You are probably using pyILPER for the first time. A default configuration has just been created for you, consisting of an interface for the PIL box, the scope, a printer, a terminal, two mass storage devices, and an HP7470 plotter. This configuration is designed for an HP-IL controller connected to the PIL-Box that wants to use the virtual HP-IL devices from Pyilper.
Please follow the configuration steps below to use the program.
Run pyILPER configuration from the File menu.
pyILPER stores all log files in a working directory. The default of that directory is the user's home directory. Change the pyILPER working directory to an appropriate location.
Set the Papersize for plotter and PDF output.
Now specify the device name for your PIL-Box. Connect the PIL-Box to your computer and select the tab named Interface1. Press the Change button for the serial device and select the proper device from the device name list.
On Linux, the device name is usually /dev/ttyUSBn. Check if you have read and write access to the device. Some Linux distributions require membership of the dialout group to access the device.
On Windows, the device is COMn. If you are uncertain, check the COM ports in the device manager.
On macOS the device name is usually /dev/cu.usbserial-FTDxxxx.
pyILPER tries to determine the baud rate of the PIL-BOX serial device. If that does not work, set the baud rate manually to the baud rate the PIL-Box is configured to. See the PIL-Box documentation for further details.
To use the file management capabilities of the virtual drives or the HP7470A plotter, the latest version of the LIFUTILS must be installed. After installation of the LIFUTILS, restart pyILPER and use Check LIFUTILS Installation from the "Utilities" menu if a LIFUTILS version was detected by pyILPER.
If have completed the basic configuration, you can start the pyILPER loop from the File menu. While working, keep the help window open to consult the online help system to become familiar with pyILPER.