2 Sep
1999
2 Sep
'99
3:07 a.m.
I had one fellow describe to me how he rigged his pen in the 7475 so he
could draw his PCB layouts directly on the copper. That certainly wouldn't
work with my inkjet printer!
I know at least one guy who plots resist directly on his copper using a CD
printer.
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: allisonp(a)world.std.com <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, September 02, 1999 8:39 AM
Subject: Re: HP plotters
> >7550 takes up too much table space. I guess
I'm keeping my eyes open
for
>an 7470 or
7475 with RS-232 interface.
I have a 7475/serial, they are nice to have/use. No, it's not for sale
as it is useful!
Allison
2 Sep
2 Sep
5:42 a.m.
OK, since we're on the subject of plotters, I guess I'll make mention of
my Calcomp 1055 plotter and 925 tape spooler combo. They're in
near-perfect condition and really, really huge (about 4' high, 3' deep and
5' wide) each and seem to interface via rs232. I've never powered them
up, but the guy who gave them to me said they worked fine last time.
Anyone know what to do with these as faar as programming goes? Links?
jake
On Thu, 2 Sep 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote:
I had one fellow describe to me how he rigged his pen
in the 7475 so he
could draw his PCB layouts directly on the copper. That certainly wouldn't
work with my inkjet printer!
I know at least one guy who plots resist directly on his copper using a CD
printer.
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: allisonp(a)world.std.com <allisonp(a)world.std.com>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, September 02, 1999 8:39 AM
Subject: Re: HP plotters
> >7550 takes up too much table space. I
guess I'm keeping my eyes open
for
>an
7470 or 7475 with RS-232 interface.
I have a 7475/serial, they are nice to have/use. No, it's not for sale
as it is useful!
Allison
12:08 p.m.
At 09:07 AM 9/2/99 -0600, Dick wrote:
I had one fellow describe to me how he rigged his pen
in the 7475 so he
could draw his PCB layouts directly on the copper. That certainly wouldn't
work with my inkjet printer!
I've heard that there are knifes available that can be used in them to
cut strip lines on copper PCB and knifes for cutting out vinyl and other
materials but I don't know what they cost or where you can get them. Does
anyone know any more about them?
Joe
3:42 p.m.
Joe wrote:
I've heard that there are knifes available that
can be used in them to
cut strip lines on copper PCB and knifes for cutting out vinyl and other
materials but I don't know what they cost or where you can get them. Does
anyone know any more about them?
There are small machines designed for the express purpose of milling
printed circuit boards. There's no way a pen plotter will be able to do
that with a knife or drill; they weren't designed to produce enough force
or move enough mass for that type of work.
Modifying the pen lift assembly of a 9872 to raise the pen-down height enough
for the thickness of a copper-clad board to plot resist is easy and works
well.
For cutting vinyl, perhaps. It's still way beyond what the plotter was
designed for.
3 Sep
3 Sep
4:01 a.m.
At 03:42 AM 9/3/99 -0000, you wrote:
Joe wrote:
That's what I thought but I've seen people do it. One of the classes at
my unverisity used some kind of knife in a HP plotter to make strip lines
on a PCB for microwave work. Apparently they had been doing it for a while
and it worked successfully. I wasn't interested in it at the time so I
didn't pay attention to what they were doing and I don't even know which
plotter they used except that it was a large flat bed HP plotter.
Joe
I've heard that there are knifes available
that can be used in them to
cut strip lines on copper PCB and knifes for cutting out vinyl and other
materials but I don't know what they cost or where you can get them. Does
anyone know any more about them?
There are small machines designed for the express purpose of milling
printed circuit boards. There's no way a pen plotter will be able to do
that with a knife or drill; they weren't designed to produce enough force
or move enough mass for that type of work.
5:37 a.m.
Joe wrote:
That's what I thought but I've seen people
do it. One of the classes at
my unverisity used some kind of knife in a HP plotter to make strip lines
on a PCB for microwave work. Apparently they had been doing it for a while
and it worked successfully. I wasn't interested in it at the time so I
didn't pay attention to what they were doing and I don't even know which
plotter they used except that it was a large flat bed HP plotter.
As far as I know, the 9872 family (including the 7220 and 7221) were the
biggest and last flatbed plotters HP ever made.
Presumably for microwave work they didn't need to cut very large boards.
2 Sep
2 Sep
8:32 p.m.
At 09:07 AM 9/2/99 -0600, Dick wrote:
Gerber, I think, used to have a system using a tiny router (like a drill
bit, except designed to cut sideways) to cut out circuit traces for board
prototyping.
Roland packaged a system with a plotter and swiveling exacto knife "pen"
that most sign shops used to cut letters for banners etc.
I had one fellow describe to me how he rigged his
pen in the 7475 so he
could draw his PCB layouts directly on the copper. That certainly wouldn't
work with my inkjet printer!
I've heard that there are knifes available that can be used in them to
cut strip lines on copper PCB and knifes for cutting out vinyl and other
materials but I don't know what they cost or where you can get them. Does
anyone know any more about them?
Joe 
3 Sep
3 Sep
3:15 a.m.
On Fri, 3 Sep 1999 01:32:45 -0700 Mike Ford
<mikeford(a)socal.rr.com> wrote:
Gerber, I think, used to have a system using a tiny
router (like a drill
bit, except designed to cut sideways) to cut out circuit traces for board
prototyping.
I've seen this kind of thing done, both for quick turnaround
at the prototype stage and for "design confidentiality".
Roland packaged a system with a plotter and swiveling
exacto knife "pen"
that most sign shops used to cut letters for banners etc.
My favourite peripheral of all time: the Roland 3-axis
milling machine. It could cut full 3D models out of blocks
of plastic, presumably controlled by a kind of 3D HPGL.
Made a hell of a mess with little green plastic shavings!
Anybody got one? Anybody want to get rid of one? :-)
--
John Honniball
Email: John.Honniball(a)uwe.ac.uk
University of the West of England
9242
days inactive
9243
days old
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edick＠idcomm.com -
eric＠brouhaha.com -
John.Honniball＠uwe.ac.uk -
jritorto＠nut.net -
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rigdonj＠intellistar.net