The files enclosed in the self-unpacking PC program HP2PC.EXE are described below. The most important file to read first is *HP2PC.DOC, which is also included here below this catalog. FROMHP.COM Serial transfer, PC side. FROMHP1.PAS Source code for PC side, serial transfer. *HP2PC.DOC General guidance about methods for HP -> PC transfer. HPPCLINK.EXE GPIB IEEE-488 transfer, PC side. HPPCLINK.TXT Instructions for using HPPCLINK (in local terms), ASCII. HPPCLINK.WP Instrucs for using HPPCLINK (in local terms), WordPerfect 5.1. READDATA.COM Obsolete CGA flow data analysis program. READDATA.PAS Source code for READDATA.COM. README.OLD Original 1987 documentation for FROMHP, READDATA. ZEROVOL.TXT Increasing the Files/Volume Limit under HP Pascal 3.1 (ASCII) ZEROVOL.WP ZEROVOL.TXT in WordPerfect 5.1 format. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - HP2PC.DOC: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - TRANSFER OF DATA FILES FROM HEWLETT-PACKARD TO MS-DOS PC's. This information provided by Eric Martz (emartz@microbio.umass.edu) 5/94. At least four methods are available for transferring list mode data files from Hewlett-Packard computers, which acquire the data from many flow cytometers, to MS-DOS computers. I. DISKETTES Data written to three and one-half inch diskettes can be read on DOS computers using commercial software. This method is too slow and cumbersome for routine use, and the software is expensive, so it is NOT RECOMMENDED. II. SERIAL TRANSFER (VERY SLOW) This method is NOT RECOMMENDED unless you have only a few files occasionally, or cannot afford the hardware needed for the IEEE-488 method. It takes roughly 2 minutes to transfer a 10K event file at 9600 baud. For SERIAL port transfer from HP to PC, you need either a cable with reversed connections (pin 2 to pin 3, pin 3 to pin 2, etc.), or a "straight through" cable with a "null modem" at one end (which does the wire reversing). The HP has a DB25 serial port built-in. On the HP side, you must run the HP program HPTOIBM.CODE*. On the PC side, you must run the PC program FROMHP.COM. There is a bug in HPTOIBM.CODE which makes it transfer only every 2nd file. Despite many pleas, including to the author, Morgan P. Conrad, and to Becton Dickinson via Mike Lance, nobody has been able to come up with the debugged version which Morgan says once existed. After you transfer every 2nd file, move the first file in the volume to another volume, and run HPTOIBM again. This time, you will transfer the files you missed the first time. III. IEEE-488/GPIB TRANSFER (SLOW) Data can be transferred from the IEEE-488 GPIB of the Hewlett Packard (the thick cable which connects each subunit of the H-P computer) to an IEEE-488 card installed in the PC bus. HPPCLINK programs for managing the transfer were written at Becton-Dickinson and contributed to the public domain. This method requires about 20 sec to transfer a 50K file. Our card model GPIB-PC2 came from National Instruments (12109 Technology Blvd., Austin TX 78727) and cost about $500. Further information generously provided by David Coder is available by anonymous ftp from flowcyt.cyto.purdue.edu in a file HPPCLINK.PS (or, if you don't have a postscript printer, HPPCLINK.TXT) in /pub. See additional information in the Free Software Catalog (http://www.bio.umass.edu/mcbfacs/flowhome.html). You need on your HP the program HPPCLINK.CODE*, and on your PC the program HPPCLINK.EXE. Beware, there may be corrupted versions of HPPCLINK.EXE floating around. I couldn't get the first copy I received to work. When I tried another copy, it worked. There was a one-byte difference between the otherwise identical files. The version enclosed with this document is known to work fine. The enclosed file HPPCLINK.WP is a Wordperfect 5.1 document with detailed, step by step instructions. HPPCLINK.TXT is a plain text version (the tables are screwed up). N.B. An important difference is that SERIAL transfer is implemented in only one direction, HP to PC. No reason in principle it couldn't be done the other way, but the enclosed software doesn't do it. In contrast, IEEE-488/GPIB transfer works BOTH WAYS. This means that you can use your PC copies as backup, moving them back onto the HP if needed. But you can't do the reverse transfer with the SERIAL software. However, some programs may refuse to read files which have been transferred off and back to the HP, so test before you trust. *N.B. The HP programs HPPCLINK.CODE and HPTOIBM.CODE are not included since if you need these programs, you have no way to transfer them from a PC to your HP. You must obtain these two programs on an HP-formatted 3 1/2 inch diskette which you can read directly on your HP computer. Inquire by email from the nearest person you know who has these programs, or from emartz@microbio.umass.edu. The C source code for HPPCLINK.EXE (or a variant thereof) is available, but is not enclosed. Contact me if you want it. IV. NETWORK TRANSFER (FAST, SO I'M TOLD) If your Hewlett-Packard computer is equipped with a network interface (this is feasable on 340's but not 310's) data files can be transferred by FTP (network file transfer protocol). This is the fastest method.