From: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin)
Subject: Re: HP48S graphics
Reply-To: ervin@pinbot.enet.dec.com (Joseph James Ervin)
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 12:07:21 GMT


In article <717905798.F00002@therose.pdx.com>, James.McNalley@f47.n105.z1.therose.pdx.com (James McNalley) writes:

|>        I have an HP 48S (not SX) and have been trying to do some
|>fractal programming on it.  At first I was very excited because it has
|>built in complex numbers, but PIXON doesn't seem to like complex
|>numbers.  Then I found out (well, it seems that this is true) that you
|>can't light up pixels while in the GRAPH mode, you have to draw it and
|>THEN see it.

Hmmm....sounds like what you _want_ to do is {0 0} PVIEW, followed
by the drawing commands.  This will let you see them on the screen
as they are being drawn.  GRAPH is an interactive interface, so when
your program hits the GRAPH command, it suspends the program and goes
into the interactive GRAPH interface.


|>        I saw the book about the HP 48 GRAPHICS, but am not sure if I
|>need to spend $20 to get stuff that SHOULD have been in the manual.
|>That is another thing.  The manual is so huge, but HP wants you to get a
|>seperate one for programming details, and devotes a really tiny area to
|>graphics programming.  

There are only a few graphics commands, and they are fairly 
straightforward.  I don't see why you are so upset.  Spend some time
studying the commands in the manual and then do some experimentation.
Finally, if you need help, just post to this newsgroup and there will
be plenty of people to help out.

|>I bought this so I could write fractal programs
|>and watch them go with out having to be at my computer!  Another thing
|>is that I was drawing something that repeated this
|>x
|>y
|>PIXON
|>and some other stuff for each pixel, and after a few minutes it asked me
|>if I wanted to purge a bunch of stuff because I had used up all the
|>memory!  

Sounds like your program is storing stuff into global variables during 
execution, and from the looks of it, you must be storing lots of information
to use up so much memory.  Why don't you post the offending loop and let us
have a look at it.


|>It has a monochrome screen, and 141 64 * 9024 = (141*64=9024
|>for you non RPN people) so it only REALLY needs 9K of memory and I
|>usuially keep 28K free, WHAT IS WRONG???  

This is just a nit, but in reality, the default screen size is 
131x64 _bits_, so the calculator actually requires just over 1K bytes.

|>IS THERE A GOOD BOOK I CAN GET
|>THAT WILL HELP ME?
|>        I paid $170 and HP wasn't even kind enuf to give me complete
|>manuals!  $!$#  I thought it was only Borland and Microsoft that charged
|>you for the product, but sold the 'important' manuals seperately.
|>

I found the normal manuals to be sufficient for most stuff, but the 
programmers manuals are very convenient as a reference for serious
programming.  Still, I believe the regular manuals have what you need.
You just need to do some experimentation, and ask the net when you
need help.


|>
|>                        James McNalley
|>
|>PS:  Don't get me wrong, I really like this machine, but for $170 I
|>expect a little more.  Don't you?
|>___
|> X SLMR 2.0 X On a clear disk you can seek forever
|>



Regards,

>>>Joe Ervin