HP 82973A HP-IL User manual

HP 82973A HP-IL Interface Card
OWNER'S MANUAL
Co yright Hewlett-Packard Com any 1984
Edition 4 May 1987
CONTENTS
1. How to Use This Manual ............................................ 2
2. Introduction to the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface ..................... 2
3. Installing the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface .......................... 4
3.1 Introduction .................................................... 4
3.2 Adjusting The Address Of The Interface .......................... 5
3.3 Changing The Address In HPLINK.BAT .............................. 7
4. Connecting and Using HP-IL ........................................ 8
5. Using the Deskto PC As an HP-IL Device ........................... 9
5.1 Introduction .................................................... 9
5.2 How To Run HPLINK ............................................... 10
5.3 Using Deskto PC Disc Drives .................................... 10
5.4 Using A Deskto PC Printer ...................................... 11
5.5 Using The Deskto PC Dis lay .................................... 12
6. Using the Deskto PC As an HP-IL Controller ....................... 12
6.1 Introduction .................................................... 12
6.2 Installing The HP-IL Driver ..................................... 13
6.3 Using HP-IL Disc Drives ......................................... 14
6.4 Using an HP-IL Printer .......................................... 16
7. Troubleshooting ................................................... 17

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1. HOW TO USE THIS MANUAL
This manual describes how to use the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface. This manual
is all on this disc. You can read any art, jum to other to ics, and select
to ics from a table of contents or an index.
Each screen that you read shows at the bottom the keystrokes allowed to move
to another screen. In addition, each table of contents rom ts you to ress
a number key to select a to ic. If you attem t to select an o tion not shown,
the com uter bee s to remind you to make a valid selection. For exam le,
ress [Q] now to hear the bee .
NOTE: This manual assumes you know how to run a com uter with MS-DOS.
To get a rinted co y of a screen, use the [PrtSc] key while the
screen you want to rint is dis layed. To rint a co y of the entire
manual, use the DOS PRINT command to rint the file MANUAL.TXT which is
located on the interface software disc. (The PRINT command is on the DOS disc.)
The table below summarizes the o erations available for moving
from screen to screen. Each letter in arentheses indicates that you
ress that letter key to erform that o eration. (Not all o erations are
available from each screen. O erations allowed are shown at the bottom of
each screen.)
O eration Descri ton
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(E)xit Press [E] to exit and return to the o erating system.
(I)ndex Press [I] to go to the Index.
(H)el Press [H] to go to Hel .
(R)eturn Press [R] to return to your screen from the Index or Hel .
(C)ontents Press [C] to go to the main Table of Contents.
(P)revious Press [P] to go to the revious screen.
(N)ext Press [N] (or the s ace bar) to go to the next screen.
(T)o Press [T] to move to the start of troubleshooting.
2. INTRODUCTION TO THE HP 82973A HP-IL INTERFACE
Congratulations! You have urchased a quality Hewlett-Packard Interface Loo
(HP-IL) card that enables you to transfer information such as
s readsheets, memos, and data files between your HP Portable Com uter and
your Deskto Com uter (the Portable-Deskto Link).
The HP 82973A HP-IL Interface also enables you to form a deskto link
between a deskto com uter and your HP-IL eri heral devices.
NOTE: This manual contains instructions for the Revision C (or later)
HP-IL Interface Card. These instructions do not a ly to cards
with revision designation A.

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The HP 82973A HP-IL Interface is a owerful yet easy-to-use addition to
your deskto com uter. It enables the deskto PC to serve as:
1. A " eri heral device" on an HP-IL loo controlled by an HP Portable.
2. A "loo controller" using HP-IL eri heral devices. (If your
deskto PC runs MS-DOS 3.0 or greater, use this mode.)
If you have one interface card installed on the deskto PC, it can be
either a eri heral device or the loo controller (but not both at the
same time).
The software disc included with the interface card contains rograms and
information needed to o erate the interface. To rotect your investment in
this roduct, you should make a backu co y of the disc as soon as ossible
and then store the original disc in a safe lace. Use the co y of the
software disc for all your o erations.
To make a co y of your disc, follow the instructions in the owner's manual
for your com uter on how to care for and co y discs.
Since your rograms and information are stored on disc, you should handle
the software disc, and all discs, carefully:
* Return flexible discs to their storage envelo es immediately after
removing them from the disc drive.
* Do not bend, fold, or emboss flexible discs.
* Kee discs away from sources of strong magnetic fields, such as
magnets, wires carrying heavy currents, transformers, and
degaussers (magnetic erasers).
* Refer to the MS-DOS manual for more information about disc care.

