Using the USB cable with the HP 50G

[Harold A Climer]

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck getting the HP50G
to connect with a computer using the USB cable.
I installed the USB drivers to work with my computer running Windows 7
Pro (64 bit) and the Comm software version 203 Build 2439. I am not
able to get the calculator recognized using any of the connection
settings.
Auto
COM3
COM4
or USB.
I set the speed to 115200. 9600, 4800 and 2400, but no luck.

However I was able to get a screen capture.
It works as far as that goes. I get a new image of the screen when I
put something new on the stack and do a new screen capture, so I am
not just dreaming this up.

I know about using a SD memory card. This is OK, but this thing still
bugs the hell out of me, especially when it says in the driver
documentation that it supports Windows XP,Vista and Windows 7.
Also my laptop's SD port is a bit flaky.
Using the SD card is OK when using my desktop, but it would be nice to
use the USB cable on my laptop.
Harold A Climer
Department Of Physics Geology and Astronomy
Room 223 Grote Hall
U.T. Chattanooga
615 McCallie Ave
Chattnaooga TN 37403

[DavidM]

My Win7 Pro x64 laptop is able to connect to my 50g through a USB connection, using Conn4x 2.3 Build 2439. It's been a while since I installed Conn4x, but I don't recall doing anything special to get it working.

Make sure you're activating the server on the calculator first by pressing and releasing the right shift key, then the right arrow cursor key. The display on the 50g should read:

Xmodem Server
Waiting for command

If you only see "Awaiting Server Cmd.", then you probably are holding the right shift key down while pressing the right arrow. That server mode doesn't allow communication with Conn4x as far as I'm aware. On Conn4x, I select "USB Calculator" for the "Connect Using" setting, and 115200 for the speed (although I don't think the speed matters for a USB connection). After making the setting selections, click the Quick Connect button on the Conn4x toolbar (to the left of the screen capture button).

This is all I do, and the connection seems to work well.

Not sure what else you may be running into, but at least for me this combination of OS/app/calc is able to communicate properly.

[Zeljko Vrba]

On 2012-05-01, Harold A Climer <Harold...@utc.edu> wrote:
>
> Pro (64 bit) and the Comm software version 203 Build 2439. I am not
>

It works, but the 64-bit driver shipped with the installation program is
defunct. I had to go to some HP's support page and download another driver
before I could use Conn4X with USB (exactly the same version and build).

[TW]

Install the separate driver package and it will work just fine.

TW

[Harold A Climer]

I thank you all for your help. I was able to get my calculator
connected OK and was able to see the contents of all the directories
and sub directories that are on my calculator.
I am really not up to speed on actually how to use this software.
I was wondering if there is a step by step tutorial on how to send
files and receive files, etc? IMHO the help file that comes with the
software is a bit obtuse.
Also after reading over the help file, I saw no way to tell in the
software where the downloaded file will be copied to on my PC.
Is there a way to set the directory where files will be sent to?
I also saw on the documentation that you cand drag and drop files to
the PC. The is no evidence of a PC to drag files to.

Harold A Climer

[DavidM]

On Wednesday, May 2, 2012 1:03:55 PM UTC-4, Harold A Climer wrote:

> I am really not up to speed on actually how to use this software.
> I was wondering if there is a step by step tutorial on how to send
> files and receive files, etc? IMHO the help file that comes with the
> software is a bit obtuse.

Sorry, I don't know of any tutorials.

> Also after reading over the help file, I saw no way to tell in the
> software where the downloaded file will be copied to on my PC.
> Is there a way to set the directory where files will be sent to?
> I also saw on the documentation that you cand drag and drop files to
> the PC. The is no evidence of a PC to drag files to.
>
> Harold A Climer

I typically use the "drag and drop" method to transfer files. Normally I drag files from the calculator to my computer's "desktop", then move/edit/etc. as needed. Likewise, I'll simply drag files from the computer to the calculator in a similar fashion.

Note that you can drag files into the calculator by dropping them on either side of the Conn4x window. The right side of the window simply represents the contents of the directory that you've currently selected on the left side.

In particular, you'll want to pay attention to the "transfer mode" (binary or text) as well as the settings for translation codes (View->Options...). The translation codes are only meaningful if the transfer mode is set to "text", as no translation occurs when using binary mode.

Translation codes specify how certain unique characters for the calculator are represented when converting files into the text format (since some of those characters aren't all common to Windows/Mac/Linux ASCII text files). You will probably want to use mode 3 for most purposes. This is especially useful if you intend to edit programs on your computer before uploading to the calculator.

If you're simply wanting to copy files for archival purposes, binary mode is fine.

Hopefully this will give you enough to get started!

[Harold A Climer]

On Wed, 2 May 2012 10:50:57 -0700 (PDT), DavidM <doff...@mypacks.net>
wrote:

I can not get to the Desktop. When I try to use the square key
between the X key and the minimize key it does not reduce the size of
the program window so I can see the desktop. I can only shut down the
program completely or minimize it.
Also not one person has answered the question as to where the files
are transferred to on the PC.
When I select backup, I have a choice as to where to send the backup
but get no such pop up window so I can select where the transferred
file be saved.
A series of pop up widows appear sequentially when the files are being
transferred, if they are being transfer at all.

