Thanks to everyone who responded
Finally it was a problem in the printcap in conjunction with the cable
Answers included
From: sitongia@ozzel.hao.ucar.edu (Leonard Sitongia)
To: abcomp!ddvl
Subject: Re: printcap
Content-Length: 719
I've just interfaced an HP plotter to a sparcstation. The problem (the biggest)
was that the first few commands to the plotter in the graphics file define
the handshaking. It was setting 3-wire (TX,RX,GND) communication, but with
ENQ/ACK handshaking, which Unix doesn't handle. I wrote a filter to take
out everything before the IN (initialization) command and put in a new
"header" with commands to set XON/OFF handshaking. I dont remember the
HPGL commands, but it's easy to look up if you are interested.
From: kevins@kuma3.Japan.Sun.COM (Kevin Sheehan {Consulting Poster Child})
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 1992 14:19:50 JST
X-Mailer: Mail User's Shell (7.1.2 7/11/90)
To: abcomp!ddvl (Dany De Vleeschhauwer)
Subject: Re: printcap
Content-Length: 379
[ Regarding "printcap", kalli!fourx!relay.EU.net!abcomp!ddvl@fourx.Aus.Sun.COM writes on Aug 14: ]
> This thing works fine on a PC, but on a SUN he stops plotting everytime after some seconds.
>
>
> It's not the serial port, or hpgl driver we tested this.
Positive? Sure it isn't a ^s^q (XON/XOFF) problem when a buffer fills up?
l & h,
kev
From: bhunter@intelect.com (Bill Hunter [Intelligent Electronics])
To: abcomp!ddvl
Subject: Re: printcap
Content-Length: 2771
here is all i have on benson's. sorry it isn't
exactly the right one, but these may help.
......
2) BENSON 1300 PLOTTER -LOCAL
# Local Benson 1300 plotter
#
BNS@|PPLT|benson13|Benson 1300 plotter:\
:lp=/dev/tty@:sd=/usr/spool/benson13d:\
:lf=/usr/spool/benson13d/log:\
:vf=/usr/lib/benson13f:sh:sf:br#9600:\
:gf=/usr/lib/benson13f:
......
3 ) BENSON 1300 PLOTTER -REMOTE
# Remote Benson 1300 plotter
#
BNS@|PPLT|Benson 1300 plotter:\
:lp=:rm=BNS@host:rp=BNS@:sd=/usr/spool/benson13d:\
:lf=/usr/spool/benson13d/log:
......
4) BENSON 1600 PLOTTER -LOCAL
# Local Benson 1600 plotter
#
BNS@|PPLT|benson16|Benson 1600 plotter:\
:lp=/dev/tty@:sd=/usr/spool/benson16d:\
:lf=/usr/spool/benson16d/log:\
:vf=/usr/lib/benson16f:sh:sf:br#9600:\
:gf=/usr/lib/benson16f:
......
5) BENSON 1600 PLOTTER -REMOTE
# Remote Benson 1600 plotter
#
BNS@|PPLT|Benson 1600 plotter:\
:lp=:rm=BNS@host:rp=BNS@:sd=/usr/spool/benson16d:\
:lf=/usr/spool/benson16d/log:
......
6) BENSON 36 INCH DOT MATRIX -LOCAL
#
# Local 36 inch Benson Dot Matrix
# NOTE:
# py#1524 indicates a band width of 6 inches,
# at a raster density of 254 dots per inch
#
# px#8960 indicates a raster density of 254 dots per inch,
# plot width 35.2 inches
#
VR6@|DTMX|Benson 36 inch plotter:\
:lp=/dev/vp0:sd=/usr/spool/vpd:sb:sf:mx#0:pw#106:pl#86:\
:px#8960:\
:py#1524:\
:rd#254:\
:of=/usr/lib/vpfW:if=/usr/lib/vpsf:tf=/usr/lib/vcat:cf=/usr/lib/vdmp:\
:gf=/usr/lib/versatecf:vf=/usr/lib/vpltdmp:lf=/usr/spool/vpd/log:
......
7) BENSON 36 INCH DOT MATRIX -REMOTE
# Remote 36 inch Benson Dot Matrix
#
VR6@|DTMX|Benson 36 inch plotter:\
:lp=:rm=VR6@host:rp=VR6@:sd=/usr/spool/vpd:\
:lf=/usr/spool/vpd/log:
**********end of printcaps***************
From: al!mdl@cypress.com (J. Matt Landrum)
To: abcomp!ddvl
Subject: Re: printcap
Content-Length: 132
Is it possible that the Sun is writing data too fast to the
plotter? Check to see if flow control (Xon/Xoff) is set up
correctly.
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