Hello,
I want to use your firmware on actual hardware instead of the Android app. You provide firmware options for 39gs, 40gs and 50g. I'm thinking about bying a 39gs because it's relatively cheap and available in new condition. But there are some questions regarding differences in handling etc. compared to the 50g?
Obviously there's the lower screen height compared to 50g. I guess that's just one stack level less on the screen?
There's no SD card slot but firmware can be updated with HPs Windows connectivity kit?
The 39gs and 40gs both have only one shift button instead of two. Do I loose navigation or copy/paste options on these devices?
The 39gs and 40gs have a different keyboard layout compared to 50g. Is the keymap adapted to 39gs layout or do I have to memorize 50g layout?
Does the lower memory of the 39gs compared to the 40gs make a difference?
Are there any more drawbacks when using a smaller model than 50g?
Thanks
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Hello,
The 39gs screen has 64 pixels high, while the 50g has 80 pixels. If you use a font thatś 8 pixels high for the stack, you'll lose 2 lines. But newRPL allows you to choose any font size: 5, 6, 7 or 8 pixels high, so you can compensate somehow by selecting a smaller font. Also, you can set stack level 1 to a larger font, and other levels with a smaller font.
As of today, the keyboard will work exactly the same on a 50g or 39gs (newRPL will not distinguish between them). The comma key will become the alpha key, the two keys below will become the two shifts. Visually you will probably need an overlay for a 39gs, since so many functions won't match the printed ones (memorizing may work to some extent).
The SD card is a nice to have but not required at all. You will be able to do the initial flashing using the HP Connectivity kit. Once newRPL is installed, it will communicate with newRPL Desktop on a PC, and you can flash updates from there.
There's at least one person I know of that added the SD card socket to a 39gs. Once that's done, it will work with newRPL just like a 50g. This of course requires knowledge in electronic repairs.
Memory is a big difference: 1MB of flash which is almost full as it is (vs. 2MB on a 50g). This means there might be a point in the future where newRPL may no longer fit "complete" in the 39gs. In that case we'll provide a simplified version that still fits, but you'll start losing features.
As far as RAM: 256 kbytes vs. 512kbytes won't impact speed or functionality. But for example one real number with 2000 digits needs roughly 1 kbyte of storage, so your calculator will only be able to store some 200 numbers on the stack before running out of memory, while you can store a more respectable 400 on a 50g.
But that's an extreme case, you could work with 128 digits and never notice a diference.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Hello,
I want to use your firmware on actual hardware instead of the Android app. You provide firmware options for 39gs, 40gs and 50g. I'm thinking about bying a 39gs because it's relatively cheap and available in new condition. But there are some questions regarding differences in handling etc. compared to the 50g?
Obviously there's the lower screen height compared to 50g. I guess that's just one stack level less on the screen?
There's no SD card slot but firmware can be updated with HPs Windows connectivity kit?
The 39gs and 40gs both have only one shift button instead of two. Do I loose navigation or copy/paste options on these devices?
The 39gs and 40gs have a different keyboard layout compared to 50g. Is the keymap adapted to 39gs layout or do I have to memorize 50g layout?
Does the lower memory of the 39gs compared to the 40gs make a difference?
Are there any more drawbacks when using a smaller model than 50g?
Thanks
Hello,
The 39gs screen has 64 pixels high, while the 50g has 80 pixels. If you use a font thatś 8 pixels high for the stack, you'll lose 2 lines. But newRPL allows you to choose any font size: 5, 6, 7 or 8 pixels high, so you can compensate somehow by selecting a smaller font. Also, you can set stack level 1 to a larger font, and other levels with a smaller font.
As of today, the keyboard will work exactly the same on a 50g or 39gs (newRPL will not distinguish between them). The comma key will become the alpha key, the two keys below will become the two shifts. Visually you will probably need an overlay for a 39gs, since so many functions won't match the printed ones (memorizing may work to some extent).
The SD card is a nice to have but not required at all. You will be able to do the initial flashing using the HP Connectivity kit. Once newRPL is installed, it will communicate with newRPL Desktop on a PC, and you can flash updates from there.
There's at least one person I know of that added the SD card socket to a 39gs. Once that's done, it will work with newRPL just like a 50g. This of course requires knowledge in electronic repairs.
Memory is a big difference: 1MB of flash which is almost full as it is (vs. 2MB on a 50g). This means there might be a point in the future where newRPL may no longer fit "complete" in the 39gs. In that case we'll provide a simplified version that still fits, but you'll start losing features.
As far as RAM: 256 kbytes vs. 512kbytes won't impact speed or functionality. But for example one real number with 2000 digits needs roughly 1 kbyte of storage, so your calculator will only be able to store some 200 numbers on the stack before running out of memory, while you can store a more respectable 400 on a 50g.
But that's an extreme case, you could work with 128 digits and never notice a diference.