Monorepo for Aesthetic.Computer
aesthetic.computer
1# HP 7585B
2
3A0/E-size 8-pen drafting plotter (1983) driven via HP-GL over RS-232 or HP-IB.
4Workflow: SVG → vpype HPGL exporter → serial pipe to the plotter.
5
6## One-time setup
7
8### 1. Install vpype
9
10```fish
11pipx install "vpype[all]" # or: brew install pipx && pipx install vpype
12```
13
14### 2. Register this device profile
15
16Either link the bundled config from your home dir:
17
18```fish
19ln -sf ~/aesthetic-computer/plotters/hp7585b/vpype.toml ~/.vpype.toml
20```
21
22…or pass it explicitly on every invocation: `vpype --config ~/aesthetic-computer/plotters/hp7585b/vpype.toml ...`.
23
24### 3. Wire up the plotter
25
26- Default RS-232: **9600 8N1**, hardware (Xon/Xoff) flow control. DIP-switch
27 configurable on the rear panel — verify before first plot.
28- macOS USB-to-serial adapters appear as `/dev/cu.usbserial-*`. Export
29 `HP7585B_TTY` (the helpers below read it) so you don't have to repeat the
30 path:
31
32 ```fish
33 set -Ux HP7585B_TTY /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX
34 ```
35
36- Set Metric/Imperial mode on the front panel to match the paper you're
37 loading (the vpype profile says which is required per size).
38
39## Doing a test print
40
41```fish
42# Convert SVG to HPGL on A3 metric
43vpype read test-print.svg \
44 write -d hp7585b -p a3 test-print.hpgl
45
46# Send it
47hp7585bplot test-print.hpgl
48```
49
50A small canned `test-print.svg` lives next to this README — it draws a frame,
51diagonals, a circle, and a couple of pen-swap text labels so you can verify
52clip limits and the carousel.
53
54## Helpers
55
56Source these from your fish config (or symlink into `~/.config/fish/functions/`):
57
58- `hp7585bplot file.hpgl` – cats an HPGL file to `$HP7585B_TTY` with the
59 right `stty` settings.
60- `hp7585bsend "PU;PA0,0;"` – send a raw HP-GL fragment.
61- `hp7585bhome` – pen up, pen home (`PU;PA0,0;`).
62- `hp7585bpenup` / `hp7585bpendown` – `PU;` / `PD;`.
63- `hp7585bpen N` – select pen N from the carousel (`SP N;`), 0 stows.
64- `hp7585binit` – issue a fresh `IN;` (reinitialize plotter state).
65
66## References
67
68- HP 7585B Interfacing & Programming Manual (PN 07585-90002, Aug 1983) —
69 scanned at bitsavers.
70- HP Computer Museum — 7585B entry.
71- vpype HPGL cookbook — schema for the TOML profile in this directory.