HP 7585B#

A0/E-size 8-pen drafting plotter (1983) driven via HP-GL over RS-232 or HP-IB. Workflow: SVG → vpype HPGL exporter → serial pipe to the plotter.

One-time setup#

1. Install vpype#

pipx install "vpype[all]"   # or: brew install pipx && pipx install vpype

2. Register this device profile#

Either link the bundled config from your home dir:

ln -sf ~/aesthetic-computer/plotters/hp7585b/vpype.toml ~/.vpype.toml

…or pass it explicitly on every invocation: vpype --config ~/aesthetic-computer/plotters/hp7585b/vpype.toml ....

3. Wire up the plotter#

• Default RS-232: 9600 8N1, hardware (Xon/Xoff) flow control. DIP-switch configurable on the rear panel — verify before first plot.

• macOS USB-to-serial adapters appear as /dev/cu.usbserial-*. Export HP7585B_TTY (the helpers below read it) so you don't have to repeat the path:

  set -Ux HP7585B_TTY /dev/cu.usbserial-XXXX
  

• Set Metric/Imperial mode on the front panel to match the paper you're loading (the vpype profile says which is required per size).

Doing a test print#

# Convert SVG to HPGL on A3 metric
vpype read test-print.svg \
      write -d hp7585b -p a3 test-print.hpgl

# Send it
hp7585bplot test-print.hpgl

A small canned test-print.svg lives next to this README — it draws a frame, diagonals, a circle, and a couple of pen-swap text labels so you can verify clip limits and the carousel.

Helpers#

Source these from your fish config (or symlink into ~/.config/fish/functions/):

• hp7585bplot file.hpgl – cats an HPGL file to $HP7585B_TTY with the right stty settings.
• hp7585bsend "PU;PA0,0;" – send a raw HP-GL fragment.
• hp7585bhome – pen up, pen home (PU;PA0,0;).
• hp7585bpenup / hp7585bpendown – PU; / PD;.
• hp7585bpen N – select pen N from the carousel (SP N;), 0 stows.
• hp7585binit – issue a fresh IN; (reinitialize plotter state).

References#

• HP 7585B Interfacing & Programming Manual (PN 07585-90002, Aug 1983) — scanned at bitsavers.
• HP Computer Museum — 7585B entry.
• vpype HPGL cookbook — schema for the TOML profile in this directory.