What address to use to send .PLT file to plotter via GPIB-USB-B adaptor?

[Old_Plotter]

I am trying to plot an HPGL file on an old GPIB plotter. Plotter has been mechanically modified for a particular task hence still in use.

The old DOS machine on which COPY C:\*.PLT  IEEE06:  would send the required file to the plotter has died.

Have now purchased a USB-GPIB-B interface  hoping to do the same under Windows XP from the command prompt.

Under NI-488.2 have setup GPIB0::6::INSTR as COM4  but XP does not recognise this port. To what address do I copy the file?

Is it even possible to do this?

There are no other devices on the GPIB bus. All hardware works as the plotter responds correctly using VIWRITEFROMFILE under BASIC I/O from VISA test panel. But file size seems limited to about 1000 words.

Any assistance very gratfully received.

[AdnanZ]

What version of NI-488.2 driver are you using? What do you mean when you say that Windows XP doesn't recognize this port? Also, does the plotter work with 488.1?

GPIB is completely backward compatible with HPIB, and HPIB is actually synonymous with GPIB. The major difficulty in communicating with HPIB, which use the old 488.1 standard instead of the newer 488.2 standard, is that there is no set of standard commands. Therefore you have to have much more information about the device to be able to communicate with it. If the HPGL drivers are taking care of sending all of the commands, then the actual interface shouldn't be any sort of issue at all.

[Old_Plotter]

Thank you for replying. The version of NI488.2 is Measurement and Automation V4.2.1.3001

DOS support is enabled. I have changed the VISA alias Dev6 to be COM4 but when an attempt is made to copy a file to Com4: XP reports "COM4: is not a recognised device".

I do not have a copy of 488.1 to try.

The old hardware was a Brain boxes ISA to GPIB interface card. The only software was a DOS redirect from COM port to IEEE06. 

The plotter is an HP 7580A  (yes there is still one in working order!)

Is it possibly that the combination of XP and modern software stops the simple copying of a file to such an old device?

[AdnanZ]

DOS applications should use default device names; i.e., use the default device name "DEV1" for the device at GPIB primary address 1, etc.

You are trying to communicate with the instrument over a GPIB bus. You said the command 'COPY C:\*.PLT  IEEE06:' worked successfully on the old DOS machine. What was 'IEEE06:' was on the old machine?

[Old_Plotter]

Thank you for your response. I have renamed the VISA alias as DEV6 but when a file is copied to DEV6: XP reports that it is not a recognized device.

The port name for the old GPIB card was IEEE followed by the device number in this case 06. hence COPY C:\*.PLT  IEEE06:     resulted in the plotter doing its thing.

Is my approach too simplistic in that it is not possible under XP to just copy a file to the plotter via GPIB but that another layer of software is required to control the GPIB port?

Many thanks for your assistance.

[AdnanZ]

You are right; your approach is just too simple. I am sure there must have been a driver provided by HP which was doing all the talk on the bus for you through the DOS machine. The driver provided by us just provides a handle to the GPIB port. All the communication must then be handled by some software. You could possibly use LabVIEW to design VIs which can do the communication and relaying for you (changing the file into ASCII and transfering it over on the bus).

[Old_Plotter]

Many thanks for all your assistance. I will now retreat to the drawing board and think of a way to dispose of the plotter completely, and thereby solving the problem!

Regards 

Old Plotter.