PIL-Box and HP-71b

[salvomic]

hi,
my new PIL-Box will come here Monday (tnx Jeff!).
I'll use it to connect both my HP-41CX and HP-71b and to make some experiences...
Any help and hints appreciated (in the mean time I'm reading the links in the Jean-Francois web site and other stuff).
• In 41CX I've the HP 82160A HP-IL interface with its two cables (in, out)
• In 71b I've the HP 82401A HP-IL but with only a cable.
• I've also another cable to cut to set in the PIL-box.

With the two (half) cables in the PIL-box I can connect HP-71b alone (or HP-41CX alone), but I wonder if it is possible to connect both calculators in the same loop with the PIL-box to pilote them together (one or another but in the same loop) from the computer.
If yes, I wonder if I need another cable for HP-71b or I could use it the same with the only cable I have, making the loop -41-PIL-71-

Thanks for info (at the moment I'm a newby with that toy)

Salvo

[J-F Garnier]

Physically, yes, you can connect the PIL-Box, the 41CX and the 71B in the same loop, for instance without an extra cable:
PIL-Box --> 71B --> 41CX --> return to PIL-Box

From the functional point of view, you must know that the HPIL protocol is driven by one controller (usually a calculator 41/71/75) and one or several devices.
The point is that only ONE controller must be active at a time.
The 71B can release control for other controllers in the loop, and becomes a device, by using the CONTROL OFF command. CONTROL ON puts back the 71B as the active controller.
Unfortunatly, the 41C (as the 75C) can't release control, it is always the loop controller.
So the only operating configuration is: 41CX (as controller), the 71B (as device - using CONTROL OFF) and any other devices (such as the PIL-Box/ILPer system).
To use the 71B as controller, you must disconnect the 41CX from the loop.

J-F

[salvomic]

(02-02-2018 01:51 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  Physically, yes, you can connect the PIL-Box, the 41CX and the 71B in the same loop, for instance without an extra cable:
PIL-Box --> 71B --> 41CX --> return to PIL-Box

From the functional point of view, you must know that the HPIL protocol is driven by one controller (usually a calculator 41/71/75) and one or several devices.
The point is that only ONE controller must be active at a time.
The 71B can release control for other controllers in the loop, and becomes a device, by using the CONTROL OFF command. CONTROL ON puts back the 71B as the active controller.
Unfortunatly, the 41C (as the 75C) can't release control, it is always the loop controller.
So the only operating configuration is: 41CX (as controller), the 71B (as device - using CONTROL OFF) and any other devices (such as the PIL-Box/ILPer system).
To use the 71B as controller, you must disconnect the 41CX from the loop.

J-F

thank you for explanation, J-F, so it is better to control them one at a time... However it is interesting to know how it works.

I wondered that question as I saw some image in which Ilper seemed to send commands (serially) for threee devices, and I thought they was calculators but I was wrong: they are a HP 71, a multimeter and a disk, not two calcs...

However for me it is ok the same: actually I don't want the two calcs exchange data between them but only that computer and PIL-box control one or the other with or without the same loop. Just a curiosity.
My principal goal is to save data from the two HP and then restore if needed, then experiment with printing (in a virtual system). But I'm seeing that with 41CX (always the control) it won't be so easy to have as principal controller ILPer system...
I'll try next week, whit PIL-box.

Salvo

[J-F Garnier]

(02-02-2018 02:24 PM)salvomic Wrote:  I wondered that question as I saw some image in which Ilper seemed to send commands (serially) for threee devices, and I thought they was calculators but I was wrong: they are a HP 71, a multimeter and a disk, not two calcs...

You may have seen the ILCtrl application, that acts as a loop controller (the HP71 was a device in that demo).

Quote: My principal goal is to save data from the two HP and then restore if needed, then experiment with printing (in a virtual system). But I'm seeing that with 41CX (always the control) it won't be so easy to have as principal controller ILPer system...

The ILPer application is acting as devices ('ILPer' stands for HPIL Peripheral Emulator) and so can be used by any controller.

J-F

[salvomic]

(02-02-2018 04:26 PM)J-F Garnier Wrote:  You may have seen the ILCtrl application, that acts as a loop controller (the HP71 was a device in that demo).

yes, I said about ILctrl...
I'll try soon with the real HP-71b.

Merci!
Salvo