31 Aug
1999
31 Aug
'99
2:26 a.m.
The Draftmaster series was "current" in '88. We bought them for about $10K
each in '88, though I routinely see them offered nowadays at $200.
There are drivers for Windows, though I've never gotten them to work with my
7585, which was the heavier and similar model without the chart-feed
(roll-fed paper). Pens from third parties are readily available and the
device operates as either DCE or DTE via RS232, or HPIB. The models we
bought for Martin Marietta were ETHERNET-interfaced, so that option is
available as well. These have been "sucked" off the market by the vendors
of vinyl signs, which can be cut from the roll-fed paper-backed vinyl stock
from which they're made. These are the signs you
commonly see stuck to the
inside of shop windows.
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Doug Spence <hrothgar(a)total.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Monday, August 30, 1999 11:44 PM
Subject: HP DraftMaster I
Hi,
I thought I'd break in amongst all the big-brained stuff about part
design and announce to the world that I've garbage-picked a Hewlett
Packard DraftMaster I (7595A).
It was easy to get home because it was only two streets over, and the
wheels roll nicely.
It went downhill really well, so I'm considering entering it in next
year's Soap Box Derby.
I'm also planning on building some shelves into it, to justify its space
requirements.
The machine DOES work. I plugged it into my Amiga, and managed to get
it to draw a bicycle from an old PD CAD package off a magazine disk. It
keeps chewing on the flimsy paper I've got, though.
It has an HPIB port on it, so I'll have to write a HPGL driver for my
PET one of these days. ;)
Anyone know how old this thing is? HP's web site lists "DraftMaster" as
one of their trademarks, but I couldn't find much else out about it.
I used to work as a CAD operator at one of the big engineering firms in
downtown Montreal, so this is a cool find.
--
Doug Spence Hrothgar's Cool Old Junk Page:
hrothgar(a)total.net http://www.total.net/~hrothgar/museum/