Installation procedure for HP-IL Emulation on HP-71X:

I am not responsible for anything you do with this software. The emulators are not designed to make any (software or hardware) damage but (due to the complexity of the code) if something goes wrong I am not responsible for that.

Again: Use this software at your (and only your) own risk!

Important notice: Features described below refer only to the full version - they could be missing from demo version.

It is assumed that a potential user of such software already knows how to transfer files from computer to calculator so this won't be explained here.

Installation procedure is the same for both HP-48GX and HP-49G.

(1) Install HP-IL enabled version of HP-71X as described in the installation guide for HP-71X.

(2.1) If you have HPILROM.CRD inside your package then transfer it to the calculator and load it into HP-71X with COPY CARD. HPILROM.CRD is in the HP-48GX format by default. To convert it to the HP-49G format you have to use CNV49 program (included with the emulator). Just type CNV49 HPILROM.CRD before sending a file to the HP-49G.

(2.2) If you have XM71HPIL file inside your package then it must be transferred to the calculator instead of XM71MATH file which is described in the installation of the HP-71X emulator.

(2.3) Don’t install either HPILROM.CRD or XM71HPIL with the version of HP-71X which doesn’t support HP-IL.

(3) Run HP71L.EXE server under Windows on the PC. All HP-IL server parameters can be configured from the front panel. Note that HP71L.EXE must always be started before the HP-71X emulator.

Of course, you have to connect the calculator to the PC via serial port.

HP71L.EXE server cannot be used with the HP-41X emulator.

Running HP-71X with HP-IL emulation under Emu48 (or any other HP-48/49 emulator) is not supported because of various timing problems.

Speed calibration:

Some speed calibration is usually needed for reliable transfer because todays PCs are too fast for sending data to the calculator so it cannot handle it and the usual result is a broken connection. To avoid this, a few delay states can be inserted after each byte sent from PC to the calculator so it has enough time to process the previous byte/frame. The number of delay states (from 0 to 99) can be set using a combo box in the right bottom corner of the window. To determine the number of delay states needed, start with 0 and transfer a large file (40-60K) from PC to the calculator. If the transfer is unsuccessful then increment the number of delay states until you achieve the reliable transfer. For example, on my desktop Pentium 4 / 3.0GHz I need to use 10-12 delay states while on my PIII / 1.0GHz laptop 3-5 delay states are enough.

Some advices to avoid HP-IL errors and similar problems:

(*) Always start HP-IL server first and HP-71X second.
(*) Serial ports on both PC and the calculator must be error-free.
(*) Use only good cable to connect the calculator to PC.
(*) To avoid data flow corruption, don’t press unnecessary keys on the calculator while HP-IL transmission is in progress.
(*) Don’t move or resize HP-IL server and console windows while HP-IL transmission is in progress because Windows will suspend the current thread and HP-IL timeout can occur.
(*) Don’t minimize/maximize HP-IL server and console windows for the same reason.
(*) Don’t toggle console between window/full screen mode for the same reason.
(*) Don’t close the console window with Ctrl+C (close the HP-IL server window instead).
(*) Restore console to the window mode before closing HP-IL server.
(*) Use LIF files of the standard size only (131072 and 630784 bytes) if possible.
(*) Uncheck ‘Frame Monitor’ if monitoring is not needed.
(*) For some printers, like LaserJet, press ‘Restart’ button on the HP-IL server to start printing after you have sent all data to be printed from HP-41X, then press ‘Form Feed’ button on the printer.