OT - Pen Plotters?

Anyone out there still using pen plotters? I ask because I have a very nice HP7550 6 or 8 (can't recall)pen plotter. It does up to 11X17, self-loads paper, and worked perfectly last time I used it. That was maybe 7 or 8 years ago, it has been stored since. It is likely a bit dusty, and the pens are probably not good, but I expect it works fine. I used to use this plotter almost daily, doing CAD stuff. I love watching these things run. I don't need this thing anymore and don't have space for it in any event. I need to make space.

I am wondering if this thing has any value at all. I would rather not toss this in the trash. Anyone here interested in this?

Any ideas? Anyone wanna make a deal?

Thanks, Al A.

PS - I'm in NE Massachusetts, if that helps.

Reply to
Al A.
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That thing's so old that HP has even recycled the part number and uses it for one of their photo printers now. I'd love to have it to play with, but I have no idea what I'd do with it. Maybe if absolutely nobody else wants it we could work something out, since I've already got tons of projects I don't have time to work on and shouldn't be adding one more to the list. I think the 7550 was an HPGL capable device, so if I could find something that would convert PostScript to HPGL I'd definitely want to play with it and maybe try turning it into something new.

Keep me in mind in case you can't find a better home for it. If nothing else, I could put it into one of my closets so that you can get it out of yours.

Reply to
The Hurdy Gurdy Man

Yes, it is old. It was apparently introduced in 1984 and was sold for

10 years or so. There is interesting brief info here:

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It was an HPGL device. I don't really expect it to be worth much of anything, I just hate to trash a cool working thing. I'll keep you in mind if there is no other interest.

-AL A.

Reply to
Al A.

It could be the basis for a CNC router - it has HPGL in firmware, stepper motors, drivers....parralel or RS232 interfacing to your PC.......I have the Roland equivalent as well, , the DXY-100 which is a true X-Y machine rather than the slidy paper for one axis that HP used.

It would need to be beefed up - bigger stepper motors with bigger driver transistors, lots of mechanical stuffing around, etc etc....

One day......................

Andrew VK3BFA.

Reply to
Andrew VK3BFA

The market is as a knife plotter to cut vinyl letters for signs and such. Got one.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Have a HP 7585 that does 36" x48" - perfect condition. Mike

Reply to
nomail

Al, several years ago I owned a flat bed plotter of this ilk, and sadly couldn't even give it away, so I eventually had to put it out for the trash. Even the trash rejected it for several weeks until I cut it apart into small pieces.

Technology changes.

Harry C.

Al A. wrote:

Reply to
hhc314

They are not just junk, they are OLD junk but they have lots of interesting parts. I just "salvaged" the servos, platens and some nice ground and hardened rod out of a 48" HP pen plotter that I got tired of looking at in the warehouse. I am about to do the same to a couple of 36" inkjet plotters next.

The newer plotters are so much faster, easier to use and cheaper to operate.

Reply to
Glenn Ashmore

these old plotters, of the flat bed variety, make an excellent CNC type engraver - add an inexpensive 200,000 RPM drill with a carbide tip in lieu of the pen - ought to be worth a try.

Reply to
Bill

There's a lot of old electronics that we tend to toss that still have semi-discrete components. Good on ya for mining yours before discarding.

Wes S

Reply to
clutch

I think this plotter was also sold as an AT&T model for a while... I forget the model number, but I worked for an AT&T equipment reclamation site for a while and we "saved" about 2 dozen of these from the scrap heap back in the days of GeneriCAD.

My family has a "D" size HP pen plotter sitting at home... Same basic technology, much smaller "you want it" market. :)

If I could find a windows driver, I might actually try it to make cheap birthday banners or something.

Regards, Joe Agro, Jr. (800) 871-5022

01.908.542.0244 Automatic / Pneumatic Drills:
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Spindle Drills:
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V8013-R
Reply to
Joe AutoDrill

Win XP has an HP GL/2 driver built in. I haven't tried it but that sounds functional for all the old HP pen jobs. BTW, I just found 4 HP 7475A's in the wherehouse, just in case anyone wants to try the engraver thing. Respectfully, Ron Moore

Reply to
Ron Moore

Joe,

I am using the WinLINE Classic driver, available from the very helpful people at

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It is not cheap but is drastically better than the Windows XP native driver.

No relationship, just a very happy customer using it to drive a DGI cutter. Even cutting METAL foil and tape, making this on-topic!

I also have an HP 7550 Plus with a cutt> If I could find a windows driver, I might actually try it to make cheap

Reply to
Fred R

If anybody wants to give away an old pen plotter in the Atlanta area I would like to try it with my fastcad.

Reply to
digitalmaster

Reply to
David Billington

The price is $199, for functionality look at

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previous link is a US distributor who provided great support.

Reply to
Fred R

We're dumping the plotters we have at work because we use them so infrequently the pens are always dried up. There is a $125 USB to GPIB adapter card that you can get, and a Ham radio guy has written a freebie program to import plots to Windows:

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Doug White

Reply to
Doug White

Reply to
Bill

Reply to
James R. Freeman

My take is that pen plotters are far less flexible than inkjets, but cost about the same to make, so inkjet wins. The various inkjet scams are properties of companies, not technologies.

Joe Gwinn

Reply to
Joseph Gwinn

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