[comp.sys.handhelds] hp48sx ROM revision

halazar@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Michael Halle) (03/11/90)

I called calculator support a couple of days ago, and the guy said the
following:

1. Only ROM revision A is "out there",

2. In general they don't upgrade calculators to new ROM revisions.
Someone previously mentioned that they will upgrade if the defect if
fatal to your work, so this statement is apparently not without
exception.

Beats me why the "anomaly list" (oh please, give me a break) has
defects for A-D revisions.  I guess that's the lead time the chip
plant has on the final product.

					--Michael Halle
					  Spatial Imaging Group
					  MIT Media Lab
					  mhalle@media-lab.media.mit.edu

madler@tybalt.caltech.edu (Mark Adler) (03/11/90)

I neglected to say in the ROM bug listing how to tell the ROM revision.
Here's how:

1. Turn the calculator on (press ON and then release).

2. Press ON again, and while holding it down, hit the "D"
   key (the fourth white key in the top row) and then release
   the ON key.  You should get three vertical lines in the
   display, one down the middle.

3. Hit the backspace key (it says DROP and CLR over it).
   You should get some meaningless hexadecimal in the first
   line of the display.  (Mine says 705D9:1B8D...).

4. Press and hold down the EVAL key.  It should say:

      Version HP48-*
      Copyright HP 1989

   where the * is an uppercase letter (A, B, etc.) indicating
   the ROM version.

5. Release the EVAL key.  Hold down ON and hit "C" (the third
   white key in the top row.  This is a general reset
   operation that returns the calculator to normal from the
   diagnostic stuff (which is where ON-D puts you).

I'd be very interested if anyone gets anything but revision A.

Mark Adler
madler@hamlet.caltech.edu