[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Reading HP instrument disks on a PC

J.A.Jones@lut.ac.uk (Jeff Jones) (05/21/91)

Hi

We have a number of Hewlett-Packard instruments, many of which have
built in floppy disks for the storage of measurement data. It would be
very useful to be able to read these disks on a PC. The various manuals
say that the disks are readable on HP9000/200 and HP9000/300 under
BASIC 3.0 and 4.0 but they do not give us the disk format. All the
manuals give the stored file format but this is not useful if you can't
read the disks !. We have no access to an HP9000 computer within our
institute and hence would like to use a PC compatible to read these 3.5
inch disks. Does any body know of any utilities, PD or commercial, that
will allow this ? alternativly if someone knows the disk format, or a
reference to it, we could have a go at writing such a routine
ourselves.
Thanks for your assistance in advance.
			Jeff

================================================================================
= Jeff Jones    = IERI = International Electronics Reliability Institute       =
=                      = Dept of Electrical and Electronic Engineering         =
=                      = Loughborough University of Technology                 =
=                      = Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3TU, UK                     =
=                      = Telephone - +44-509-263171 ext 4196                   =
=                      = Fax - +44-509-222854                                  =
=                      = Email - J.A.Jones@lut.ac.uk                           =
================================================================================

eljaj@lut.ac.uk (Jeff Jones) (05/21/91)

Sorry about posting (almost) the same article twice, but the posting
system told me it had failed completely to post losing my article in the
meanwhile hence I reposted only to find that some of the cross-postings
had got out. Sorry about that.

================================================================================
= Jeff Jones    = IERI = International Electronics Reliability Institute       =
=                      = Dept of Electrical and Electronic Engineering         =
=                      = Loughborough University of Technology                 =
=                      = Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3TU, UK                     =
=                      = Telephone - +44-509-263171 ext 4196                   =
=                      = Fax - +44-509-222854                                  =
=                      = Email - J.A.Jones@uk.ac.lut                           =
================================================================================
 

harper@convex.com (David Harper) (05/22/91)

In article <1991May21.090824.12630@lut.ac.uk> J.A.Jones@lut.ac.uk (Jeff Jones) writes:
>Hi
>
>We have a number of Hewlett-Packard instruments, many of which have
>built in floppy disks for the storage of measurement data. It would be
>very useful to be able to read these disks on a PC. 

There is a company called Oswego Software (or something like that) that
markets a utility that runs on a DOS machine and reads floppys generated by
an HP instrument.  I would have liked to have used it, but at $495 a copy I
found an alternative solution.  You might check with your local HP rep -
they were the ones that put me on to this outfit.

Dave Harper    -     Convex Computer Corp.            E-mail address:
3000 Waterview Pky.  Richardson, TX 75081             harper@convex.COM
(214) 497-4525 (W)   (214) 727-4206 (H)

kelley@vet.vet.purdue.edu (Stephen Kelley) (05/22/91)

In article <1991May21.090824.12630@lut.ac.uk> J.A.Jones@lut.ac.uk (Jeff Jones) writes:
>Hi
>
>We have a number of Hewlett-Packard instruments, many of which have
>built in floppy disks for the storage of measurement data. It would be
>very useful to be able to read these disks on a PC. 


I use ANADISK, found on simtel20 and wuarchive in the msdos/dskutil 
directories.  It is a little clunky to use, but for a $25 shareware fee,
it provides huge bang for the buck, and has worked extremely well for us.

It doesn't completely convert the disk, but it does cope with non-PC
sectoring and generates a file image of the floppy (with an optional
embedded sector map), which you then can manipulate however necessary. 

Steve Kelley		kelley@flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu

Cancer Center Cytometry Laboratories
Purdue University

wehr@fmsrl7.UUCP (Bruce Wehr ) (05/23/91)

harper@convex.com (David Harper) writes:
> There is a company called Oswego Software

  We use Oswego's software. Contact them at:

    Oswego Software
    155 West Washington Street
    P.O. Box 310
    Oswego, IL  60543

    (708) 554-3567
    (708) 554-3573 FAX

-- 
               Bruce Wehr (wehr%dptc.decnet@srlvx0.srl.ford.com)
                (..!uunet!srlvx0.srl.ford.com!wehr%dptc.decnet)
              Ford Motor Company - Engineering Technology Services
     P.O. Box 2053, Room 1153, Dearborn, Michigan 48121-2053 (313)337-5304