HP 48G+ over 50G?

[Geoff Quickfall]

Holy cow Dave, I never thought of that!

Going to do that today!!!

Geoff

[RMollov]

(12-20-2013 05:55 PM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 05:39 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  You're just supposed to dump your backups over infrared to your 200LX with a CF card! Doesn't everybody do that?

Haha. Actually, I have several ancient DOS pc's that I connect via RS232 to my HP-48SX to backup/edit/develop programs. The only thing I've ever used the IR for is printing. Since the IR on the 50g is incompatible with the 48, I bought a serial port cable for my 50g to connect to the 48 cable, so I could transfer my 48 programs to my 50g.

And why would you need ancient DOS pc's? The massively used and often mentioned here FTDI serial to USB adapter works perfectly with any pc of today.
Today I'm getting my HP200LX out of the drawer too :-)

[Michael de Estrada]

(12-20-2013 09:24 PM)RMollov Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 05:55 PM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  Haha. Actually, I have several ancient DOS pc's that I connect via RS232 to my HP-48SX to backup/edit/develop programs. The only thing I've ever used the IR for is printing. Since the IR on the 50g is incompatible with the 48, I bought a serial port cable for my 50g to connect to the 48 cable, so I could transfer my 48 programs to my 50g.

And why would you need ancient DOS pc's? The massively used and often mentioned here FTDI serial to USB adapter works perfectly with any pc of today.
Today I'm getting my HP200LX out of the drawer too :-)

Actually, I have one of those USB-RS232 converters for my 48SX, and could never get it to work properly with my Win XP pc. It's a moot point anyway, since my HP 50g can do everything my HP 48SX could do plus much more, and do it a lot better. It even includes Apps from my HP 48SX Equation Library Card, such as the neat Periodic Table App, which is lacking from the new Prime.

You still haven't answered my question as to if you own a HP 50g, or are just bashing it because you are Sinophobic.

[Han]

I'm pretty sure you can get an HP48-to-USB cable these days on a certain bidding site online.

[RMollov]

(12-20-2013 10:18 PM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  You still haven't answered my question as to if you own a HP 50g, or are just bashing it because you are Sinophobic.

I do own HP49g+ probably before you heard about it's existence. I still have it. The one with those useless keyboards repeating keystrokes or not registering at all. With this hollow sound and cheap feel.
I'll send you pictures of it with the serial number exposed if you like.
I also had a couple of HP50s which I sold to younger people in my company.
In our office HP50 are mainly used as paper weights or doorstops.
HP48's still go strong and are in demand.

[RMollov]

(12-21-2013 01:14 AM)Han Wrote:  I'm pretty sure you can get an HP48-to-USB cable these days on a certain bidding site online.

I did so a few years back and it was a disaster no matter what they claim.

*The solution is FTDI adapter* , I have 2 from different makers, both work brilliantly with every system I have tried, also with my Leica instruments, with WP-34S etc.

[Michael de Estrada]

(12-21-2013 01:14 AM)Han Wrote:  I'm pretty sure you can get an HP48-to-USB cable these days on a certain bidding site online.

Thanks, but I already have both the HP 48 Serial cable and the serial to USB cable that mates with it. I don't use my HP 48SX hardly at all anymore since getting my 50g, and have already backed up everything on it to my DOS pc's, just in case memory gets lost or corrupted. If I were still using it, I'd get one of those nifty one piece cables that you mentioned. Also, I have the 50g serial cable from hpcalc.org that mates with the 48 serial cable, so I can transfer programs and data between the two calculators. All of my HP 48SX RPL programs have been ported to my 50g.

[RMollov]

(12-21-2013 02:11 AM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  All of my HP 48SX RPL programs have been ported to my 50g.

Pure User RPL I guess.
I gave up on this, having 50% Sys RPL code in my main surveying program, but also because I hated the new hardware.

[Michael de Estrada]

(12-21-2013 02:21 AM)RMollov Wrote:  

(12-21-2013 02:11 AM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  All of my HP 48SX RPL programs have been ported to my 50g.

Pure User RPL I guess.
I gave up on this, having 50% Sys RPL code in my main surveying program, but also because I hated the new hardware.

I guess it depends on your professional needs. In my line of work, the 50g added some very useful capabilities such as a matrix eigenvalue/vector solver and a FFT (fast fourier transform). I could connect the 50g to a computer data acquisition system and do some quick signal analysis to tweak a design in the shop. It is also much faster than the 48SX, which is important when doing on the fly analyses, and the display is far more legible. For sure the keys on the 48 are much nicer and the layout is better, but I've had no reliability problems with my 50g.

[TomC]

(12-20-2013 05:39 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 04:45 AM)Michael de Estrada Wrote:  The lack of USB support in the 48 makes it obsolete, since many modern pc's don't offer direct RS232 port support.

You're just supposed to dump your backups over infrared to your 200LX with a CF card! Doesn't everybody do that?

Dave:

Please detail how you do that!?

Thank you,
TomC

[Homer Pasquale]

(12-20-2013 10:48 AM)RMollov Wrote:  IMHO:
HP 48 are real working horses.
HP 50 and its siblings are jokes.

I'll assume from the thoughtful analysis that went into this highly educational post that "IMHO" means "In My Hateful Opinion" ? Regardless of which calculator you favor, derogatory comments like this do not meaningfully contribute to the discussion.

[Mike Morrow]

(12-21-2013 02:03 AM)RMollov Wrote:  In our office HP50 are mainly used as paper weights or doorstops.
HP48's still go strong and are in demand.

