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We will use the Chiplotle Python library to control the plotter. I am currently working on porting it to Python 3 but for now we will have to use the Python 2 version. I'll explain how to install such an old version of python in the software section.
You will need to find/buy a DB-9 to USB dongle (plenty of them are on Amazon, any should do). You will also need to build an adapter from the DB-25 port to the DB-9 of the dongle since the ones you will find in shops/online don't work with this plotter (I tried). The website for chiplotle has a great guide on how to make one, you'll have to find a DB-9 female port and a DB-25 male port and do the connections as follows:
Once all this is done you'll simply have to connect your shiny adapter to the plotter on one side and to the dongle on the other and then plug the dongle to your computer. Finally you'll have to configure the switches on the back of the plotter in a certain way so that the plotter knows it has to communicate via the serial port using a certain configuration. This table from the original Roland DXY 1300/1200/1100 Command Reference Manual (that can be found on archive.org) explains what each switch does:
From this we can determine that we only need the 5th switch of the first switch to be ON while all the others are OFF. Pay attention to the fact that counterintuitively the text on the switches might be upside down so the configuration should look something like that in the end:
Once all of that is done, you're ready to use your plotter (once you setup all the software part)
Installing Python 2 on a modern Mac is not easy because no one in the world wants you to do that. The best way I found was using Homebrew and a tap made available by GitHub user matt-chapman:
- You first need to install Homebrew if not already done. Open your terminal and paste the following command:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
- Then add the tap to Homebrew:
brew tap matt-chapman/python2
- Finally install Python 2:
brew install python@2
- Check everything worked by typing the following command to get Python's version:
python2 -V
It should give you Python 2.7.18 and if it does, everything went well.
If you later wish to uninstall Python 2, just type the command:
brew uninstall python@2
Once all of this is done, you've done the hard part! Now you simply have to install Chiplotle using the pip packet manager. To install pip simply run the command:
python2 -m ensurepip --upgrade --user
You should now have access to the pip2 command.
Now run the following command to install Chiplotle:
python2 -m pip install chiplotle --user
You now have installed chiplotle on your computer ! Only thing left to do is configure it and have fun! You need to run Chiplotle once for it to create the ".chiplotle" folder on your home directory. To do so, run the next command:
python2 -m chiplotle
To access the folder, copy the following command into your terminal:
cd ~/.chiplotle/
You now need to turn your plotter ON and find which port of your computer it is connected to. To do that, type the following command:
ls /dev/tty.*
You need to find the option that looks something like this : /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxx with a number instead of the xxxxx. Copy it for later.
In the ".chiplotle" folder you should find a file named "config.py". Edit it using your favorite file editor. I'll use nano:
nano config.py
Find the line that says serial_port_to_plotter_map and update it so that it says:
serial_port_to_plotter_map = {'/dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxx' : 'DXY-1300'}
Where /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxx is the port you copied earlier. Leave everything else as is, save and exit by pressing "Control" and "X" and by then typing "Y" and then "Enter" to confirm.
You're now ready to use Chiplotle! To do so, simply type the following in your terminal:
python2 -m chiplotle
You should be welcomed with a message that looks like that if everything went well:
Instantiated plotter DXY-1300 in port /dev/tty.usbserial-xxxxx:
If you do, it means everything is ready and you can use your plotter !
All the commands available can be found on the Chiplotle website.
A good command to check if your system is working correctly can be plotter.select_pen(1) which should make your plotter's arm grab the pen in the first slot.
Congratulations!