Panasonic HHC info?

['Computer Collector Newsletter']

I have the main HHC instruction manual.  Will scan it once I find it (which
could take a few days!).

-----Original Message-----
From: cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org [mailto:cctalk-bounces at classiccmp.org]
On Behalf Of David Betz
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2005 4:00 PM
To: General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts
Subject: Panasonic HHC info?

Well, I have my HHC working pretty much. I replaced the batteries but that
didn't really help the "insufficient memory" errors. I'm wondering if it is
necessary to expand the memory to use the Basic ROM.

Does anyone have a copy of the HHC documentation or any information on
programming it either in Basic or SNAP?

Thanks,
David

On Jul 12, 2005, at 1:46 PM, Roger Merchberger wrote:

> Rumor has it that David Betz may have mentioned these words:
>
>> I finally received my HHC Basic ROMs yesterday and they seem to work.
>> (Thanks Roger!)
>>
>
> I *think* (and with the minimal remaining number of functional 
> neutrons in my head, that's a toughie! :-O ) I have everyone caught up 
> on the HHC Basics. To those people who were severely delayed on 
> receiving their chips, I publicly apologize -- It was never my 
> intention to let this project go "lax" like it did.
>
> If I did forget you, please raise your hands! Then lower them again, 
> and type out an email to me, and I'll get you taken care of.
> I currently have a couple of days of "minimal insanity" with which I 
> can clean up any last loose ends.
>
>
>> I do have a problem where it claims I have insufficient memory to 
>> save even the smallest program. I seem to remember hearing someone 
>> else complain of that problem as well but I never saw anyone post a 
>> solution.
>>
>
> That would've been me; I may have an idea to the cause, but I've not 
> had a chance to try it. See below.
>
>
>>  Has anyone been able to save programs? Is there some trick involved? 
>> This is the first time I've used the machine and I suppose there 
>> could be left over stuff in RAM that needs to be deleted.
>>
>
> I found that I could get 1 program entered and running, by manually 
> deleting everything I could find in the 'filesystem' and immediately 
> going to the Basic and setting it to program input mode.  [[ This is 
> the first time I'd used the machine as well... ]]
>
> However, there was other 'flakeyness' with my HHC as well, and so I 
> don't think it's a 'Basic-only' problem.
>
>
>>  I would think it would have disappeared long ago though since the 
>> batteries were dead when I bought the machine and I am only able to 
>> run it off of the power supply. Has anyone had success saving 
>> programs?
>>
>
> I *think* (and knowing near nothing about this machine, I really, 
> really stress *think*) that the batteries _need_ to be functional.
> A lot of portable machines of this era used the batteries as an 
> oversized 'smoothing capacitor' for lack of a better term and would 
> not operate correctly without a working battery pack.  (I have a Tandy 
> 600 which exhibited similar memory wackyness when running it from AC 
> only with no battery pack installed.)
>
> I have not had time to test this theory, however, so I might be 'full 
> of condensed milk' as my father-in-law used to say.
>
>
>> Also, my machine has a menu entry offering to run SNAP programs but I 
>> have been unable to find a description of the SNAP language. I 
>> believe it is a Forth derivative. Can someone point me to a 
>> description of the SNAP language?
>>
>
> Wish I could; SNAP sounded kewl. What I can tell you is the machine 
> uses a CMOS 6502, so if anyone can find a way to read the internal 
> ROMS or figure out the BASIC enough to program a ROM dump utility, 
> should be pretty easy for one who's good with 6502 disassemblers to 
> maybe glean some knowledge about it. (M'self, I'm more a 6809 kinda
> guy...)
>
> As I have some really good soldering/desoldering tools now, I could 
> take a stab at desoldering the ROM chip[s] and reading 'em directly... 
> tho:
>
> 1) I wouldn't know where in memory it resides without manually tracing 
> address lines & whatnot (which I don't have time for) ...
> or ...
>
> 2) I wouldn't have time to do this for at least a couple of months.  
> But hey, we've been waiting almost 10 years now for Basic, right???
> ;^P
>
> HTH,
> Roger "Merch" Merchberger
>
> --
> Roger "Merch" Merchberger   | "Profile, don't speculate."
> SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers |     Daniel J. Bernstein
> zmerch at 30below.com          |
>
>