HPGL Plotter library

sjunnesson

I just put together a library to interface old 1980s plotters such as HP7550a with Processing. It implements a subset of the HPGL command set and mimics processing way of drawing lines and beziers.

Feel free to take it for a spin and ask here or email me for any questions.

http://sjunnesson.github.io/HPGL-Plotter/

camperos

Very Tanks!! it work with my Calcomp M83 inactive for almost 30 years, windows 8.1, without USB to DB25 and without CH340 driver >:D<

sjunnesson

Im happy to see that it worked on Windows. Havn't tested it at all on that OS. Let me know if you are looking for any additional features.

camperos

how can I change the pens? it would be nice to have an example with six circles with six colors :)

sjunnesson

I updated the library with a selectPen(penID); function with a corresponding example of drawing six circles with different pens as suggested.

I dont have my plotter here right now so it is untested but I believe it will work. :) The thing Im not sure about is if the pens starts counting at zero or at one.

sjunnesson

I got access to my plotter and the pen starts at 1. The library should be updated to reflect that.

camperos

it works fine :) , it is possible when he finished the last pen to return at home automatically, and the plotter in the starting position? currently stops at the end of the text "label"

sjunnesson

You can send a moveTo(x,y) command at the end of your drawing if you like to.

camperos

Hi sjunnesson, you can implement the rectangle and fill?, circle with fill?

stephanditgens

i developed also a small HPGL Library for old HP Pen Plotters. I´ve tested it with Draftmaster sx, HP 7475. If you want i can share the Library with you......

camperos

thanks, I would appreciate it :D I would test it on my Calcomp M83 ;)

clankill3r

I would love to test it as well.

clankill3r

I have a question. For me your library works. However, I never get a serial event:

void serialEvent(Serial p) {
  char serialChar = p.readChar();

  if (serialChar == 19) {
    plotter.bufferFull = true;
    println("Buffer full");
  }
  if (serialChar == 17) {
    plotter.bufferFull = false;
    println("Buffer empty");
  }
}

I was wondering, do you get any of those? And if so, do you have an idea what I can do to fix this.