Calcomp 563 Incremental Plotter Information
Later plotters used standard interfaces such as serial and high level command sets which let you send the end points for lines and text for the plotter to draw. They could also draw much faster, over 30 inches per second on high end plotters. The pen plotters have pretty much been replaced by plotters which are large inkjet printers. Modern plotters use either sheets of paper or roll paper without sprocket feed holes.
Herb Johnsons
565 plotter and information
Tomislav Mukulic pen
holder reproduction
plotter videos
Home page
This link has information on a IBM 1627 plotter that is a relabeled Calcomp 565 plotter. The 565 is the 11 inch wide version of the Calcomp 563 plotter.
These plotters were also used to make art pictures, some are shown on the Smithsonian science service computer art page.
Documents related to this plotter
I recently purchased the pressurized ink cartridges and liquid ink nibs from eBay seller plothropa2z. If his current auctions doesn't list any he may still have some available. You should be able to contact him through eBay. He doesn't have all but this lists what pressurized ink cartridges were available. These someone sent me the links. I have not purchased from them. Pen cross reference table and pen sales and another pen source with price.
Jeffrey S. Jonas 1627 page has pictures of the accessories and links to sites with more information on this plotter. My plotter is missing the accessories and the roll paper is no longer made. If anybody has these items I would be interested. Contact info at end of this page. I have recently gotten enough new old stock roll paper to last me for a while. I'm also working on making reproductions of the missing accessories. Pictures of the progress below.
Plotter Videos
The following picture links also have descriptions of what is shown in the pictures.
Making Replacement Parts. The MARCH computer group was given a original PDP-8 and a Calcomp/Bendix plotter that was missing some pen parts. The following pictures show making the replacement parts. Making Replacement Parts. I have started making the various pen parts that were offered but I don't have for my plotter. Plotter accessories donated by Eddie Frie
This site has pictures
of some of the accessories for the plotter that I don't have.
Front view ( 23K)
Back view ( 14K)
Pen assembly ( 38K)
Pen coil ( 40K)
Plot sample 1 ( 13K)
Plot sample 2 ( 27K)
Old plots ( 35K)
Paper rolls ( 63K)
Paper types ( 34K)
Graph Paper ( 45K)
Back view without cover ( 22K)
right view ( 52K)
left view ( 49K)
bottom view ( 41K)
Circuit card ( 61K)
Circuit card back ( 60K)
Power supply fan oiling ( 43K)
Bottom of supply ( 41K)
Supply location ( 33K)
Pen top on lathe ( 60K)
Lathe ( 57K)
Turned parts ( 42K)
Polished parts ( 35K)
Plated parts 1 ( 49K)
parts 2 ( 37K)
Final parts ( 53K)
Latest parts ( 62K)
Plotter Accessory Kit ( 75K)
Accessory Box ( 36K)
Sight demonstration ( 79K)
Feel free to contact me, David Gesswein djg@pdp8online.com
with any questions, comments on the web site, or if you have related equipment,
documentation, software etc. you are willing to part with. I am
interested in anything PDP-8
related, computers, peripherals used with them, DEC or third party, or
documentation.
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