As a long-time owner of the 48SX and two 48GX, a 49g+, and two 50G units (most purchased near the time of their introduction), I found the 48-anything series to be a mediocre family of marginally capable yet grossly overpriced machines. The 50G is the only machine of quality and capability that is a worthy product from the company that produced my treasured 67, 41CX and 42S machines decades earlier.

My three 48-series machines never get used now, except to demonstrate what horrible quality LCDs and bizarre "artsy" color schemes HP was fond of in the 1990s. :-)

I judge the relative value of these machines based on their capabilities...it can not be intelligently argued that the 48-series is capable in any manner of some function that the 50G is not, except for IR communications range. Your criteria must be less tangible...something spiritual, perhaps. :-)

[RMollov]

(12-22-2013 01:13 AM)Mike Morrow Wrote:  

(12-21-2013 02:03 AM)RMollov Wrote:  In our office HP50 are mainly used as paper weights or doorstops.
HP48's still go strong and are in demand.

As a long-time owner of the 48SX and two 48GX, a 49g+, and two 50G units (most purchased near the time of their introduction), I found the 48-anything series to be a mediocre family of marginally capable yet grossly overpriced machines. The 50G is the only machine of quality and capability that is a worthy product from the company that produced my treasured 67, 41CX and 42S machines decades earlier.

My three 48-series machines never get used now, except to demonstrate what horrible quality LCDs and bizarre "artsy" color schemes HP was fond of in the 1990s. :-)


I judge the relative value of these machines based on their capabilities...it can not be intelligently argued that the 48-series is capable in any manner of some function that the 50G is not, except for IR communications range. Your criteria must be less tangible...something spiritual, perhaps. :-)

Well go sell your 48s then, you'll be able to get at least 3 brand new 50s for each one. LOL

[RMollov]

BTW, all my HP48s are with the high contrast black and white displays. They are as good as if not better than HP50 ones, and the default font of 48 is bigger and more readable for my aging eyes.
HP50 family are CHEAP toys, not professional instruments. Back in the 90's it would be shame such a thing to carry the great and proud HP logo. The blue HP49 is living proof.

[Dave Britten]

(12-21-2013 03:28 AM)TomC Wrote:  

(12-20-2013 05:39 PM)Dave Britten Wrote:  You're just supposed to dump your backups over infrared to your 200LX with a CF card! Doesn't everybody do that?

Dave:

Please detail how you do that!?

Thank you,
TomC

Configure IOPAR on the 48 for infrared, 4800 baud. Launch Datacomm on the 200LX (probably works on the 100LX and 95LX too), and configure it the same way via Connect, Settings. Go to File, Protocol, and choose Kermit. Then do File, Receive, and enter a filename (save straight to a: if desired).

On the 48, do something like this to start the backup:

:IO: 'BACKUP.48G' ARCHIVE

That's the basic idea, anyway. If you want to include things that ARCHIVE doesn't send normally, write a program that saves your flags/user keys/alarms to variables before calling ARCHIVE.

Sometimes it can be a little fiddly to get connected. You might have to remove the IR port covers, or place the 200LX on a thin book to line it up better. Once it's running properly, you're usually fine. If you have trouble getting it working, play around with the baud rate. Once the ports/settings/planets are properly aligned, it works reliably, though a bit slow, given the low baud rate, and slow sysrpl kermit implementation in the 48.

Can't remember if I tried this with my Omnibook 300, or what the results were. I know I got the 300 and 200LX talking via Laplink over IR.

[Raymond Del Tondo]

(12-22-2013 03:44 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  slow sysrpl kermit implementation in the 48.

You can also use less automatic but much faster XModem if you either have a G Series HP 48 or an XModem software for the S Series.

[Les_Koller]

If you are NOT going to get a 50, get the 48GX. I have both. The 48GX is safely tucked away in my collection, and I carry my HP 50G to school every day (I am a teacher) even though I am forced to teach the TI84 or NSpire (of course, I have these too). I show the kids sometimes what my 50G can do, and lots of them are getting into HP and post-fix.

[RMollov]

(12-22-2013 03:44 AM)Dave Britten Wrote:  Configure IOPAR on the 48 for infrared, 4800 baud. Launch Datacomm on the 200LX (probably works on the 100LX and 95LX too), and configure it the same way via Connect, Settings. Go to File, Protocol, and choose Kermit. Then do File, Receive, and enter a filename (save straight to a: if desired).

On the 48, do something like this to start the backup:

:IO: 'BACKUP.48G' ARCHIVE

That's the basic idea, anyway. If you want to include things that ARCHIVE doesn't send normally, write a program that saves your flags/user keys/alarms to variables before calling ARCHIVE.

Sometimes it can be a little fiddly to get connected. You might have to remove the IR port covers, or place the 200LX on a thin book to line it up better. Once it's running properly, you're usually fine. If you have trouble getting it working, play around with the baud rate. Once the ports/settings/planets are properly aligned, it works reliably, though a bit slow, given the low baud rate, and slow sysrpl kermit implementation in the 48.

Can't remember if I tried this with my Omnibook 300, or what the results were. I know I got the 300 and 200LX talking via Laplink over IR.

I played a bit with HP200LX and HP48G+.
It works on 2400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity..
Quite slow, but works. Does the job, now my HP200LX is no more a doorstop

Thanks Dave,

[Dave Britten]

(12-25-2013 02:35 AM)RMollov Wrote:  I played a bit with HP200LX and HP48G+.
It works on 2400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, no parity..
Quite slow, but works. Does the job, now my HP200LX is no more a doorstop

Thanks Dave,

Doorstop? It's got Lotus 1-2-3, man!

I think I do remember having to dial it back to 2400 to get them talking, so that must be the sweet spot. Yes, it takes a few minutes, but you can start it and just let it do its thing.