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Several rograms are referred to throughout this manual. The table below
lists those rograms and gives a brief descri tion of each.
Program Name Descri tion
_____________________________________________________________________
HPLINK Makes the deskto PC an HP-IL device.
HPIL.SYS Makes the deskto PC an HP-IL controller.
HPIL_PRN.SYS
HPIL_LPT.SYS
HELP Enables you to read this manual on the dis lay.
TEST Enables you to test the interface card.
HPILFOR Enables you to format discs from the deskto PC
that are inserted in HP-IL disc drives.
The following items are su lied with the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface:
* An HP 82973A HP-IL Interface software disc.
* A 1-meter HP-IL cable.
* A service card.
3. INSTALLING THE HP 82973A HP-IL INTERFACE
3.1 Introduction
To install the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface in your deskto PC, follow the
instructions in com uter owner's manual. (If these instructions are
not available, consult your dealer for information about installing the
interface.) You don't need to set any system switches on the deskto PC.
CAUTION!
The interface card is shi ed in a wra ing that rotects it from
electrostatic discharge (ESD). A common exam le of ESD occurs when
you walk across a car et and get an electrical shock from touching
a doorknob. The shock you feel is a discharge.
Even if you don't feel a shock, a static discharge can occur.
To revent ESD from damaging the interface card, kee the card in its
rotective wra ing until you are ready to install it. When you are ready
to install the card, touch a grounded metal object to remove any static
charge that you might have. After grounding yourself, you can remove the
card from the wra ing and remove the rotective cover from the edge
connector. Always handle the interface card by its edges!
After you remove the interface card from its rotective wra ing and
remove the rotective cover from the edge connector, you can install the
interface card in the deskto PC.

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The HP 82973A HP-IL Interface has an I/O address of 700 (hex) reset at
the factory. In most cases, you won't need to change this address. But
if another card has this address, change the address setting on either the
HP-IL interface or the other card.
If this card does not a ear to o erate, or another card does not o erate
with this card lugged into the PC, you robably need to change the address
of either card. The rest of this section describes how to change the
address of the HP-IL Interface.
NOTE: In most cases you won't need to change the address of the interface.
Therefore, you robably don't need to read the rest of this section.
To change the address of the HP-IL interface, first determine a new,
unique address, such as 218 (hexadecimal). Then:
1. Physically set the address switch on the HP-IL interface. (The
rocedure, and suggested address settings, are described beginning
on the next screen.)
2. Enter the new address in the file HPLINK.BAT. (This is described later
in this section.)
3.2 Adjusting The Address Of The Interface
Hold the interface card so the mounting bracket is to the left and the edge
connector is toward the to . The address switch is at the u er right of the
center of the board.
The address switch has eight switch segments that can be set
with a ball oint en. The designation "A10" is to the left of the switch and
the designation "A3" is to the right of it. (Ignore the rint on the switch.)
\ Edge Connector
\_____|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||______________
Mounting |
Bracket |
| 1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
| A10 |H| |H| |H| | | | | | | | | | | A3
| | | | | | | |H| |H| |H| |H| |H|
| 0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
|
==