[John H Meyers]

On 5/2/2012 10:51 PM, Harold A Climer wrote:

> not one person has answered the question as to
> where the files are transferred to on the PC.

To wherever you drag them to -- if to a space on the "desktop,"
then they go to the desktop; if to an "Explorer"/"My Computer"
window, then they go into the directory currently being displayed
in that window; if to a yellow folder icon representing a directory,
then into that directory; if to the window or shortcut of another application,
then to that application (possibly via a temporary copy of the dragged file),
which the application may then try to open or print,
or attach to an email, etc.,
depending on what sort of application you dragged the original to
and sometimes upon what part of the application you drag to
(this is exactly how files can be transferred _to_ the calculator,
when you drag them from elsewhere into the HP Comm software window).

That's "Drag and Drop" -- WYDGWYD - "what you drag goes wherever you drop" ;)

More general info here:
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_and_drop>

--

[DavidM]

Harold, how are you initiating the transfer of individual files from the calculator to your computer? The only method I'm aware of is drag-and-drop. On my system, the upload/download files menu selections are always greyed-out.

I've never seen a situation where the Conn4x window couldn't be resized, so that's a new one for me. Can you not adjust the borders of the window by clicking on the edges and dragging them? Give that a try. You may need to click the "restore" (middle) button once if the window has already been maximized.

[pin224466]

> I can not get to the Desktop. When I try to use the square key
> between the X key and the minimize key it does not reduce the size of
> the program window so I can see the desktop. I can only shut down the
> program completely or minimize it.
> Also not one person has answered the question as to where the files

this may be because the current "tiled" size of the window is the same as the "maximum" window size. So you may not notice an actual size change in the window but do you see the SYMBOL change from a single square box to a box on top of box?

If so, then what you need to do is as DavidM suggested, when the "single square box" symbol is shown between the X and the minimize key, move your mouse so that the pointer is over the edge of the window. The mouse pointer should change from the pointer to a left-right arrow if on the left or right edge of the window or an up-down arrow if on the upper or lower edge of the window.

When the pointer changes to a left-right or up-down arrow, then you can left click the mouse and drag the size of the window down to something you want.

The "maximize" window will now cause the window to fill up the screen and the "tile" will reduce the size to where you previously drag-and-dropped it to.

[Harold A Climer]

It think it was a compatibility issue. When I check Disable Display
Scaling on high DPI settings, it works OK. I can now re-size the
window. Why this works; I have no idea.
If I create a folder for all my HP50G stuff on the desktop,can I drag
and drop stuff to the folder? My desktop is kind of cluttered as it is
and it is sometimes hard for me to find things.

[Nate]

On May 3, 9:37 am, Harold A Climer <Harold-Cli...@utc.edu> wrote:
> On Wed, 2 May 2012 22:27:30 -0700 (PDT), pin224466
>

> If I create a folder for all my HP50G stuff on the desktop,can I drag
> and drop stuff to the folder? My desktop is kind of cluttered as it is
> and it is sometimes hard for me to find things.

Drag and Drop is the easiest way to move files. You don't have to drag
files onto the desktop, though. You can open Windows Explorer,
navigate to the desired folder, and drag files from Conn4x onto the
open Windows Explorer window and drop the file into the desired
location.

You can transfer files manually from the calculator to the computer,
but it is a pain...
1. Start Conn4x. Do not connect to the calculator.
2. In Conn4x, click File-->Upload File(Manual-XSEND).
3. Choose a file name and the location to save the file. Click
"Open." A dialog will pop up with instructions for transferring the
file. Do not click "OK."
4. Place the file to be transfered onto the calculator stack. e.g.
'FILE'
5. Execute XSEND on the calc. You can type in the command or use
the Catalog.
6. Click "OK" on the Conn4x dialog box. The file transfer will
begin.

[John H Meyers]

On 5/3/2012 8:37 AM, Harold A Climer wrote:

> If I create a folder for all my HP50G stuff on the desktop,can I drag
> and drop stuff to the folder? My desktop is kind of cluttered as it is
> and it is sometimes hard for me to find things.

To repeat information already posted,
you can drag and then drop into any open "Explorer/"My Computer" window,
which always shows some folder's content and adds what you drag to that content,
or to any yellow icon representing a folder (a/k/a directory),
which adds into the directory represented by the icon,
or even to a Windows shortcut representing a folder located elsewhere
(the file goes to the actual "elsewhere" location).

The introductory section of an HP35 manual once suggested
not to be afraid of pressing a few keys,
because you can't hurt anything.

You're a lab instructor too, so why not just try things
and see for yourself -- not only can't you hurt anything,
but in only a few seconds you will have learned,
by direct experience, everything that you keep asking
on a purely theoretical basis, day after day,
while not yet even dipping a toe into the water,
and simply getting on with performing the experiment :)

-[ ]-

[Harold A Climer]