Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's

Alan,

Yea the pin I used was dried up as well. I pulled the tip out with a
pair of pliers, then I used a small rod to push up through the hole to pop
the end cap off. I then pulled out the felt core and through away. That
left me with a very nice plastic housing that I could use as the holder. I
turned a piece of aluminum to fit inside the plastic housing and turned the
aluminum housing to fit the bearing that I had ordered from McMaster Carr.
I then bored out a small recess for the magnet, superglued the mag in place,
and pressed in the bearing. On the other end I had drilled all the way
through, so I could knock the mag and bearing out if I needed to. I also
tapped the hole for a 4-40 thread so that I could secure the aluminum holder
into the plastic housing. On the plastic housing, I cut off the tapered
end, and made that the top. The end where the plastic cap was fitted now
became the bottom, and the aluminum holder slides in from this end. The
4-40 screw screws in from the other end and keeps everything sandwiched
together. The I inserted the blade into the bearing hole and viola. It
works. The holder still fits in the pin holder on the carriage, just upside
down from the original. The knife blade pivots on the magnet and bearing
with no friction at all. Pics to follow next week.

Victor

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Marconett" <KM6VV@...>
To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 12:09 PM
Subject: RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's


> HI Victor,
>
> The HP note sounds correct (of course). If I can wade through the cables
> behind my desks over to the plotter, I'll see what I can find out, and
> I'll
> also try your HP instructions.
>
> I'm sure all my pens (even the brand new ones in sealed bags) are dried
> up!
> Ok for a test, 'tho. I could watch that plotter for hours.... (now I
> watch
> the CNC'd Sherlines. ;>)
>
> Alan KM6VV
>
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
>> [mailto:CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Victor A. Estes
>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 9:31 AM
>> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
>> Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's
>>
>> Alan,
>>
>> Thanks, I'll give your suggestions a try. I hope to have some pics
>> and
>> drawing done up next week of the drag knife and then I can send them to
>> you.
>> Several other people have expressed interest as well. I have to get on
>> the
>> road tonight and will not be back in town until Sunday night, the reason
>> I
>> will not get to it until next week.
>>
>> On the blinking error light, it does it even with no cable attached
>> to
>> the computer. I thought that maybe it was blinking because I did not
>> have
>> a
>> cable hooked up to it and it had some buffered command that it was trying
>> to
>> send out. But hooking up the cable makes no difference, even when trying
>> to
>> send commands through DOS to the plotter.
>>
>> My computer indicates that there are no problems with the COM1 port,
>> so
>> I at this point I can only assume that the port works, but the plotter is
>> not responding to any input from the computer.
>>
>> What I tried and how I tried it came from the HP web site and is as
>> follows:
>>
>> ISSUE: How can I determine if my cable and RS 232 port is working?
>>
>> SOLUTION:
>>
>>
>> The easiest way to test communications to the HPGL pen plotter is from
>> the
>> DOS prompt. Use the following instructions:
>>
>> 1.. Verify that the HPGL pen plotter is at the factory default
>> settings.
>> See the HPGL pen plotter User's Guide for these settings).
>>
>> 2.. Close all programs and place the cursor at the C:\> prompt.
>>
>> 3.. At the prompt, type mode com1:9600,n,8,1,p and press ENTER.
>>
>> 4.. When the cursor returns to the DOS prompt, type echo
>> in;sp1;pd4000,4000;sp0;pg; >com1 and press ENTER.
>>
>>
>>
>> NOTE: If connected to com2, substitute com2 for com1 in the above two
>> statements.
>>
>> 5.. After pressing ENTER for the second statement, the HPGL pen plotter
>> should grab pen #1 and draw a diagonal line. If the HPGL pen plotter does
>> not respond, verify that a HP cable is being used and test by replacing
>> the
>> cable to see if the cable is defective.
>>
>> 6.. If communication with the HPGL pen plotter is still not
>> established,
>> contact Hewlett Packard hardware technical support.
>>
>> Number 6 is pay for support.
>>
>> On the drag cutter I basically took a pin from the plotter, removed the
>> guts, turned a holder to fit in the pin, with a bearing and a magnet to
>> hold
>> the blade in. I'll have the pics next week.
>>
>> Thank You
>>
>> Victor
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ---- Original Message -----
>> From: "Alan Marconett" <KM6VV@...>
>> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 10:30 AM
