Liyu and HPGL2 commands

[diodorus 0]

Hello,

I am considering getting a Liyu (TC or SC). I would not use the cutter with any specific software, but rather create HPGL files myself and sent them to the cutter via a serial port terminal application (CoolTerm, for example).

I know that Liyu (and I guess any other) cutters "understand" HPGL files, but are they also compatible with HPGL2? In particular, I am looking to use Bezier commands, which are implemented in HPGL2 but not in HPGL.

Any idea? I could provide a simple test HPGL2 file, if anyway is willing to test this for me..?

Thanks,

diodorus

 

[slice&dice 2,450]

Send it over, will try using SignBlazer, OK?

[diodorus 0]

25 minutes ago, slice&dice said:

Send it over, will try using SignBlazer, OK?

thanks, attached! 

I am not familiar with SignBlazer but my aim would be to bypass software like that, and simply send HPGL files to the cutter... are you on Win on Mac?

 

bezier.hpgl

[slice&dice 2,450]

WinXP.

Took your file, tried to open it with FileMagic (googled how to open this type of file, and FileMagic was suggested, so I downloaded it, installed it -----   the .Net Framework 4 was required as well, which I don't need nor want on my computer, but I'll uninstall it after this experiment ----- and lo and behold, gibberish.

I think you are barking up the wrong tree here, my friend.

 

 

[haumana 1,220]

6 hours ago, diodorus said:

Hello,

I am considering getting a Liyu (TC or SC). I would not use the cutter with any specific software, but rather create HPGL files myself and sent them to the cutter via a serial port terminal application (CoolTerm, for example).

I know that Liyu (and I guess any other) cutters "understand" HPGL files, but are they also compatible with HPGL2? In particular, I am looking to use Bezier commands, which are implemented in HPGL2 but not in HPGL.

Any idea? I could provide a simple test HPGL2 file, if anyway is willing to test this for me..?

Thanks,

diodorus

At the very heart of cutters - they are very simple machines, like will run on WinXP simple. I wouldn't spend too much time trying to over think something. Cutters can cut .ttf fonts, and vector files, and that's all there is to it. Keeping it simple when it comes to cutting will go a long way. You can do the fancy stuff in other programs that are hopefully natively in vector (like AI), or you can do it PS and vector it after.

[slice&dice 2,450]

haumana, the question asked was how to run a cutter using that NATIVE hpgl2 file (as posted above), and send it to the cutter via "a serial port terminal application" (CoolTerm, for example).
In other words, trying to achieve results with a very specific hpgl2-coded file, and then using a non-GUI program to communicate with the cutter. None of which is typical for the average users here.

The guy who WOULD likely know how to go about this was named Jerry Bonham, but he's no longer around, unfortunately.

 

[haumana 1,220]

1 hour ago, slice&dice said:

haumana, the question asked was how to run a cutter using that NATIVE hpgl2 file (as posted above), and send it to the cutter via "a serial port terminal application" (CoolTerm, for example).
In other words, trying to achieve results with a very specific hpgl2-coded file, and then using a non-GUI program to communicate with the cutter. None of which is typical for the average users here.

The guy who WOULD likely know how to go about this was named Jerry Bonham, but he's no longer around, unfortunately.

I understand what the OP was asking, but I am merely pointing out that cutters are machines that handle simple commands - He might be wanting to use the expanded commands that HPGL2 supports, but cutters might not. At the end of the day what gets sent to the cutter is a design and/or text, which can be done outside of actual coding.

If the OP is willing to share a file, then maybe someone on the forum could test it out.

[diodorus 0]

3 hours ago, slice&dice said:

Took your file, tried to open it with FileMagic (googled how to open this type of file, and FileMagic was suggested, so I downloaded it, installed it -----   the .Net Framework 4 was required as well, which I don't need nor want on my computer, but I'll uninstall it after this experiment ----- and lo and behold, gibberish.

Thanks for trying! The .hpgl file is actually a simple text file, you can open it with notepad, no need to use any specific software.