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Shown below are the switch settings for some alternative addresses:
In the table, a "1" indicates that you slide the switch segment to the
"1" osition and a "0" indicates that you slide the switch segment to "0."
The next screen shows more alternative settings.
1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
700 |H| |H| |H| | | | | | | | | | |
(default) | | | | | | |H| |H| |H| |H| |H|
0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
218 | | |H| | | | | | | | | |H| |H|
|H| | | |H| |H| |H| |H| | | | |
0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
258 | | |H| | | | | |H| | | |H| |H|
|H| | | |H| |H| | | |H| | | | |
0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
288 | | |H| | | |H| | | | | | | |H|
|H| | | |H| | | |H| |H| |H| | |
0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
200 | | |H| | | | | | | | | | | | |
|H| | | |H| |H| |H| |H| |H| |H|
0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+

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For Technical Users:
The leftmost three switches re resent the leftmost digit of the address,
the next four switches re resent the middle address digit, and the last
switch re resents the rightmost digit.
6 5 8
_________ _____________ _
The exam le at right shows / \ / \ |
how to set the I/O address 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1
to 658 Hex. The range of the 1 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
leftmost digit is 0-7, the |H| |H| | | | | |H| | | |H| |H|
range of the middle digit is | | | | |H| |H| | | |H| | | | |
0-F, and the last digit can 0 +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+ +-+
be either 0 or 8. The card uses
only 8 bytes of I/O address s ace.
If the default address conflicts with another I/O card, you might try
to use one of the following (or any other that you wish): 688, 218,
258, 288, 658, or 200.
3.3 Changing The Address In HPLINK.BAT (For Non-Controller O eration)
HPLINK.BAT is a batch file that, among other things, tells the deskto PC
the memory address of the HP-IL interface. After altering the address on the
HP-IL interface, you need to change the address s ecified in HPLINK.BAT.
To change the address in HPLINK.BAT, ty e:
COPY CON HPLINK.BAT <RETURN>
A:CS80 nnn <RETURN>
<Ctrl> Z <RETURN>
where nnn is the three-digit hexadecimal address of the interface. For
exam le, to set the address to 218, the second line above becomes:
A:CS80 218 <RETURN>
After changing the address on the HP-IL interface, installing it, and
changing the address line in the file HPLINK.BAT, the interface is ready to
use.
If you can't determine a new address for the interface or, after consulting
your deskto PC manuals, you are unable to ro erly install the interface,
consult your dealer.

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4. CONNECTING AND USING HP-IL
The Hewlett-Packard Interface Loo (HP-IL) consists of a controller
(a com uter), and one or more devices (such as disc drives and rinters)
connected in a series. All devices must be connected and switched on for
the loo to o erate. You can have u to 31 devices in a loo .
+----------+ IN <----------- OUT +----------+
| Device <------------------------------------------------< Device |
| | | |
| 2 >--------------------+ +----------------------> 1 |
+----------+ OUT -----> IN | | OUT -----> IN +----------+
+-------v----^--------+
| controller |
| |
+---------------------+
Peri heral devices are connected to your com uter (and to each other) using
HP-IL cables. A 1-meter cable is shi ed with the interface card, and one
is shi ed with each eri heral device.
The rece tacles on the interface card indicate the direction information
travels around the loo . With the deskto PC as loo controller, instructions
and data are sent from the card through the rece tacle labeled "OUT" and
are received by the card through the rece tacle labeled "IN."
When only one eri heral is connected to the interface card (the card is
installed in the deskto PC), one HP-IL cable runs from the OUT rece tacle
on the back of the com uter to the IN rece tacle on the eri heral. The
other HP-IL cable connects the OUT rece tacle on the eri heral to the
IN rece tacle on the com uter.
If you want more than one eri heral in the loo , HP-IL cables should be
connected from the OUT rece tacle on each device to the IN rece tacle on the
the next device. Re eat this rocedure until all eri heral devices are
connected.
The loo is com leted when the OUT rece tacle on the last eri heral is
connected to the IN rece tacle on the com uter. Note that EITHER the deskto
PC OR the Portable may be the loo controller at a given time--not both.
Instructions and data on HP-IL originate from the controller and travel to
the first eri heral, on to the second and continue around the circuit until
that information returns to the controller. If the information isn't
intended for a articular eri heral, it travels to the next eri heral
in the loo . When the information reaches its destination, that eri heral
res onds as directed and then asses on the information.

