hp38g

Model:	38G

General:
	Name:			Graphics Calculator
	Code-Name:		Elsie
	Family:			Student
	Logic:			expression
	Features:		scientific, programmable, date
				arithmetic, hyperbolics, complex
				matrix, vector, lists, solver
				(algebraic), symbolic math, symbolic
				integration, differentiation,
				plotting, graphics
	Firsts:			hard cover, split screen, ApLets,
				implied multiplication, numeric table view
				of equations, hang tag box, cardboard
				packaging
	Introduction:
		Date:		1995-04-06
		Price:		$118
	Discontinuation:
		Date:		<2003-01-01
		Price:		?
	Production-Run:		?

Display:
	Type:			LCD, bit-mapped
	Size:			8 lines x 22 chars, 64 x 131 pixels
	Number-Formats:		sign, 12 mantissa, ., exp sign, 2 exp
				see data types
	Annunciators:		<\	shift active
				\Ga	alpha keyboard active
				((.))	alarm has gone off or low battery
				hourglass busy
				/\
				 -->	transmitting data
				\/

Data:
	User-Visible:
		Smallest:	1E-499
		Largest:	9.99999999999E499
		Signif.-Digits: 12
	Internal:
		Smallest:	1E-49999
		Largest:	9.99999999999999E49999
		Signif.-Digits: 15
	Data-Types-and-Sizes:	subset of the HP48G series

Memory:
	Named-Registers:	A..Z, \GT	real
				C0..C9	statistics data
				E0..E9	equations
				F0..E9	functions
				G0..G9	GROBs
				L0..L9	list
				M0..M9	matrix
				R0..R9	polar
				S1fit..S5fit	statistics
				U1..U5	sequences
				X0..X9	parametrics
				Y0..Y9	go with X...
				Z0..Z9	complex
	Flags:			-17 to -18	trig mode 0)degrees
					1)radians 2)grads
				-45 to -48	set number of digits
				-49 to -50	display format 0)STD 1)SCI
					2)FIX 3)ENG
				-51	fraction mark comma

	Register-Usage:		see below
	Numbered-Registers:	none
	Program-Steps:		memory
	Program-Editing:	insert or replace
	Program-Display:	alpha
	User-RAM-Bytes:		32K (~22K available)
	Total-RAM-Bytes:	32K
	ROM-Bytes:		512K
	Machine-State:		stack
				user memory
				named programs
	File-Types:		none

Physical:
	Technology-Used:	CMOS
	Processor:		Yorke (00048-80063, 4 MHz)
	Chip-Count:		5 (Yorke CPU, 2x KS0104 (display column
				driver), 512K ROM (labelled
				"ELSIE OTP Rev 1.67", version may change),
				32K RAM)
	Power-Source:		3 AAA cells
	Continuous-Memory:	yes
	Expansion-Ports:	0
	I/O-Ports:		4-wire serial, I/R I/O, beeper,
				overhead display out (on rest of 10 pins
				in the serial connector)
	Clock:			yes

	Length:			?
	Width:			?
	Height:			?
	Weight:			?
	Temperature-Range:
		Operating:	0 to 45 deg C
		Charging:	none
		Storage:	-20 to 65 deg C

Keyboard:
	Switches:		none
	Shift-Keys:		shift, turquoise, above
				alpha, coral, lower right
	User-Defined-Keys:	6 menu keys

Key-Arrangement::

** ** ** ** ** **
** ** **    **
** ** ** ** ** **
** ** ** ** ** **
***** ** ** ** **
* *** *** *** ***
* *** *** *** ***
* *** *** *** ***
* *** *** *** ***

Key-Labels-Base-Keyboard::

[]	[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
PLOT	SYMB	NUM		^	
LIB	VAR	MATH	<|	v	|>
HOME	SIN	COS	TAN	X,T,\GT	\v/x
				 y
ENTER	(	)	-x	x
A..Z	7	8	9	/
[]	4	5	6	*
DEL	1	2	3	-
ON	0	.	,	+

(The ON key has a coral lower label of CANCEL.)

