ready to share a PDf of the manual.
I am also a buyer if there is one for sale.
Best regards,
Sylvain

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Hello Sylvain,
I got the same problem: I received an MC-II with a lot of accessories, among them an MC-41M module, but I don't have the manuals.
Have you got the MC-41M manual meanwhile?
And is the MC-II operator's manual available anywhere?
Mine came without the power adapter; which kind of adapter ( voltage? ) do I need?
I also got an HP-IL interface for it, and ROMs labelled POD-TRAN (??) and MC-ROS (??). There is also an EPROM burner for it and some EPROMs. But without the manuals, I feel somewhat lost.

[4ster]

I have an MC-GPS (a later evolution of the MC-II) that had 41 emulator firmware at one time. I may have received the manual when I bought the firmware, although I don't specifically remember that a manual was supplied. It is not the kind of thing I would have thrown out.

I'll look around the office tomorrow and see if a manual turns up.

[Sylvain Cote]

Hello Michael,

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  I got the same problem: I received an MC-II with a lot of accessories, among them an MC-41M module, but I don't have the manuals.

Nice problem

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Have you got the MC-41M manual meanwhile?

Nope, still missing the MC-41M manual, sign.

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  And is the MC-II operator's manual available anywhere?

I do have these original manuals. I can scan them if you are interested

• CMT MC-II Operator's Manuals
• MC-ROSII Command Interpreter Enhancements
• Kermit User's Guide for MC-Series
• Bar Code Input to the MC-Series
  

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Mine came without the power adapter; which kind of adapter ( voltage? ) do I need?

Did not have one either, the manual specify 9VC DC, but unfortunately the polarity is not given.

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  I also got an HP-IL interface for it, and ROMs labelled POD-TRAN (??)

The MC-POD was an expansion port device that added a Centronic interface and an HP-IL interface. The MC-POD-RD added a 1MB RAM disk to the MC-POD.

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  MC-ROS (??).

This is the modified MS-DOS running in the MC-II

(01-02-2018 11:48 PM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  There is also an EPROM burner for it and some EPROMs.

You were very lucky with your acquisition, the MCII-P01 is an expansion port device that allow you to burn EPROM for the MC-II.

Sylvain

[Michael Fehlhammer]

@Steve: Thank you for looking for the manual!

@Sylvain: Thank you very much for your offer! I don't have the barcode wand for the MC-II, so I wouldn't need this manual.
Although TAS is dedicated to the 41, maybe (since there is this HP41 emulation module) they would like to host manuals for the CMT MC-II as well. Or this site here might also be a good home for these manuals. So more people would profit from your effort of copying the manuals. What do you think?

Regarding the Kermit documentation: Have you got Kermit in a ROM module, or is it a standard feature of the OS firmware, or did it come on some external mass medium ( and was uploaded from a pc) ?
The connectors of the COM ports of the MC-II are unusual for a serial port, the look like modem ports ( RJ-9 ?). Are there suitable cables available anywhere (with an DB9 or DB25 connector at the opposite side ) ? My MC-II came without such cables.

And regarding the EPROM programmer pod: Without any documentation (file format for EPROM-hosted programs, file transfer and burning commands ), I am afraid the device is pretty useless.

The CMT MC-V seems to be very similar and software-compatible to the MC-II.
( And more easily to obtain! )
Does anyone know whether it accepts the same ROM modules as the MC-II, especially the MC-41M ?

[Massimo Gnerucci]

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Although TAS is dedicated to the 41,

I think you are referring to TOS, not eBay.
If so this is another instance where calling it "The 41 site dot org" (for example) would prevent misunderstandings.

Please sign the petition: Let's ban acronyms from MoHPC. :)

[salvomic]

(01-03-2018 11:41 AM)Massimo Gnerucci Wrote:  ...
Please sign the petition: Let's ban acronyms from MoHPC.

please, give us a site where to do it :-D

[TOS or TAS or OSA (other site again)...]

[Sylvain Cote]

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Thank you very much for your offer! I don't have the barcode wand for the MC-II, so I wouldn't need this manual.

I have put aside the manuals and will do the scanning this weekend.

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Although TAS is dedicated to the 41, maybe (since there is this HP41 emulation module) they would like to host manuals for the CMT MC-II as well. Or this site here might also be a good home for these manuals. So more people would profit from your effort of copying the manuals. What do you think?

I will put the manuals on my website and create an small article here with links to the manuals. (until a better solution is devised)

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  Regarding the Kermit documentation: Have you got Kermit in a ROM module, or is it a standard feature of the OS firmware, or did it come on some external mass medium ( and was uploaded from a pc) ?

Kermit for MS-DOS was delivered by CMT on a 5 1/4 floppy disk and is also part of the CMT-ROSII ROM. Latest version of Kermit can be obtained from The Kermit Project

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  The connectors of the COM ports of the MC-II are unusual for a serial port, the look like modem ports ( RJ-9 ?). Are there suitable cables available anywhere (with an DB9 or DB25 connector at the opposite side ) ? My MC-II came without such cables.

The connectors pins are described in the CMT MC-II Operator's Manual so you can make your own adapter cable (RJ-12 to DB-9)
I have not seen any information about the signals voltage level support, so I would advise to do some measuring before connecting a device to it.

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  And regarding the EPROM programmer pod: Without any documentation (file format for EPROM-hosted programs, file transfer and burning commands ), I am afraid the device is pretty useless.

Agreed

(01-03-2018 09:58 AM)Michael Fehlhammer Wrote:  The CMT MC-V seems to be very similar and software-compatible to the MC-II. ( And more easily to obtain! )
Does anyone know whether it accepts the same ROM modules as the MC-II, especially the MC-41M ?

I do not own a MC-V but from looking at pictures, you can see that the back of a MC-V is different from the one of a MC-II.
So I would expect the MC-II modules to not be compatible with the MC-V, but I am pretty sure the EPROMs used internally are the same.

Sylvain

[Sylvain Cote]

Hello Michael,
MC-II manuals are available here: CMT-MCII-Documents.zip (113MB)
File contents:

• MC-II Operator's Manual
• MC-ROSII Command Interpreter Enhancements
• MC-Series Bar Code Input User's Manual
• MC-Series Kermit User's Guide
• Hand Held Solutions vol.I
• Hand Held Solutions vol.II
• Hand Held Solutions vol.III
  

Sylvain

[Michael Fehlhammer]

Hello Sylvain,

thanks a lot for the scans!

Regarding the MC-41M, from the description in the CMT magazine it is obvious that MC-II can emulate even modules ("XROMs"), but only programs written in FOCAL code. Unlike EMU41, V41 etc. MC-41M can't interprete 41 Mcode, it doesn't emulate the 41 hardware, just interprets user code programs.

If only J-F Garnier had done the MC-41M development ...
maybe he could port EMU41 to MC-II? After all, it is a DOS computer, not too different from the HP Portable Plus. :-)

[4ster]

No luck yet finding an MC-41 manual. I did find an MC-Traverse manual if anyone is interested.