S.U.P.E.R. HP 200LX Archive
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Pns200

Andreas Garzotto

Utility
Download 16.1 KB

Description

PNS200 V1.3 - Point and shoot from FILER on the HP200LX There is an undocumented feature of the HP200LX palmtop computer, that allows to start a DOS application from FILER by pointing to a data file and pressing ENTER. It is possible to specify the DOS application to be started in a file called C:\_DAT\FILER.INI.

Description extracted automatically from the documentation inside the package: this entry was not in the original catalogue.

Technical details

File
pns200.zip
Size
16.1 KB
Format
.zip
Year
1994
Files inside
5
Author
Andreas Garzotto
Path
jorgen/pns200.zip

How to install it

What to send to the palmtop saves 14.8 KB

These are the files you need. You can send them from the package contents below.

  • PNS200.EXE → A:\SOFT programa de DOS 16.0 KB
  • FILER.INI → A:\_DAT configuración 1.2 KB
  • PNS200.INI → A:\_DAT configuración 879 B

No need to put PNS200.C, PNS200.DOC: they are manuals, source code or supporting material. Read them here and save 14.8 KB on a 1 MB disk.

Steps
  1. Copy PNS200.EXE to A:\SOFT. They are DOS programs: run them from the DOS icon, or add A:\SOFT to the PATH in C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT to call them by name.
  2. Copy FILER.INI, PNS200.INI to A:\_DAT, where the 200LX looks for configuration. Open it with Memo and adjust it before use.
  3. If you edit a configuration file on the palmtop, make sure you leave a newline at the end: some programs swallow the last line without saying a word.

Derived from the package contents and the 200LX conventions. It installs to A: on purpose: C: is a RAM disk and every byte there is memory taken from the system.

It also needs 1

The manual mentions these files, which are in the archive:

Send to my palmtop

The palmtop must be waiting before you press the button, or the transfer will fail. It is the palmtop that announces it is ready, not the other way round.

On the palmtop

  1. Connect the serial cable between the palmtop and the computer.
  2. Open Data Comm and go to Menu → Connect → Settings. Set: 9600 baud, 8 data bits, parity None, 1 stop bit.
  3. Go back to the menu and enter Menu → File → Receive, with the Zmodem protocol. The palmtop now waits: leave it like that.

On the computer

  1. Use Chrome (or Edge / Opera). Firefox and Safari cannot open the serial port, and no mobile browser can either.
  2. Find out which port is yours — if you are not sure, open the help below.
  3. Press the button and pick it in the window Chrome opens.
How do I know which port is mine?

Linux — your USB-serial adapter will be /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0. The /dev/ttyS0…ttyS31 are legacy motherboard ports: the kernel lists them even when none exist, so they are almost never yours. To be sure:

ls -l /dev/serial/by-id/

It shows the manufacturer and model, and which ttyUSB* it points to. If nothing appears, unplug and replug the cable and check dmesg | tail: you will see a line like «ch341-uart converter now attached to ttyUSB0».

Permissions: on Debian and derivatives your user must be in the dialout group or the port will not open. Check with groups, and if it is missing:

sudo usermod -aG dialout $USER

You must log out and back in for it to take effect.

Windows — Device Manager → Ports (COM & LPT). Your adapter shows up as COM3, COM4… If it has a yellow triangle, you are missing the chip driver (FTDI, Prolific or CH340 depending on the cable).

macOS — ls /dev/cu.*; your adapter will be something like /dev/cu.usbserial-A50285BI. Always use the cu. one, not tty..

The 200LX has no standard serial connector: you need HP's connectivity cable (the F1015A or an equivalent) and, unless your computer has a real serial port, a USB-serial adapter behind it.

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