emu48-mirror/EMU48SP.TXT

	Emu48 - A freeware HP48 Emulator for Windows 95 and NT


--- Changes and Additions of Emu48 V1.0 ---

Thank Sebastien Carlier for his emulator and that he made the sources public. Special thanks to Jean-Yves Avenard, Cyrille de Brebisson and Will Laughin for there suggestions, additions and fixes.

My first contact with this emulator (Shareware Win48) was in early 1997. At this time I worked with Windows NT 4.0. The emulator was unusable for me at this time. As well I had some problems with the latest version of Emu48 (Version 1.0). This was the beginning of the "Unofficial Service Packs".


	********************
	* OPERATING SYSTEM *
	********************

This version of Emu48 should work with all Intel Win32 platforms. Several problems with Windows NT 4.0, Win95b and Win98 are fixed now. You may recompile the sources to run Emu48 on a DEC Alpha.


	****************
	* COMMAND LINE *
	****************

The command line syntax is "Emu48 [E48file [Port2file]]". The first parameter sets the filename for the Emulation Data, the second parameter the Port2 file. You're not able to set a Port2 file without setting the Emulation Data file. The arguments are optional.


	***********
	* DISPLAY *
	***********

The display emulation is now closer to the original. But there are several problems left, especially with the gray scale emulation.


	********************
	* KEYBOARD CHANGES *
	********************

I changed the behavior for pressing more than one key. All keys will release, when you go outside the button area now. To hold down a key, you have to press the right mouse button. The key autorepeat emulation is working now.


	*********
	* CLOCK *
	*********

The emulator time is synchronized with the PC time at startup of the emulator. This may cause problems with other non original operating systems running on the HP48. On S(X) calculators the address area #00052-#00070, on G(X) calculators the address area #00058-#00076 in Port0 are rewritten with the actual time information.


	***************
	* KML SCRIPTS *
	***************

Your LCD contrast setting will be saved now. In some cases you have to fix Color 0 in your KML script file, because the colors red and blue has been swapped in the "Lcd" section. Don't use TRUELCD.KMI for emulating display contrast in your scripts. It's not fully correct. The hardware contrast values are in the area from 0 to 31. But the HP48 roms bounds them to useful values. The S(X) ROM use only display contrast values between 3 and 19 and the G(X) ROM values between 9 and 24. 

You're able to define a different background color for each contrast value for a more realistic display emulation now. The background color entry for the corresponding color is calculated by adding 32 to the color value. That means the color definitions from 32 to 63 are background colors. If the background color for the contrast isn't defined, Color 0 is used.

You can use 4 as new value for "Zoom" in the "Lcd" section of the KML script for a very big display view now.


	***********************
	* COPY / PASTE STRING *
	***********************

With the menu items "Copy String" and "Paste String" in the "Edit" menu you're able to copy HP48 string objects from the stack to the PC Clipboard and vice versa.


	*****************
	* DRAG AND DROP *
	*****************

Dropping HP48 objects over the emulator window will load program files (like the command "Load object...") on the stack. Be sure that the emulator isn't busy before doing this.


	*************
	* EMU48.INI *
	*************

The section [Timers] in the Emu48.ini file isn't used any more. The variable values are replaced by useful constants. You may delete this section if you want. Starting an old version of Emu48 (V1.07 and earlier) will add this section again.


	************************
	* REAL SPEED EMULATION *
	************************

As you recognized the speed of the emulated HP48 is much faster than an original HP48. The reason is, the assembler commands are emulated faster than the original CPU can execute them. On one side this is a big advantage (faster execution of programs) on the other side this cause many trouble. In Emu48 only the timers work with the original speed. In result all commands like User-RPL WAIT wait more or less the correct time. But many programs like shells or editors use an own key handler to realize an autorepeat implementation. Normally these programs use the execution time of each assembler command for waiting. On Emu48 this time is much shorter, so the time between each key read is shorter as well and you get a very fast key repetition. The editor ED from the JAZZ package hasn't this problem, because the key input is synchronized with one of the timers. To solve this problem Emu48 generally slow down emulation if a key is pressed. To solve some other speed depending problems you are able to slow down the whole emulation speed. There are two variables 'SXCycles=82' and 'GXCycles=123' defined in the Emu48.ini file, section [Emulator] which control the "real" speed and key repetition slow down for each calculator type. Each numeric value is representing the allowed CPU cycles in a 16384Hz time frame. Because the used cycle statements (from SASM.DOC) in Emu48 doesn't correspond to the real values of the CPU, the saved values are estimated by comparing the execution time of a program to the real calculator. Increasing the value fitting to your ROM will make the "real speed" HP faster and vice versa. No warranty to the functionality of Emu48 when you go below the default values.


	*************************
	* SERIAL PORT EMULATION *
	*************************

The serial ports are emulated as well now. You may choose the same serial port for wire and IR. Remember that the IR port only work with 2400 Baud. There's a problem known with the command RECX from the Library 1275: "XYMODEM v3.2 for S/G". On fast PC's this command doesn't work. Slow down emulation to run it. If you want to change the serial port settings, but they are disabled, close the serial port with the command CLOSEIO or power cycle the HP48 first.

Now it's possible to make transfers between the HP48 and Emu48. If you have problems with the connection please try the following. There's a simple way to check if your serial port is used by another program. First disable the serial settings in both combo boxes and very important close the settings dialog. Reopen the settings dialog and choose the COM port in the wire combo box to the port the HP48 is connected with. When you open this combo box you only see valid (unused) serial ports. Don't use the IR combo box, it only works with 2400 Baud. The next important thing are the serial settings of the HP48 and Emu48, they must be equal. If this doesn't work then mostly there's a hardware problem, check this with connecting the HP48 with a transfer program you like on the same serial port.


	****************
	* DISASSEMBLER *
	****************

With the internal disassembler you're able to disassemble the HP48 address area. With the default Map setting the disassembler always see the mapped memory address. If for example you configured the RAM at #00000 you will see the RAM and not the ROM at this address. With the other Module settings you specify a special module for disassembly. Each module will begin at address #00000 and will not overlapped by other modules. For Port2 I use a linear address mode, that means that the second port of a RAM card greater than 128K is at address #40000 (128 * 1024 * 2) and so on. The "Copy Data" button copies the selected disassembler lines to the PC Clipboard.


	**************
	* DDE SERVER *
	**************

I implemented a DDE server in Emu48 to transmit data from and to the HP stack with DDE. You have the same restrictions like with the commands "Load object..." and "Save Object...", that a running program may corrupt memory. Take care to transmit data only after the acknowledge of the last DDE transaction.

Technical data:

Servername:      Emu48
Topicname:       Stack
Item:            Dummy (ignored, must be a nonzero string)
Clipboardformat: "CF_HPOBJ" (user defined)

The DDE commands CONNECT, POKE and REQUEST are supported.

The structure of the clipboard format "CF_HPOBJ":

+--------+------------------------------------+
| 4 Byte |             HP object              |
+--------+------------------------------------+
    \        \
     \        +--- normal HP object
      +----------- length of object (LSB first)


	********
	* TIPS *
	********

I hope some of your Emu48 problems has been solved as well. If you use a patched ROM version (i.e. to solve the auto off problem), try an unpatched one.


Christoph Gie<69>elink, cgiess@swol.de

http://privat.swol.de/ChristophGiesselink