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If you wish to s ace eri herals further from the com uter than ermitted by
the cables, connect additional HP-IL cables. The maximum distance allowed
between any two devices or a device and the com uter is 10 meters (33 feet)
with standard cables.
Standard HP-IL cables are:
HP 82167A .5 meter.
HP 82167B 1 meter.
HP 82167D 5 meters.
5. USING THE DESKTOP PC AS AN HP-IL DEVICE
5.1 Introduction
The HPLINK rogram turns a deskto PC into an HP-IL device controlled by a
Portable com uter.
Sam le +----------------+
Configuration: | HP Portable |
| (Controller) |
+------------+ +----v------^----+ +------------+
| HP 9114 | <------ OUT | | IN <------ | Deskto PC |
| Disc Drive <+----------------+ +----------------+< |
| >+----------------------------------------+> (Device 2) |
| (Device 1) | -------> | |
+------------+ +------------+
NOTE: Don't attem t to use a hard disc that was formatted with DOS 3.0
or greater as a device to be controlled by The Portable. The
Portable PLUS, however, recognizes such a disc and controls only
the other devices in the loo . The HPLINK rogram warns a user of
DOS 3.0 or greater before it makes the deskto PC a device.
HPLINK is a rogram that turns the deskto PC into any of three eri heral
devices to be o erated by an HP Portable Com uter:
* Disc Drive.
* Printer.
* Dis lay. (The dis lay o erates as a rinter.)
Before running HPLINK ensure that all HP-IL devices are connected and
turned on.

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5.2 How To Run HPLINK
To run HPLINK insert the software disc in drive A and ty e A:HPLINK.
HPLINK dis lays the following selection of devices:
1: Disc
2: Printer
3: Dis lay
(E) Exit
HPLINK also dis lays the current device at the bottom of the dis lay. (The
default is "Disc Drive.") A deskto PC can act as one device at a time only.
To select a device ty e, ress the number key corres onding to the device you
want. For exam le, to use the deskto PC disc drives, ress (1). To end the
HPLINK rogram, ress (E). This returns you to the o erating system.
So far, this section has described everything you need to know to begin
using HPLINK. If you want to try running HPLINK now, ress (E) to exit from
this manual, ensure the software disc is in drive A and ty e: A:HPLINK.
The rest of this section describes more about using HPLINK. If you want more
information about how disc drives are assigned or about using the deskto PC
rinter and dis lay, you can continue with the next screen.
Note: If the deskto PC has no hysical disc drive B, you should read the
screens on using deskto PC disc drives (beginning next screen).
5.3 Using Deskto PC Disc Drives
When you select Disc from the HPLINK menu, the disc drives connected to the
deskto PC are accessible to an HP Portable. The drives are automatically
assigned drive identifiers that follow in the sequence of the existing
Portable PC disc drives.
For exam le, if you have drives A: and B: assigned on the Portable and then
run HPLINK and select Disc from the HPLINK menu, the deskto disc drives are
assigned to the Portable as drives C:, D:, and so on. To use the deskto PC
drives, ensure that the number of external drives s ecified in the Portable
system configuration is at least the number of deskto PC drives.

