The HP Series 80 (HP83/85/86/87)

This episode is the third and final in a series about the Hewlett Packard HP-85 computer, or more accurately, the entire line of similar computers known as the HP Series 80.  Once again, I have the tremendously knowledgeable duo of Everett Kaser and Vassilis Prevelakis helping me impart information to you about that venerable line of historically significant desktop computers.  In this episode, we will primarily be covering tech specs, peripherals, expansion, magazines and newletters, books, emulation, modern upgrades, connectivity to modern computers, buying one today, community and Web sites.  Wow, now that I list this out, it’s obvious we have a lot to cover.  In addition, I will briefly talk about my new vintage computer acquisitions, feedback and perhaps a little news.

Links Mentioned in the Show:

New Acquisitions

• Vic-20 Behr-Bonz Cart - http://sleepingelephant.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=7513
• TI-59 Gummy Wheel Repair Kit - http://www.ebay.com/itm/TEXAS-INSTRUMENTS-TI-59-CALCULATOR-CARD-READER-GUMMY-WHEEL-REPAIR-KIT-/262695021491
• TI Calculator Keyboard - https://www.amazon.com/Texas-Instruments-Keyboard-Graphing-Calculators/dp/B00007K7JE
• Atari Macro Assembler - http://mixinc.net/atari/amac.htm
• TI-99 Multi-Plan, Porting from Excel - http://atariage.com/forums/topic/245707-porting-from-ms-excel-spreadsheets-to-ms-multiplan-on-the-ti99/
• new C64 podcast - Reset magazine - https://soundcloud.com/reset-magazine/reset-podcast-e01-the-hewson-episode
• Upcoming Shows
• • VCF East - http://vcfed.org/wp/festivals/vintage-computer-festival-east/, March 31-April 2, 2017, InfoAge Science Center, 2201 Marconi Rd., Wall, NJ, 07719
  • KFest - https://www.kansasfest.org/, Rockhurst University, July 18th-23rd
  • Commodore Vegas Expo v13 - July 29-30, 2017, California Hotel & Casino, 12 E. Ogden Ave., downtown Las Vegas, Nevada - http://www.commodore.ca/forum/viewforum.php?f=6
  • Tandy Assembly - Chillicothe, Ohio, The event will tentatively be held on the weekend of 6-8 October 2017

Tech Specs

• Audio of William Tell Overture from Vassilis Prevelakis recorded as his HP-85B was playing the piece - HP85-WilliamTell.mp3
• Speech-Synthesis card - article in Professional Computing - V1N1 page 45 “Series 80 Talks Back” by Loren Koehler - https://groups.io/g/hpseries80/files/Professional%20Computing%20Magazine/Professional%20Computing%20V1N1-1984.pdf

Popular Magazines/Newsletters

• HP’s Basic Exchange Newsletter - available from Museum of HP Calculators document archive or at HP Computer Museum - http://www.hpmuseum.org/software/swcdp.htm#be
• Professional Computing - for Hewlett Packard Personal Computer Users, 1984-1985 - https://groups.io/g/hpseries80/files/Professional%20Computing%20Magazine
• News 80s - until late ‘84 migrating readers to Professional Computing - http://www.biblewitness.org/technical/HP_Series-80/

Books/Manuals

• HP 85 Owner's Manual and Programming Guide - http://www.series80.org/PDFs/HP85-MainBW.pdf
• The Introduction to the HP-86B - http://www.series80.org/PDFs/HP86B-Intro.pdf
• The Introduction to the HP-87 - http://www.series80.org/PDFs/Intro87.pdf

Software

• The Forth ROM was recovered with the help of Everett Kaser and Don Person, but was written by Larry Woestman. The following ZIP file contains source code as well as image files for the HP-85 and HP-87: HP-85 / HP-87 Forth ROM: HP_Series_80_Forth.zip
• André Koppel wrote some utilities for the HP-87 called SYSEXT, which he transferred to a ROM. This can be downloaded together with a manual in German from http://www.akso.de/index.php?id=hp_series_80&L=1

Modern Upgrades

• expansion - PRM-85 (Bill Kotaska (USA), with support from John Shadbolt (UK))  e-mail if interested
• HP85 recreation with an FPGA - FPGA HP85B
• SD or CF card interface - HP85DISK - HP-85 Disk Emulator using AVR and MicroSD card for classic HP series 80 computers - https://github.com/magore/hp85disk by Mike Gore

Connectivity to Modern Computers

• Transferring diskette images from an HP-86/7 to a PC via a serial connection - based on an article by Pete Goffinet published in the PPC Computer Journal (V3N1, January/February 1984) - http://www.series80.org/Articles/uploading-disk-images.html
• transfer data from an HP85 computer with 5.25" double floppy drive to DOS or UNIX - http://www.series80.org/Articles/xfer-to-dos.txt

Emulation

• Series 80 Emulator by Everett Kaser - http://www.kaser.com/hp85.html
• Series 80 Emulator by Oliver De Smet - https://sites.google.com/site/olivier2smet2/hpseries80
• go87 - Free HP 87 emulator for android - https://sites.google.com/site/olivier2smet2/home/go87

Community

• https://groups.io/g/hpseries80
• http://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/

Current Web Sites

• http://www.kaser.com/hp85.html
• http://www.series80.org/index.html
• Museum of HP Calculators - Dave Hicks - http://www.hpmuseum.org/hp85.htm - lots of manuals for the Series 80
• HP Computer Museum - http://hpmuseum.net/  Jon Johnston, founder and curator lost his life in April 2016
• HP Memory Project - http://www.hpmemoryproject.org/
• Larry Atherton's HP-85 refurbishment site. Larry completely rebuilds HP-85 computers , replacing the tape drive with a reliable QIC drive. - http://myworld.ebay.com/la-tech-renewal
• “Hewlett Packards New Personal Computer, the HP-85”, Byte Magazine V5N3 - http://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1980-03/1980_03_BYTE_05-03_Computers_in_the_Labratory#page/n63/mode/2up
• HP-85 tear-down video (EEVblog) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5SzKM7g5Ds
• Dave Jones - Aussie - Electronic Engineering Video Blog
• HP-85 demo video (EEVblog) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yac6YByAcRc
• Repairing the HP-85 Computer (EEVblog) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14KncLx5frg
• CuriousMarc's 16-volume video series on testing and repairing different parts of the HP-85 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrOKgf0Js8A&list=PL-_93BVApb5-EQPTni9sjxKhQsb2BzvWR
• Article from Byte Magazine about the HP-85 - http://www.series80.org/ByteArticle/index.html
• HP86B page by Guillaume Tello - http://gtello.pagesperso-orange.fr/hp86_e.htm
• HP Series 80 Links - http://vintagecomputers.site90.net/hp85/links.htm