Key-Labels-Shift-Turquoise-Above::

[]	[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
|-----SETUP-----|
[]	[]	[]		[]
VIEWS	NOTE	SKETCH	[]	[]	[]
				 -1
MODES	ASIN	ACOS	ATAN	x	n\v/x
				 2
ANSWER	CHARS	EEX	ABS	x
a..z	LIST	(	)	LOG
				  x
[]	MATRIX	[	]	10
CLEAR	NOTEPAD	SPACE	\pi	LN
				 x
OFF	PROGRAM	:	;	e

Key-Labels-Alpha-Coral-Lower-Right::

[]	[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
[]	[]	[]		[]
[]	[]	[]	[]	[]	[]
A	B	C	D	E	F
[]	G	H	I	J
[]	K	L	M	N
[]	O	P	Q	R
[]	S	T	U	V
[]	W	X	Y	Z

Programmable-Operations::

basic operations not listed

Undocumented or imperfectly-documented operations:

	@...@			enclose comments 
	helpwith ...		provides minimal help on a command
	rules			names of the design team members
	syseval ###(decimal)

		535863		return amount of free memory
		535393		send a Kermit "Finish"

	version			shows ROM version
	libeval 171;0		shows ROM version

Non-Programmable-Operations::

Replace the contents of G0 with the current screen graphic (i.e., do a
screen dump) by:

	press ON
	press PLOT
	release ON
	release PLOT

Menus::

not listed

Bugs/ROM-Versions::

Initial versions are

Libeval 171;0
	Version HP38-A1.67
	Copyright HP, 1993,95

Version
	Version HP39-A
	Copyright HP,
	1993,95

Notes::

[ Someone want to volunteer to fill in the above not listed items? ]

"Elsie" refers to a cow used in the advertising of a major food chain
(presumably Borden).

Announced Apr 6-8 1995 at the National Council of Teachers of
Mathematics (NCTM) 75th annual conference in Boston MA.  A special
edition was produced for this conference.

"ApLet" expands to "Animated Personal LEarning Tool".

Rumor: the product number (38) was chosen to be a combintion of 32 and
48.  If so, this will be a "doubly referential" product number reference
(see the Notes section on the 48SX).

Serial communications is a little tangled.

- Selecting "HP 38G" selects I/R.  It uses an (as yet) undocumented
protocol for transferring data between two 38Gs.  Xmodem is used as
the basic protocol.

- Selecting "Disk drive..." selects wire.  It expects a Kermit server
set up as:

	set baud 9600
	set parity none
	set file collision off
	server

- The "Send now" does the send/receive.  The "Pick location..." lets you
move around in the server's directory tree.


You can print a graphic image (screen dump) with the HP82240B Infrared
Printer.  You do this by first storing the image in a graphic
variable, then doing a PRVAR.  See Non-Programmable Operations above.


If one were to take a 38G apart, one could replace the 32KByte RAM
chip with a 128KByte one and it might well work (hint, hint).  One
might also kludge up a card connector...

(Later, courtesy of Detlef Mueller, detlef@provi.de) I'm just into
that, both (changes are) impossible w/o further modifications and a
new ROM: the build-in 32k memory is mapped to address F0000-FFFFF, a
bigger chip would just do nothing and cause trouble if the RAM is
mapped away temporarily to access the underlaying ROM. Forget about
the card connector, before doing that, I'd suggest to buy a '48GX...

Steve Dunham (dunham@cl-next4.cl.msu.edu) posted the following to
Comp.sys.hp48 on 7 Sep 1995:

Gavin Scott (gscott@netcom.com) wrote:
: It's Algebraic rather than RPN based. This isn't as bad as it sounds.
: You enter an expression the way you would type it in a programming
: language (all on one line, with parenthesis, etc.) and when you press
: ENTER the line is evaluated (and added to the 'stack' in the display
: left-justified), and the result displayed on the 'stack' (right-
: justified). 

: There is no compatibility with the 48 series by the way.