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Assigning Virtual Drive B
If you are using a deskto com uter that has disc drive A but no
hysical drive B (for exam le, a deskto PC can have a single flo y disc
drive A, virtual drive B, and a hard disc drive, C), execute ASSIGN C = B
BEFORE you run HPLINK. (The ASSIGN command is a .COM file on the DOS disc.)
Otherwise, the screen dis layed by HPLINK might be overwritten by messages
from the deskto PC as you use drive B. Also, the HP Portable might "time-out"
while waiting for you to insert a disc in drive B.
To recover from a "time-out", ty e "A" (abort) in res onse to the Portable
message: ABORT, RETRY, IGNORE?
Disc O erations
Using your HP Portable, you can read and store files on deskto PC discs
that were formatted using DOS 1.0 or greater.
Since HPLINK is a file transfer utility, you can store and retrieve files
from deskto PC discs, but you can't format those discs from a Portable.
Note: Although a deskto PC and a Portable use similar o erating systems,
.COM files that run on one com uter might not run ro erly on the other.
EXAMPLE: Su ose you want to co y a worksheet from drive A of your
Portable to a deskto PC disc so you can work on it using the deskto PC.
Assume the deskto PC has two disc drives and the Portable has no external
drives. Also, assume that the name of the file to be co ied is PROJ.WKS.
To transfer the file, you would:
1. Set the number of external disc drives in the system configuration
screen of the Portable to 2.
2. With the interface rogram disc in deskto PC drive A, ty e: HPLINK.
3. Remove the software disc from drive A and insert a disc for data.
4. On the HP Portable, ty e: COPY A:PROJ.WKS C:
A co y of the file is now on the disc in drive A of the deskto PC.
5.4 Using A Deskto PC Printer
If you want to use a rinter that is connected to the deskto PC, select
Printer on the HPLINK menu. The rinter is available to the Portable, and
the deskto PC a ears as a rinter on HP-IL. (Note that when you select
Printer, the deskto PC disc drives are no longer on the loo .)

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To be used, the deskto PC must be the first rinter on the loo . (Refer to
the HP Portable owner's manual for more information about assigning devices
on HP-IL.)
Also, before you run HPLINK, the rinter must be designated the PRN or the
LPT1 device on the deskto PC.
When sending information to the deskto rinter from the Portable, HPLINK
uses the first rinter connected to the deskto PC. When using a rinter
you should know how it res onds to s ecial characters such as linefeed (LF)
and carriage return (CR). Otherwise, you might get unex ected results.
Many rinters res ond to s ecial codes called "esca e sequences." Esca e
sequences are used to select different settings on a rinter and control
how information is rinted. (The owner's documentation for your rinter
should describe how that rinter res onds to esca e sequences.)
5.5 Using The Deskto PC Dis lay
There might be times when it is more convenient to dis lay information on
a screen rather than a rinter if you don't want to unnecessarily use
rinter a er. When you select Dis lay on the HPLINK menu, you can use
the deskto PC dis lay as a rinter. In fact, when you use the dis lay
in this manner, the deskto PC a ears as a rinter on HP-IL.
HPLINK directs information to the dis lay as text. Control codes
and esca e sequences sent by the Portable are dis layed on the screen.
If you use deskto PC screen arameters, you must set them on the deskto PC
before you run HPLINK. You can't alter the screen's characteristics
while HPLINK is running. (For more information about altering the
characteristics of the dis lay, refer to the owner's documentation for
your deskto com uter.)
6. USING THE DESKTOP PC AS AN HP-IL CONTROLLER
6.1 Introduction
The deskto PC can be a loo controller as well as a device on HP-IL.
(However, a com uter can't be a device and a controller on a loo at the
same time.)
When loaded in a deskto PC, the file HPIL.SYS on the software disc is added
to the deskto PC o erating system, enabling you to use HP-IL.
Since HPIL.SYS enables the deskto PC to o erate ("drive") HP-IL devices,
it is called a "driver." You can load ("install") the driver in the PC
using a file called "CONFIG.SYS." (This is described later.)

