HP49G+/HP50G ROM Upgrade documents
Harold A. Climer
5 HP49s. 8 HP49G+, and 12 HP50G. Some are mine,some belong to the
department and 5 belong to students. We are planning to have a ROM
upgrade party in the Physics Lab room after final exams are over.
Eat pizza,discuss Physics and upgrade ROMs.
It seems as if every time a new ROM comes out a new procedure has to
be followed in order to upgrade the ROM,either from an SD Card or the
computer, depending what ROM is on the calculator.
Is there one document available that gives detailed instructions on
how to upgrade the ROM depending on the type of calculator and the
current ROM loaded. It would also be nice to have a table listing what
procedures apply to what ROM.
I also noticed that some upgrades install the Periodic Table and
Equation Library autinatically and with others the old libraries have
to be deleted and then new compatible versions re-installed
Harold A Climer
Dept. Of Physics Geology, and Astronomy
U.T, Chattanooga
Rm. 406A Engineering, Math & Computer Science Building
615 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN 37403
Harold...@utc.edu
PremiumBlend
Here's some good information for you:
HP 50g ROM upgrade : Hewlett-Packard Calculator : Educalc.net
http://www.educalc.net/2137081.page
Step-by-step to upgrading your HP49g+ rom.
http://www.educalc.net/153088.page
HP48/49 ROM Updates.
http://www.area48.com/49rom.html
Harold A. Climer
I have most of these already. As far as the HP50G upgrade goes, one
mentions having to use the reset button the back of the calculator
with a paper clip and another newer version of the instructions make
no mention of using the reset button at all.
How do I tell which instructions apply to my calculator?
Harold A Climer
Dept. Of Physics Geology, and Astronomy
U.T, Chattanooga
Rm. 406A Engineering, Math & Computer Science Building
615 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN 37403
Eric Rechlin
> I have most of these already. As far as the HP50G upgrade goes, one
> mentions having to use the reset button the back of the calculator
> with a paper clip and another newer version of the instructions make
> no mention of using the reset button at all.
> How do I tell which instructions apply to my calculator?
Both apply to the 50g, so use whichever method you prefer. I have
personally upgraded dozens of different 50g calculators without the
paperclip and with an SD card over the last few years, and I have had no
problems with this approach. The PDF instructions included with the 2.14-2
upgrade probably explain this "new" method most clearly, so I recommend you
follow those steps.
Regards,
Eric Rechlin
lfmor...@gmail.com
Is it important to you that your 49G, 49g+, and 50g calculators should
all be running the same firmware version for consistency's sake? Or
would you prefer to just have whatever happens to be the latest
working release for each model? (The newest releases will all work
equally well on both the 49g+ and the 50g. The 49G, however, is an
exception.)
It has been possible, with some of the 2.x firmware releases, to
obtain a (unofficial?) version that is compatible with the 49G. I
don't know if this is true of the most recent 2.14-2 release.
Harold A. Climer
wrote:
I was able to upgrade two of my HP50G's and one HP49G+
using the older method with the reset button.
I was never able to get the (ON F4) (ON F3) (+-) sequence to work
before the calculator rebooted.
I must admit that it is a bit awkward holding down the +- keys at the
same time trying to push a paperclip into the reset hold on the back
side of the calculator; but it did work as advertised.
Another question: did the latest ROM upgrade include the latest
version of the CAS or is it necessary to install it separately
timwe...@gmail.com
> using the older method with the reset button.
> I was never able to get the (ON F4) (ON F3) (+-) sequence to work
> before the calculator rebooted.
Give this a look. Other than the really bad screen capture software I
used for the movie, it will probably help out. I will fix it and get a
better version when I get the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QttezbbytsM
> Another question: did the latest ROM upgrade include the latest
> version of the CAS or is it necessary to install it separately
The CAS is integrated in the ROM. There is no separate upgrade.
TW
Harold A. Climer
My department is considering adding the StreamSmart Interface to our
equipment for doing Physics,Astronomy and General Science
laboratories.
We now use mostly the Vernier ULI box or the LabPro interface.
( However these interfaces do not work with HP calculators.)
We will be purchasing one or two units to test out; when available.
