Feature requests

Discussion around the SwissMicros DM42 calculator
etn
Posts: 22
Joined: Sun Dec 10, 2017 2:14 pm

Re: Feature requests

Post by etn »

gomefun2 wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:03 am
Also, I know why people complain about the keypad on the DM42. It's because sometimes you long-push a number and it double or triple pushes it.

To me, it doesn't make sense that the buttons are auto-push when you hold them down. If you just removed the auto-button (or at least had an option to remove auto-button) then I think fewer people would complain about the keyboard.
As far as I can tell, the double or triple push has nothing to do with an intended behavior of the calculator (which is as good as it gets). It is caused by signal bouncing i.e. transients when a switch opens or closes. See here:
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/techni ... -with-it/

I have to say, after a year and a half of using the calculator almost daily, the keys seem to have broken in and the keyboard feels "better" than it did at the beginning (or I might have grown used to it). Key bounce occurrence is reduced but has not entirely disappeared. There is a thread dedicated to this topic, by the way.
Joe Horn
Posts: 108
Joined: Thu Oct 04, 2018 2:10 am

Re: Feature requests

Post by Joe Horn »

etn wrote:
Sun Apr 28, 2019 10:15 am
gomefun2 wrote:
Fri Apr 26, 2019 2:03 am
Also, I know why people complain about the keypad on the DM42. It's because sometimes you long-push a number and it double or triple pushes it.

To me, it doesn't make sense that the buttons are auto-push when you hold them down. If you just removed the auto-button (or at least had an option to remove auto-button) then I think fewer people would complain about the keyboard.
As far as I can tell, the double or triple push has nothing to do with an intended behavior of the calculator (which is as good as it gets). It is caused by signal bouncing i.e. transients when a switch opens or closes. See here:
https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/techni ... -with-it/

I have to say, after a year and a half of using the calculator almost daily, the keys seem to have broken in and the keyboard feels "better" than it did at the beginning (or I might have grown used to it). Key bounce occurrence is reduced but has not entirely disappeared. There is a thread dedicated to this topic, by the way.
Please note that key debouncing is not what he's talking about at all. He's talking about the intentionally built-in misfeature of automatic key repeat. Try it: Key any multi-digit number slowly, holding down each key for a few moments before pressing the next key. If any digit is pressed for more than a very brief moment, it starts auto-repeating. Unless you rapidly poke each key, getting double or triple (or more) digits often happens. It's a very annoying misfeature, which should ONLY be available in alpha mode IMHO.
Thomas Okken
Posts: 1100
Joined: Tue May 02, 2017 5:48 pm
Location: Netherlands
Contact:

Re: Feature requests

Post by Thomas Okken »

Whether auto-repeat is a good feature or not is subjective, which is why Free42 lets you turn it off.

N.B. There are actually two types of auto-repeat in Free42: (1) the one on the ▲ and ▼ keys, which lets you step through programs and multi-row menus by holding down the key in question, and (2) the one in number entry and alpha entry modes. (1) is a feature of the HP-42S and is always enabled, while (2) is a feature of Free42 and can be disabled in the Preferences.

In the DM42, the setting to disable type (2) auto-repeat appears to be missing, and in its stead, there is a "slow auto-repeat" setting, which doesn't seem to be very effective.
gomefun2
Posts: 35
Joined: Sun May 06, 2018 3:45 am

Re: Feature requests

Post by gomefun2 »

I installed free42 on my Arch Linux installation just to see this option. You're right! I think this should be changed to auto-repeat OFF/ON on the dm42 as you have it in your free42 simulator.

I can't honestly tell a difference right now between slow/fast on the calculator (if I could, it may just be imaginary anyway, the difference is so small)!

Maybe there is a reason they had to change it to this way, idk.
yuca
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 7:38 pm

Re: Feature requests

Post by yuca »

Hello

I have a DM42 and I very happy wit it but I have old eyes and for me it would very useful to allow bigger font, I think that there are enough free screen space even on current largest font.

Best regards

Guillermo
User avatar
pica
Posts: 70
Joined: Fri Mar 30, 2018 11:36 am
Location: Eswatini

Re: Feature requests

Post by pica »

yuca wrote:
Wed Jan 06, 2021 11:35 am
Hello

I have a DM42 and I very happy wit it but I have old eyes and for me it would very useful to allow bigger font, I think that there are enough free screen space even on current largest font.

Best regards

Guillermo
I am with you on that one. Even the lousy hp35s does better.
HP50G HP35s Free42 DM42.
Testing WP43S, C43.
Post Reply