You'd only need a terminal program (like https://freeware.the-meiers.org/ For XP, this version in particlar: http://freeware.the-meiers.org/previous/CoolTermWin144.zip ) to pass the file to the cutter without the need of any other driver or cutter-specific software.

(By the way: passing these hpgl text files to a cutter/plotter with CoolTerm is what  am currently doing with a simple HP plotter from the 90s. I know this method works also for these cutters, the only things I am not sure is whether they can handle additional HGL2 commands, like the bezier curve command "BZ..." in the test file I provided.) 

[slice&dice 2,450]

Look, this stuff is beyond our pay grade.

Plotters have not changed since the late 50's when H-P developed them, basically. The machine-specific drivers that are included with our graphic/cutting programs (SignBlazer for example) handle the communications.

I'll play around with it (terminal commands? What?) over the weekend, as time permits.

(((Haumana, the hpgl2 example file was posted above)))

Where you getting that TC? Used?

[haumana 1,220]

i would think that if the OP is looking for HPGL2 compatibility, that they would post a .hpgl2 file, not an .hpgl

[diodorus 0]

27 minutes ago, haumana said:

i would think that if the OP is looking for HPGL2 compatibility, that they would post a .hpgl2 file, not an .hpgl

Hi, the extension is irrelevant. Often they are actually saved/renamed as ".plt", but that's not important: what matters are the commands within the file.

Thanks!

[slice&dice 2,450]

diodorus, I have CoolTerm running, and have no idea how to work it. It will NOT 'open' the file (it allows only .stc files to be opened, which are related to the connection, but not to the text/code/data file you created). Now, honestly, I'm trying to be Cool with you here, but this is pretty sophisticated and detailed stuff, and on this sunny Saturday morning in Baltimore, I have many other things to accomplish.

If you want to private message me an operational tutorial on the exact steps to take for this to proceed, I'll look into it later on.

 

Oh, and by the way, opening your file in Notepad only shows the data that appears on the right side of the image above (FileMagic screenshot) and the other two tables to the left (00001-00005 lines and their respective lines of code 43 4e 3d etc. ) are not there.

IN;
SP1;
VS8;
PA1000,5000;
PD;
BZ2000,8000,4000,2000,5000,5000;
SP0;
PU0,0;
IN;

[diodorus 0]

3 hours ago, slice&dice said:

diodorus, I have CoolTerm running, and have no idea how to work it. It will NOT 'open' the file (it allows only .stc files to be opened, which are related to the connection, but not to the text/code/data file you created). Now, honestly, I'm trying to be Cool with you here, but this is pretty sophisticated and detailed stuff, and on this sunny Saturday morning in Baltimore, I have many other things to accomplish.

If you want to private message me an operational tutorial on the exact steps to take for this to proceed, I'll look into it later on.

 

Oh, and by the way, opening your file in Notepad only shows the data that appears on the right side of the image above (FileMagic screenshot) and the other two tables to the left (00001-00005 lines and their respective lines of code 43 4e 3d etc. ) are not there.

IN;
SP1;
VS8;
PA1000,5000;
PD;
BZ2000,8000,4000,2000,5000,5000;
SP0;
PU0,0;
IN;

Thanks again, much appreciated. (By the way, those few lines you see in notepad is exactly what that file contains, that's it!)

I'll send you the instructions about CoolTerm in a private message, if you could do that final test it would be fantastic.

Thanks!

[haumana 1,220]

11 hours ago, diodorus said:

Hi, the extension is irrelevant. Often they are actually saved/renamed as ".plt", but that's not important: what matters are the commands within the file.

Thanks!

Good to know, I'm learning something new everyday! Win!

[darcshadow 1,626]

Just a guess, but I would say HPGL2 is not supported by lower end plotters. Would be a little surprised if it was supported by high end cutters actually.

[slice&dice 2,450]

UPDATE ---  After installing the CoolTerm program, and following your instructions, no response from the cutter.

Yer welcome. Good luck in your efforts. Hasta la Vista!