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The HP-IL driver, when installed in the deskto PC, enables the deskto PC
to use HP-IL eri heral devices. An exam le configuration is shown below:
+----------------+
| Deskto PC |
| |
| (Controller) |
+----v------^----+
| |
+-----------------+ +-----------------+
| |
| +------------------------------+ |
Device 1 | | | | Device 2
+-----v-----^-----+ +-----v-----^-----+
| HP 9114 | | HP ThinkJet |
| Disc Drive | | Printer |
+-----------------+ +-----------------+
With the HP-IL driver installed, a deskto PC can o erate:
* HP-IL rinters.
* HP 7470A Gra hics Plotter, o tion 003.
* HP-IL disc drives.
Installing the driver is described beginning with the next screen.
For Technical Users: Programmers can gain access to the HP-IL driver
through DOS Interru t 54h. This is a s ecial interru t rovided by
the driver. For more information and an exam le, read the file
INT54H.DOC on this disc.
6.2 Installing The HP-IL Driver
The HP-IL driver you use de ends on what you want the name of the HP-IL
rinter to be. The table below shows the names of the HP-IL drivers on
the software disc and for each driver the associated HP-IL rinter name.
Driver Printer Name
-----------------------------------
HPIL.SYS HPILPRN
HPIL_PRN.SYS PRN
HPIL_LPT.SYS LPT1
Some a lications require that the rinter name be PRN or LPT1. In this case
you might want the HP-IL rinter to be either PRN or LPT1.
Exam le: You want to rint information from a s readsheet rogram to a
ThinkJet rinter on HP-IL. The s readsheet rogram rints only to PRN.
To rint on the ThinkJet rinter, install the driver HPIL_PRN.SYS before
running the s readsheet rogram.

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NOTE: Not all a lications can rint to an HP-IL rinter.
To install an HP-IL driver, use a file called CONFIG.SYS. CONFIG.SYS is a
file you create on your boot disc, which is the disc you use to load DOS and
other information when you turn on or reset the com uter.
To install the driver using CONFIG.SYS, use an editor or word rocessor
to add one of the following lines to CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=HPIL.SYS /Annn
DEVICE=HPIL_PRN.SYS /Annn
DEVICE=HPIL_LPT.SYS /Annn
In the lines above, /Annn s ecifies a three-digit hexadecimal address of the
HP-IL interface card. (The default address is 700.) For exam le, to load
HPIL_PRN.SYS to control a card at address 218, ty e into CONFIG.SYS:
DEVICE=HPIL_PRN.SYS /A218
(Create CONFIG.SYS if it doesn't exist.) Whenever you turn on or reset the
deskto com uter with the boot disc in drive A, the com uter automatically
loads the driver for you.
NOTE: If after installing an HP-IL driver you want to run HPLINK (making
the deskto PC an HP-IL device on the loo ), you need to first remove
the driver from the system. To do this, reboot the system using a
du licate of the DOS disc that DOES NOT load the driver into the com uter.
You might want to kee two co ies of the DOS disc: one that installs the
HP-IL driver and one that doesn't.

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O erating HP-IL Devices
You can use HP-IL eri herals as you would other devices connected to your
deskto PC. The following table lists the names that your deskto PC
recognizes and their corres onding devices on the loo .
Name Device
---------------------------------------------------------------------
HPILPRN, PRN, or LPT1 The first rinter on HP-IL. (The rinter name
de ends on the driver installed.)
HPILPLT HP 7470A Gra hics Plotter (o tion 003).
Drives C to J (D to K) Disc drives (drives D to K for a deskto PC
with a hard disc drive.)
6.3 Using HP-IL Disc Drives
With the driver successfully installed, you can control HP-IL disc drives.
Before using HP-IL disc drives, ensure that the discs are ro erly
formatted for use with MS-DOS. (You can use discs formatted by
The Portable, The Portable PLUS, HP 150, HP Vectra, or the IBM PC/XT/AT.)
Once you've installed a driver, disc drives on the loo are assigned
disc drive identifiers in a sequence following those already assigned by the
deskto PC. For exam le, when disc drives A, B, and C are assigned to the
deskto PC and two HP-IL disc drives are connected, the HP-IL units
will be assigned the identifiers D and E. You can then use them as you
would any of the disc drives on your deskto PC.
To format a disc on HP-IL, ty e:
[d:] HPILFOR m: [/W]
where [d:] is the identifier of the drive containing the software disc, m: is
the drive of the disc to be formatted, and /W s ecifies a single-sided disc.
NOTE: If you are formatting a disc with a deskto PC for use on another
com uter, you need to find out if that com uter uses a single-sided or a
double-sided disc format. If it uses a single-sided disc format, use
the /W arameter when formatting the disc.
For exam le, to format a single-sided disc on drive C, ty e:
HPILFOR C: /W
To format discs on the deskto 's built-in disc drives, use the DOS command
FORMAT rather than HPILFOR.
NOTE: If an HP Portable is on the loo when a deskto PC is a controller
(the HP-IL driver is installed), the Portable must run HPLINK to be
a device on the loo . Otherwise the deskto PC and the Portable both
attem t to control the loo . The result is that the loo will not
o erate until you disconnect one of the com uters from the loo .

