Rocketeer10

Hey does anyone have experience with this type of thermal plotter? Model no. 52436. I pick up one on eBay for $60! It is a 36 inch wide unit. Picked it up in NYC and plugged it in and it works great with my old plot driver, but everything comes out, 50% reduces. 12 inch line plots 6 inches. This is both in X and Y axis. Comments welcome.

So far I have:
Check plotter hard drive and scale commands. no faults and 1 to 1 ratio is indicated.
Am using Ashlar Graphite and check its print settings (100%)
I just downloaded a new driver from Calcomp tech service website. will remove old driver and install new...

I was just hoping someone has experience with this type of plotter and can share some info
thanks
GY

marwen1

My Feedback: (6)

I have an ENCAD 36" plotter but I can honestly say that I'm not familiar with your model.

If you can change that 100% setting - try to set it at 200% --- maybe it'll give you a full print. Tell me - what formats will it print? I.e. -- jpg, tif, dwg. etc.

marwen

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

I own a 53436, the 800 series. These are industrial grade, meant to be used 24 hours per day, continuously. Boeing had five of them going for ten years. Watch out for the little hard drive down inside as moving will injure it.

The set up program via the up and down arrows, paging is terribly confusing. I use it in Autocad, with the CCP386 driver, and in Windows using their 95NT driver. In either, set the lineweights the same width, the line densities up to 16 different types, four different line ends, and no more. The scale ratio is 1=1.

Within the software set-up, you can alter the appearances, but not the lines. There too the scale ratio rotation, etc can be changed. If using Autocad, they too have their own set of parameters.

The situation here, is that since they were of industrial quality, they were intended for multi-users. Maybe 25 people sending their drawing into the spool, and each coming out as expected, and as different as the individual computer. First thing is to go through the plotter window, purge out what is old, and insert what you intend to normally use. As it is second-hand, it must be full of commands from previous users. If you do not have one, get a manual, on disk, via Lorand. It will tell you all of the little drawing altering commands possible. Just too numerous to outlay here.

Other than expensive paper, it will go and go and go. I am using some five year old paper with no appearing defects. Make sure you swing the roller rest and open the top after turning it off each time. The will then not distort the feed mech.


Wm.

simark

My Feedback: (12)

We use a HP 250C Designjet here. A lot of the programs we use and I guess some drivers allows you to calibrate the output. That is, you draw a large square image, and plot it. You then "measure it as accurately as you can and input this into the calibration routine. This recalibrates the plotter.
It may also be the previous owner had it set to 50%scale and that it is loaded into the plotters internal settings.
Good luck!

Rocketeer10

Thanks all for your input. Especially CoosBayLumber. I am going to purge the hard drive and enter a single user ID. I really can not compalin too much as this was a steal on Ebay. I have the new driver installed and hope to figure out this annoying problem! I am sure it is a very simple solution. Just need to get lucky and find it!
I got the plotter from a company that plotted out electronic diagrams and I remember him saying that it was never plotted out full-size to save paper! I don't have the old contact info for the older owner...
thanks all again!
GY