jdc@naucse.UUCP (John Campbell) (02/15/90)
I guess we're considering offering plotters in our campus PC labs,
but we're looking for some ideas or experiences that others have
had with these devices. At least that's what I think my manager
is interested in based on the following note she sent me:
I'd like to solicit info over the network on the following issue:
Does anyone have a large (C/D) sized plotter available for student
use? If so, is it in an open lab environment, or is it in a special
area (such as a department or main computer room)? Who operates it
(the students themselves, paid student staff, full-time staff?)
Is there a charge for its use? Who provides the supplies and maintenance
needed to run it? (I'm referring to a plotter used from a PC here,
not a mainframe plotter).
--
John Campbell ...!arizona!naucse!jdc
CAMPBELL@NAUVAX.bitnet
unix? Sure send me a dozen, all different colors.Classic_-_Concepts@cup.portal.com (02/16/90)
> Does anyone have large (C/D) sized plotter ... student labs?
The university I attended (10,000 students) had a very open policy on
most computer equipment, including two plotters. They were only B sized,
however. One was in the main terminal room. One was in a smaller, but
open-for-access terminal room. Most students were afraid of them because
they didn't know how to work them. They were used by about 10% of the
Comp. Sci. students. There was a sign on each suggesting they get help
if they were unsure of proper operation of the plotter. Fresh pens were
available on an as-needed basis from student consultants (locked in a
drawer).
I never saw any signs of misuse, abuse, theft concerning these plotters.
They were chained with the usual bicycle cables to their respective tables.
Paper was your own responsibility, although computer paper could be
scavenged from the terminal room printer (which students also had open access
to).
The only real problem I saw with the plotters during two years, was
pens drying up or sometimes being replaced out of sequence. Another sign
specifying proper use and order of pens probably could have reduced the
incidence of this.
Perhaps we're in a low crime area; perhaps we're lucky. Even the
graphics terminals were open access; very little at this university was
locked up. Perhaps BECAUSE stuff was available there were fewer problems,
I don't know. But I learned more about computers, equipments, graphics
terminals, etc. in 2 months at this university than I did in 6 months at
another larger one where EVERYTHING was locked up and everyone seemed to
be treated with suspicion.
By having the student consultants do a lot of the 'policing', a lot
of misunderstandings were avoided. Since they were 'friends' of other
students, I think there was a greater reluctance to steal or damage equip-
ment.
Good luck in setting up your plotter lab(s). - JPesl0422@ultb.isc.rit.edu (E.S. Law) (02/17/90)
In article <1880@naucse.UUCP> jdc@naucse.UUCP (John Campbell) writes: >I guess we're considering offering plotters in our campus PC labs, >but we're looking for some ideas or experiences that others have >had with these devices. Here at RIT we have about 3-4 HP-type plotters. They are small 8.5x11 or 11x17 plotters with 6 color felt-tip pens. They are hooked up to our VAX/VMS system. They are freely available to the student body (as are accounts on the system). They are run in our user labs by paid lab assistants. This appears to be due to difficulty making the plotter an automated process. They have to be hand-fed paper and the person needs to be logged onto the connected terminal to send the file to the plotter. Obvious problems arise when someone may hog the terminal by the plotter to do his 30 or so plots (it happens!). So there is a signup list for plots. The person leaves their username, full pathname of the plot file and how many copies they desire. I believe that the plotters are maintained by some contract, but the main problem is in keeping pen and paper supplies up to snuff. Please post a summary of your findings to the net (or please forward to me) since we are not entirely happy with our current setup. We are always looking for ways to improve. -Eric, one of over a hundred UCC lab assistants ps: All of this information is from my own firsthand experience. I am not representing ISC or RIT an any way except that I'm a product of their environment :-)
jwhitnell@cup.portal.com (Jerry D Whitnell) (02/22/90)
"-Eric, one of over a hundred UCC lab assistants" writes... |In article <1880@naucse.UUCP> jdc@naucse.UUCP (John Campbell) writes: |>I guess we're considering offering plotters in our campus PC labs, |>but we're looking for some ideas or experiences that others have |>had with these devices. | | Here at RIT we have about 3-4 HP-type plotters. | They are small 8.5x11 or 11x17 plotters with 6 color felt-tip pens. |... | This appears to be due to difficulty making the plotter an automated | process. They have to be hand-fed paper and the person needs to be | logged onto the connected terminal to send the file to the plotter. |... | I believe that the plotters are maintained by some contract, but the | main problem is in keeping pen and paper supplies up to snuff. Caveat - I write the following as an employee of Da Vinci Graphics (in case its not obvious). We at Da Vinci just started shipping the RasterPro 720, an A/B size HP 7475A compatible penless plotter. With the optional bin-feeder, it would solve all of the problems you describe above. It uses a standard four-color printer ribbon which gives a couple of hundard plots before it needs to be replaced ( the number of course depends on the quality of the plot you). The bin feeder can support either A or B size (or with the dual-bin feeder both sizes). It can be configured for either serial or parallel, the latter giving a significant speed enhancement. Speed of the plotter is typically 2 to 10 times the speed of the 7475A, with the ratio getting bigger as the plot complexity increases. If you (or anyone else) wants more information, email me you smail address and I'll send you a litature package. [We now return you to your reguarly scheduled comp.graphics.] -- Jerry Whitnell Several Species of Small Furry jwhitnell@cup.portal.com Animals Gathered Together in a ..!sun!cup.portal.com!jwhitnell Cave and Grooving with a PICT. -- Pink Floyd