WP43C quick start article, with reference to the parent project WP43S
Introduction
If you’re reading this, you’re probably aware that SwissMicros is planning to release another
calculator based on the DM42 hardware. This calculator is known as the WP43S (after an earlier
calculator, the WP34S; the WP34S firmware was written by a small group of enthusiasts and ran
on the HP20b and HP30b calculators.) The aim is to make the most of the vastly superior
hardware of the DM42 platform to produce something “
…pretty close to the ultimate RPN
scientific calculator
”. Anyone who loves calculators must be excited by this!
One way to get involved is to sign up for the WP43S Pilot Run by buying an early version of the
new calculator from SwissMicros. Another option is to install the new firmware on the DM42
calculator that (I presume) you already own. Although the WP43S firmware isn’t complete – for
example, at the time of writing there are as yet no programming commands – it is stable, and it
already includes a full range of scientific functions. In my experience it is fine for daily use. Thanks
to the excellent design of the DM42 it is easy to swap back and forth between the usual “Free42”
and the experimental WP43S firmware: nothing you do is irreversible. By trying out the new code
you not only get a taste of what the final calculator will be like, but by finding and reporting bugs
you can actively help the developers.
WP43S and WP43C
There is, however, one important point. The keyboard layouts of the WP43S and DM42 are almost
completely different. Even the arithmetic keys are in different places! This is deliberate: a poll of
prospective users found that having the arithmetic keys on the left, as per the HP35, HP41C, etc.,
was the popular preference. Because of this, a fork of the WP43S project (known as WP43C)
was started. This uses the WP43S code but with the changes necessary to map its functions to
the DM42 keyboard. (Those of you familiar with the previous WP34S will be relieved to hear that
absolutely no keyboard stickers are required!) Note that the WP43C fork includes some further
changes to the user interface and a few experimental features that are not (yet?) present in the
main WP43S code, but fundamentally it is still the WP43S and is entirely dependent upon it.
Loading and running the WP43C firmware
This is how to load and run the WP43C firmware on your DM42.
•
First, make sure that your DM42 is fully updated. The DMCP version should be at least 3.15.
•
Download the file containing the WP43C firmware to your computer. This file will have a name
like 43C_27L2.pgm (
Next, you should save your calculator’s current state. This includes
all your programs and variables and will be lost if not backed up.
To do this:
•
Press shift-0 (SETUP) and select option 2 (Calc State),
followed by option 2 (Save State).
•
You can either type in a new filename (just press ENTER with
New File highlighted, followed by the file name) or choose an
existing state file to overwrite (if there are any).
•
When you’ve typed the name, press ENTER. The calculator
state is saved, and you are returned to the usual stack display.
The next thing to do is to connect your calculator to your
computer as a USB Disk, so that its flash drive can be backed up to the computer and the
