HP DraftMaster I

From: Doug Spence <hrothgar_at_total.net>
Date: Wed Sep 1 04:29:52 1999

On 31-Aug-99, Joe wrote:
>At 01:25 AM 8/31/99 -0500, Doug wrote:

>>Anyone know how old this thing is?

> Look at the serial number. Add 1960 to the first two digits and that
>will tell you what year it was made. The second pair of digits will
>tell you the week that it was made.

39th week of 1988. Thanks! :)

> Yes, they're NICE plotters. Unfortunately, everyone is throwing them
>out and replacing them with ink jets. I rescued two of them but
>couldn't even give them away.

It's a shame.

I've been so out of touch with what's going on with drafting that I
thought these things would still be in use. I went to the big office
supply warehouse and they didn't have any kind of large paper. They
told me to try arts supply shops. :)

When I was working using AutoCAD in 1990, I was in a big room with lots
of people doing drafting by hand. I suppose that job is obsolete now?
I actually transferred some old drawings from paper into the computer
while I was there, and a girl I knew did that as a full-time job.

I didn't have direct access to the plotters back then. I shoved my
disks into a little cubbyhole and when I'd come back a few hours later
some drawings had miraculously appeared! :) I was able to peek through
the cubbyholes, though, and the plotters that they used looked to be big
flat tables over which the pens would move in both axes.

I have used smaller plotters, which work only on 8.5x11" sheets. Dopey
little toys compared to this. :) But I really wish I had picked up some
of those Commodore plotters (VIC 1520?) when I had a chance. There were
some of those at the Salvation Army store and I was too busy picking up
other things at the time. One of my many computer collecting regrets.
They probably ended up in the garbage. :'(

> Joe

-- 
Doug Spence               Hrothgar's Cool Old Junk Page:
hrothgar_at_total.net        http://www.total.net/~hrothgar/museum/
Received on Wed Sep 01 1999 - 04:29:52 BST

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