: There is bidirectional IR (2 inch range limit), and what looks like
: a 100/200LX style serial connector (but the manual does not tell you
: what it is anywhere that I can find). When you send or receive something
: your only options are to communicate via IR with another 38G (this
: implies no way to communicate with a 48), or to a 'Disk Drive' which
: I would guess means the serial port (I haven't tried plugging in 
: anything to see if it might be any kind of standard protocol).

You can transfer some things via IR between the HP38 and HP48.

The protocol used over the IR port on the HP38 is Xmodem.  You can
transfer single objects between the calculators, you can't current
transfer Aplets because they are sent in multiple pieces using a
slightly modified Xmodem protocol.  The 38 uses a different header, so
the objects end up as strings on the 48.  I have a modified version of
the HP48 XSEND routine that will transfer these strings back to the
38. (It works like XSEND, so you have to put an indentifier on the
stack and run my program.)  I'll attach it to the end of this message,
because it is fairly small. The normal XRECV will work for receiving
single part objects.  If you try to receive a multipart Aplet, you
will only get the first part, which contains a list with the Aplet
name and names of all of the other pieces of the Aplet.

I do intend to write a program that will transfer entire Aplets via IR
between the 48 and 38, but it may take a while, because I have a
serial cable for the 38 already.

Serial communications on the 38 are handled via Kermit.  The 38 will
first create/read a file called HP38DIR.000 from the PC, which
contains a table translating object names to MS-DOS filenames.  Aplets
are stored in multiple pieces on the PC.  You could also transfer via
serial between the 488 and 38 if you make a cable.

HP has given MSU a few of the serial cables (really widgets to convert
a 48 serial cable to a 38 serial cable), making one is rather simple
because (looking at the end of the calculator) the four pins on the
left side of the bottom row on the 38 connector have the exact same
pinout at the four pins on the 48.  I've made my own cable from this
info.

   . . . . .
   . . . . .
   \_____/
      |
      \- These four pins

Transfers done to the PC are done in Ascii mode whenever possible,
transfers done via IR are always in Binary mode.

This brings us to the format of the HP38 header.

All Objects start with the string `HP38' followed  by either `Bin' or
`Asc' followed by a single character denoting the type of object being
transfered.

 `A' is used for the HP38DIR.000 file, always ASCII mode
 `B' is used foor binary Aplet data, which is always transfered in
     binary mode
 'C' is used for notes sent as a character string
 `D' is for User programs on the 38, transfered as a character string
     object (Bin mode on IR - ASCII on serial)
 `E' is used for list and matrix objects
 `I' Is used for the 'index' that is sent as the first object in 
     a multipart IR transfer.

If you transfer via IR, you will find out that the prolog addresses
for these objects (list, array, real, complex, cstring) are the same
as on the 48.

Following this character, in binary mode, is the body part of an
identifier object i.e. 2 nibbles specifing length and a bunch of
characters.  This contains the name of the object.  After that is the
object proper. (prolog and all)

In ASCII mode a space, an (ASCII) integer specifying length, space
then the name follow the header.

Within the next couple of days I will be posting my first impressions
of the 38G from the prospective of a 48 user (not the target
audience of the 38).

Have fun making your serial cables,

Steve
dunham@gdl.msu.edu


------------------------------------------------------------

From: "Joseph K. Horn" <JoeHorn@HolyJoe.Net>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.hp48
Subject: 6.0030000004 and 38 and 48
Organization: Holy Smoke Incense Company
Message-ID: <P3c0a.44287$NV.975291@news.direcpc.com>
Date: Wed, 5 Feb 2003 09:42:32 -0800

The slide-on cover of the HP38G (high-school version of the HP48) has the
mysterious number 6.0030000004 molded into the plastic.  Its mathematical
meaning has eluded the best and brightest, but not me!  It was derived from
the number 48 and 38.  I have discovered a simple proof which unfortunately
this newsgroup is large enough to contain:

(190423*ASINH( 48 ) - 148144*ASINH( 38 ))/37911 = 6.0030000004

Golly.

-Joe-