This is a microcode emulator for a HP-29C calculator, that runs in a browser.
Microcode means that it runs exactly the same way as the original; with the same precision as, and any quirks of, the original. It doesn’t just behave the same or produce the same results, it does that and gets those – because it works the same way too.
“Runs in a browser” means it works on any platform. You can use it on a Windows desktop, a Mac or a Linux computer. You can also use it on a phone (Apple or Android) or a tablet. It is written in HTML5 to work on just about any modern browser. It should look the same, work the same and behave the same; regardless of where you run it.
What does it look like?
It looks like a real HP-29C (see the picture above). You can push buttons and slide switches (tap the switch for it to slide) just like the real thing.
Features
- runs the original microcode
- runs on any device
- looks like the original
- has Continuous Memory, just like the original (so you can turn it off and later resume where you were up to)
- Scientific functions (log, y^x, sin, cos, tan, etc)
- Programmable – 98 steps
- 30 memories
Advanced Features
- Can be fully used without any of the advanced features
- Allows you to step or trace through the microcode to see what it is doing and how
- Allows you to change the contents of internal memory. This gives you direct access to the RAM and means you can insert reserved user program steps or special values in normal memories.
- You can save and restore user programs in less than a second. With the original, you had to key them back in by hand; every time.
- You can copy and paste programs (or programs, data and settings) so you can easily share the programs you create.
Downloading & Installing
It is a HTML5 application. That means you don’t even have to download it or install it. You can run it online anytime you want to. If you want to run it without access to the internet, you can choose the “install” option. That is a different link but it installs just as easily. As you use it, it saves a copy of everything it needs from the web and then, when you’re offline, it just runs from the local copies. There’s no extra steps at all (I think of it as a “zero-click install”). You still have the choice: use it online or have a copy with you.
Pick a link: use it or install it .
Buying a copy
The internet isn’t perfect. Things change. Perfectly good and useful things disappear or change. If you buy a copy, you’ll always have it. It won’t be in a browser cache that might get cleared. It won’t get updated automatically to remove features you liked or to add things you don’t. You get a snapshot in time and you get to keep it like that forever. If you buy a copy you get a ZIP with all of the needed files and you can install it on any computer you want.
Buying a copy also throws a few dollars my way and supports more work like this. If you like it and want to say thank you, buy a copy. If you like it a lot, buy two. You can buy a copy below:
More Information
This is part of the HP29 topic.
If you want to see if it’s any good, just click the “use it” or “install it” links above. That way you can play with it for free for as long as you like.
As with my other HTML5 microcode emulators, tap the display (LED digits) to bring up more options.