>> Subject: RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's
>>
>>
>> > Hi Vector,
>> >
>> > It could very well be a NULL modem cable that's required. I was hoping
>> to
>> > find my manual last night, but failed.
>> >
>> > I still have it cabled up to one of my older computers and a serial
>> > switch,
>> > so that would be a way to verify what is needed. And the dip switches
>> > will
>> > be set up, probably 9600 baud for me.
>> >
>> > If the LED is blinking, then it didn't like one of your commands. You
>> > might
>> > route the plot commands to a file (still 7475 format), and see what
>> > they
>> > look like. First char for initialization is an ESC (which doesn't
>> > print
>> > very well in a text file), then two more characters, like I copied in
>> > my
>> > email. Then possibly one or two more initialization codes, and then
>> plot
>> > commands.
>> >
>> > From DOS, you can "copy" a valid PLT file to the plotter, and that is a
>> > basic test. Baud rate must be set up, of course.
>> >
>> > I'd be curious how you made a drag cutter out of a 7475 pen.
>> >
>> > Alan KM6VV
>> >
>> >
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
>> >> [mailto:CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Victor A. Estes
>> >> Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2005 6:20 AM
>> >> To: CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com
>> >> Subject: Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's
>> >>
>> >> Alan,
>> >>
>> >> According to everything I have read on the plotter a NULL Modem
>> cable
>> >> is
>> >> required. So I went out and bought a new serial cable with a null
>> modem
>> >> adaptor. Still does not work. This was after I tried making my own
>> >> cable
>> >> based on the pin outs that I had read would work, no joy. I set the
>> baud
>> >> rate, parity, stop bits, and everything on the dip switches just as I
>> had
>> >> read was the thing to do from several different web sites on turning a
>> >> 7475
>> >> into a vinyl cutter. I'm running windows xp and the driver for it is
>> >> a
>> >> HPGL/2 driver which I understand will not work. Has to be a straight
>> >> HPGL
>> >> driver, windows 3.1, 95, and 98 have it. But I thought I would try
>> >> anyway
>> >> to see if I could get any response fro the plotter. When I failed to
>> get
>> >> it
>> >> to respond out of windows xp I switch to the DOS window and tried to
>> the
>> >> direct commands by activating the COM1 port, still no joy. So I am
>> still
>> >> at
>> >> a loss here. In my original post I did not mention that I made a real
>> >> neat
>> >> drag knife holder for the plotter out of one of the original pins. I
>> >> want
>> >> to try vinyl cutting with it. If I cannot get that to work then I
>> >> want
>> >> to
>> >> take it apart and make the eggbot.
>> >>
>> >> Victor
>> >> ----- Original Message -----
>> >> From: "Alan Marconett" <KM6VV@...>
>> >> To: <CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO@yahoogroups.com>
>> >> Sent: Wednesday, September 28, 2005 6:01 PM
>> >> Subject: RE: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Hp 7475 Plotter Servo's
>> >>
>> >>
>> >> > Hi Victor,
>> >> >
>> >> > Are you sure a NULL MODEM cable is required? I have a 7475A
>> >> > plotter.
>> >> > I
>> >> > probably haven't plotted with it for 10 years. There is also a
>> switch
>> >> for
>> >> > baud rate, as I recall. Insure that you are talking the proper baud
>> >> rate,
>> >> > parity, stop bits, etc. (which I'm sure you've already checked).
>> >> >
>> >> > I wouldn't mind finding a 7475 plotter that I could experiment with
>> as
>> >> you
>> >> > describe! I even started an EGGBOT project a few years ago.
>> >> >
>> >> > Alan KM6VV
>> >> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
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>> sister site to the CCED group, as many of the same members are there, for
>> OT subjects, that are not allowed on the CCED list.
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>> NOTICE: ALL POSTINGS TO THIS GROUP BECOME PUBLIC DOMAIN BY POSTING THEM.
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> Addresses:
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> [Moderators]
> URL to this group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO
>
> OFF Topic POSTS: General Machining
> If you wish to post on unlimited OT subjects goto:
> aol://5863:126/rec.crafts.metalworking or go thru Google.com to reach it
> if you have trouble.
> http://www.metalworking.com/news_servers.html
>
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jobshophomeshop I consider this to be a
> sister site to the CCED group, as many of the same members are there, for
> OT subjects, that are not allowed on the CCED list.
>
> NOTICE: ALL POSTINGS TO THIS GROUP BECOME PUBLIC DOMAIN BY POSTING THEM.
> DON'T POST IF YOU CAN NOT ACCEPT THIS.....NO EXCEPTIONS........
> bill
> List Mom
> List Owner
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