So far I have not found out any place to purchase these units. They
are not available from the HP store.
It is nice to have an interface that finally works with HP
calculators, but in MHO HP is dropping the ball again in the education
market by not having the StreamSmart compatible with Vernier sensors.
Many schools have much money invested in Vernier sensors and in the
current financial situation most are not going to invest in new
sensors just so that HP calculators can be used.
Because of this I was asked to upgrade our HP calculators ROMs. Some
of our students have HP49G+ or HP50G calculators so they asked if I
could help them upgrade also.
Harold A Climer
Dept. Of Physics Geology, and Astronomy
U.T, Chattanooga
Rm. 406A Engineering, Math & Computer Science Building
615 McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN 37403
John H Meyers
> Is it important to you that your 49G, 49g+, and 50g calculators should
> all be running the same firmware version for consistency's sake?
> Or would you prefer to just have whatever happens to be the latest
> working release for each model? (The newest releases
> will all work equally well on both the 49g+ and the 50g.
> The 49G, however, is an exception.)
The 49G is actually not an exception,
because the ROMs for later calculators (thus far) are derived
by first assembling a ROM which works on the Saturn (processor)
as-is, which even through 2.09 (and very likely even 2.15)
works perfectly on the 49G, just as it does in Emu48 or Debug4x,
from which you can "upload" it to a 49G over a serial port.
For more details, see:
http://groups.google.com/group/comp.sys.hp48/browse_thread/thread/9a8236ea1a082236
Or via standard 49G ROM update software,
if you happen to find a ".flash" file for the ROM version.
[r->] [OFF]
timwe...@gmail.com
> because the ROMs for later calculators (thus far) are derived
This is the first case that it actually is an exception as the boot
code, which isn't required for an ARM based system, was removed to
make space.
TW
John H Meyers
JHM:
>> The 49G is actually not an exception,
>> because the ROMs for later calculators (thus far) are derived
>> by first assembling a ROM which works on the Saturn (processor)...
TW:
> This is the first case that it actually is an exception,
> as the boot code, which isn't required for an ARM based system,
> was removed to make space.
Some detail might be useful:
o Space for any more Saturn code?
o Did anything move or change in all the rest of the Saturn ROM image?
Does it mean the "boot block" ("locked" on most HP49Gs)?
Is that block normally ever replaced by any 49G ROM update?
(or ROMUPLOAD)?
Is it needed to do anything other than hardware tests and ROM updates?
(and of course to display images and Easter eggs :)
Is it needed to run a ROM image on Emu48 or Debug4x?
No matter what the answers, it must also be possible to create a combination
of the original "boot block" with the rest of the (Saturn) compiled code,
to make a complete image for the original 49G (and Emu48), no?
Are there any new commands for "StreamSmart"?
Is 2.15 otherwise any different from 2.10?
For anyone not using "StreamSmart," it would appear that 2.10
could be just as useful as 2.15, so the thought occurs,
if 2.15 is officially released by HP,
might 2.10 also be permitted to be posted on www.hpcalc.org
(or used in Debug4x, in place of 2.09) for the last few small bug fixes?
[r->] [OFF]
Joe Horn
> Are there any new commands for "StreamSmart"?
Yes: STRM (the only command in the new internal library 255). It
launches the interactive StreamSmart aplet which seems to me to be
identical to the HP 40gs aplet. Unfortunately it's 100% interactive
and self-contained, and therefore not useful in a User RPL program.
As of ROM 2.15, there are no User RPL commands for programmable
control of the StreamSmart.
-Joe-
John H Meyers
Is library 255 entirely in what was formerly called the "boot block"?
In other words, has anything at all been displaced in any other block?
(since "C210")
or not remaining all assembled for Saturn in all original non-boot blocks?
(before replacing a few bytes here and there with BUSCC instructions,
which "talk to" the internal, on-board ARM-powered emulator of the Saturn).
If all is still like that,
then why couldn't 2.15 still run in Emu48 and HP49G?
(saving the trouble of having to try to persuade 2.10
to be unclutched from someone's cold, long frozen hands,
for Emu48 or Debug4x or 49G,
just to get the identical minor bug fixes since 2.09,
which are all that others who use these things have any use for).
[r->] [OFF]