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Before the com uter formats the s ecified drive, it rom ts you to ress a
key to start formatting. This is to ensure that you don't accidentally
format a disc that you don't want erased. (Remember that formatting a disc
erases all information on that disc.)
After ressing a key to confirm that you want a disc formatted,
the com uter begins formatting the disc.
Once you've installed a formatted disc in an HP-IL disc drive, you
can use it.
EXAMPLE: You want to co y a s readsheet file called PROJ.WKS on the
deskto PC (drive A) to an HP Portable (drive D). In this exam le, you
have two internal flo y disc drives (A and B) and a hard disc drive (C).
Besides the Portable, there are no other external drives connected to the
deskto PC. To transfer the file to the Portable:
1. Run HPLINK on the Portable. This makes the Portable a disc drive.
2. Ensure that an HP-IL driver is installed, as described at the beginning
of this section.
3. On the deskto PC ty e:
COPY A:PROJ.WKS D: <RETURN>
The file is now on drive A in the Portable.
6.4 Using an HP-IL Printer
You can use an HP-IL rinter with the MS-DOS PRINT utility and
certain a lications. Some a lications (and the [Prt Sc] key)
cannot talk to HP-IL rinters.
NOTE: Not all a lications are able to rint to HP-IL. This
rinter ca ability is rovided for a lications that are
able to use an HP-IL rinter.
Be sure you know how your rinter o erates before using it. If all the
information sent to the rinter isn't being rinted, it may be that the rint
buffer still has information in it. (Refer to the owner's manual for your
rinter for more information about how the rinter rints information.)
When you use the PRINT command to rint files on the HP-IL rinter, the
com uter rom ts you to enter the name of the rinter device if you
haven't done so since booting the o erating system.
To s ecify the HP-IL rinter (you can s ecify the first rinter on the
loo only), enter the rinter name (either HPILPRN, PRN, or LPT1, de ending
on the driver installed) in res onse to the rom t. The system rinter
on the deskto PC retains its designator (LPT1 or PRN) unless the HP-IL
rinter has that name.

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7. TROUBLESHOOTING
The ur ose of this section is to hel you solve any roblems you might have
when using the HP 82973A HP-IL Interface.
This section hel s you locate a sus ected roblem by asking you to select one
of several choices that indicate something about the trouble. After ressing
a number key to indicate your choice, a new screen will be dis layed that
either rom ts you to indicate something further about the trouble, or
indicates what the trouble might be and what ste s you should take.
If you find that your HP 82973A HP-IL Interface needs service, refer
to the service card included with the interface for more information.
RUNNING THE TEST PROGRAM
To run the TEST rogram, exit this manual, then at the system rom t ty e
A:TEST nnn
where nnn is the address of the interface card. (Ensure first that the
the software disc is in drive A.) For exam le, if the address of the
interface card is set to 700 (factory default), you would ty e:
A:TEST 700
Note the test result, read the manual again, and go to the screen in this
section that hel s you inter ret test results (the next screen).
Inter reting Test Results
To inter ret test results, ick the result you received from the list below.
The com uter dis lays another screen that identifies ossible solutions.
TEST RESULT
______________________________________________________________________
(1) Looking for card at address nnn. Card not found.
(2) Looking for card at address nnn. Card found.
Testing HP-IL. Loo broken.
(3) Looking for card at address nnn. Card found.
Testing HP-IL. Loo OK.
Looking for HP-IL devices. Number of devices on loo = nn.
In the table above, nn and nnn indicate a two-digit and three-digit number.