Forth for HP-71B

[smp]

I am looking for either a HP 82441A Forth/Assembler Pac, or a HP 82490A HP-41 Translator Pac for the HP-71B, for a reasonable price.

I know that there are ROM images and such, but I am very inexperienced with this, and I've not found any explicit step-by-step "how-to" information.

I also know that these sometimes show up on eBay, but the Sellers usually know what they are, and the prices asked are exorbitant.

I've been watching for a long while in hopes that an entire HP-71B with one of these installed shows up for a reasonable price, but no dice, so far.

My preference would be for the HP 82490A HP-41 Translator Pac.

Does anyone have a hint on where I might pick one of these up, or does anyone have a pointer to a detailed step-by-step process to get a ROM image and program it into an EPROM device that I could use?

Thanks in advance,
smp

[Dave Frederickson]

Soft FORTH can be copied to a 64K RAM or EPROM. I have 64K EPROM's I'm not using, but you'll need to find an EPROM programmer.

Dave

[Sylvain Cote]

To my knowledge it's not possible with the CMT modules/programmer.
If it was I would have program one of my CMT 64K EPROM with the Forth/ASM image.

I have a CMT EPROM programmer for the HP-71.
I can have a second look but I would not put my hope too high.

I will program the Soft FORTH into one of my EPROM and see how it goes.

Sylvain

[smp]

(11-25-2015 03:42 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Soft FORTH can be copied to a 64K RAM or EPROM. I have 64K EPROM's I'm not using, but you'll need to find an EPROM programmer.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks very much for your response.

I took a look at the page you referenced, and I am confused about Soft FORTH. It sounds to me like the Soft FORTH *along with* whatever your application is, needs to be programmed into an EPROM. I did not see that Soft FORTH alone should be programmed into an EPROM and then FORTH programs developed after that on the HP-71B. Am I mis-reading the information?

Thanks for your patience...

smp

[J-F Garnier]

(11-25-2015 06:30 PM)smp Wrote:  I took a look at the page you referenced, and I am confused about Soft FORTH. It sounds to me like the Soft FORTH *along with* whatever your application is, needs to be programmed into an EPROM. I did not see that Soft FORTH alone should be programmed into an EPROM and then FORTH programs developed after that on the HP-71B. Am I mis-reading the information?

The Soft Forth is a Forth kernel able to run in a standard (i.e. CMT of HHP module) 64KB EPROM module (actually RAM would be fine too but you would need a specific and unusual hardware to have a 64KB RAM port).
At the time, the purpose of the Soft Forth was to allow third parties to distribute a Forth application without the need for the customers to have the Forth module.
But developing a soft Forth application still requires the Forth module (and a 64KB RAM port to hold the soft Forth kernel and application image, actually...)

So Soft Forth is not a substitute of the Forth module, otherwise it would have been much more used :-)

J-F

[smp]

(11-25-2015 07:47 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  So Soft Forth is not a substitute of the Forth module, otherwise it would have been much more used :-)

Thank you very much, J-F.

If Soft FORTH still requires the original HP Forth module, I guess Soft FORTH is not a solution for me.

smp

[Dave Frederickson]

Another option is to win the auction for the 71B currently on eBay that includes the 41 Translator ROM, keep the module, and sell the 71 to make the price "reasonable" or you can run the ROM in one of the emulators.

Dave

[smp]

(11-25-2015 10:07 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Another option is to win the auction for the 71B currently on eBay that includes the 41 Translator ROM, keep the module, and sell the 71 to make the price "reasonable" or you can run the ROM in one of the emulators.

Dave

Yes, I'm in on it. Looks like it's going to go for a substantial sum.

smp

[Geoff Quickfall]

Am I missing something! How about a FRAM. Thanks to Hans, Sylvain, Dave, Bob et al I am running the translator as well as several other rom images from the FRAM. Plus lots of ram for everything else.

d8-)

[Dave Frederickson]

FRAM71 is definitely the way to go, but more folks need to commit to buying one before Hans will make a new batch.

Perhaps this thread should have been a continuation of: HP-71B: 82490A or 82441A as smp has been on the FRAM71 waiting list since August.

Dave

[smp]

(11-26-2015 04:25 PM)Dave Frederickson Wrote:  Perhaps this thread should have been a continuation of: HP-71B: 82490A or 82441A as smp has been on the FRAM71 waiting list since August.

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the plug. Yes, I apologize, I did not go and look up my old thread, and I posted a new one instead.

I would like to change my mind. I've been advised that the better way to go is with the HP 82441A Forth/Assembler Pac, so that is my preference.

It will be exciting to acquire the FRAM71 Of course, I am a newbie with the 71B, and the FRAM71 will make me very much a newbie all over again.

smp

[Geoff Quickfall]

"and the FRAM71 will make me very much a newbie all over again."

Yep, SMP; that WILL happen!

Geoff

[Dwight Sturrock]

In a similar vein,

1. Is the ROM image for the HP 82490A HP-41 Translator Pac for the HP-71B available?

2. If it is, can it be loaded and run on the Emu71?

[Sylvain Cote]

(11-27-2015 03:44 PM)Dwight Sturrock Wrote:  1. Is the ROM image for the HP 82490A HP-41 Translator Pac for the HP-71B available?

Yes, it's part of the FRAM71 Tool Kit

(11-27-2015 03:44 PM)Dwight Sturrock Wrote:  2. If it is, can it be loaded and run on the Emu71?

Yes

Sylvain

[Dwight Sturrock]

Thanks Sylvain, I'll give that a shot.