Calcomp plotter: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Computer graphics output device}}

[[File:Calcomp 565 drum plotter.jpg|thumb|A Calcomp 565 drum plotter.]]

[[File:IBM 1627 plotter detail.mw.jpg|thumb|upright|Closeup of Calcomp plotter right side, showing controls for manually moving the drum. Similar controls on the left move the pen carriage.]]

'''Calcomp plotters''' (sometimes referred to as '''CalComp plotters''') were the best known products of ''the California Computer Products'' company ('''[[Calcomp]]''' or '''CalComp''').<ref name=CalcompLC.NYT1970>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/30/archives/art-less-art-more-computer-please.html |quote=The machine in question, a Calcomp 702 plotter |title=Art |author=John Canaday |date=August 30, 1970}}</ref><ref name=CalCompUC.NYT75>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/24/archives/computer-rates-raiders-tepid-choice.html |title=Computer Rates Raiders Tepid Choice |quote=into the CalComp computer |date=December 24, 1975}}</ref>

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/30/archives/art-less-art-more-computer-please.html

|quote=The machine in question, a Calcomp 702 plotter

|title=Art |author=John Canaday |date=August 30, 1970}}</ref><ref name=CalCompUC.NYT75>{{cite newspaper |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]

|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1975/12/24/archives/computer-rates-raiders-tepid-choice.html

|title=Computer Rates Raiders Tepid Choice |quote=into the CalComp computer

|date=December 24, 1975}}</ref>

==Overview==

The [[Calcomp]] 565 drum [[plotter]],<ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers |url=http://bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196208.pdf |title=computers and automation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers |url=http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196808.pdf |title=August 1968 |quote=Programmed in Fortran, and plotted off line on a CalComp 565 digital plotter}}</ref> introduced in 1959, was one of the first [[computer graphics]] output devices sold. The [[computer]] could control in {{convert|0.01 inch|in}} increments the rotation of an {{convert|11 inch (280 mm)|in|adj=on}} wide drum, and the horizontal movement of a pen holder over the drum. The pen was pressed by a spring against paper scrolling across the drum. A [[solenoid]] could lift the pen off the paper. This arrangement allowed line drawings to be made under computer control. Years laterLater, Calcomp mademanufactured its model 563, which usedwas very similar but had a {{convert|30"|in|adj=on}} wide drum.

The [[Calcomp]] 565 drum [[plotter]],<ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers

|url=http://bitsavers.org/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196208.pdf

|title=computers and automation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers

|url=http://bitsavers.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/magazines/Computers_And_Automation/196808.pdf

|title=August 1968 |quote=Programmed in Fortran, and plotted off line on a CalComp 565 digital plotter}}</ref> introduced in 1959, was one of the first [[computer graphics]] output devices sold. The [[computer]] could control in 0.01 inch increments the rotation of an 11 inch (280 mm) wide drum and the horizontal movement of a pen holder over the drum. The pen was pressed by a spring against paper scrolling across the drum. A [[solenoid]] could lift the pen off the paper. This arrangement allowed line drawings to be made under computer control. Years later Calcomp made model 563 which used a 30" wide drum.

The paper rolls were {{convert|120|ft|m}} long. A metal bar above the take-up reel allowed a finished plot to be torn off and removed. The drum would then be advanced using the manual controls and the fresh paper end taped to the take-up reel. The standard pen was a [[ball-point pen|ball-point]], but liquid ink pens were available, and typically were used for higher quality plots intended for publication. Other paper stock could be taped to the drum if desired. A chart drive switch was provided to turn off the motorized paper supply and take-up reels for this purpose.

===IBM===

[[IBM]] soldmarketed the Calcomp 565 as theits [[IBM 1627]]<ref>{{cite web |website=BitSavers |url=http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/ibm/common/Proceedings_of_the_Meeting_of_the_Western_Region_of_COMMON_196512.pdf |title=The International Hotel Los Angeles, California. December 6 |quote=our CalComp 565 graph plotter (alias IBM 1627)}}</ref> for use with its low-end scientific computers, first the [[IBM 1620]], and, later, the [[IBM 1130]]. It was perhaps the first non-IBM peripheral that IBM allowed to be attached to one of its computers.

A Calcomp plotter attached to an [[IBM 1401]] was used to develop [[Bresenham's line algorithm]] in 1962.<ref name = DADS>Paul E. Black. ''Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures,'' [[National Institute of Standards and Technology|NIST]]. https://xlinux.nist.gov/dads/HTML/bresenham.html</ref>