HP 9111A Graphics Tablet GPIB IEEE-488 Digitizer 16-Button 12x9 Hewlett-Packard

HP 9111A Graphics Tablet GPIB IEEE-488 Digitizer 16-Button 12x9 Hewlett-Packard

The Hewlett-Packard 9111A is a vintage HP-IB (GPIB / IEEE-488) programmable graphics tablet and digitizer built for use with HP computers and instrument controllers. It connects via the HP-IB interface — HP's implementation of the IEEE-488 bus — allowing a host system to receive precise stylus coordinate data and programmable function-key input over the same bus used by HP test instruments and workstations. The 9111A features a large 12x9-inch active drawing area, a tethered stylus permanently attached to the tablet body, and a row of 16 programmable function buttons along the bottom of the drawing surface overlay.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard (HP)
• Model: 9111A Graphics Tablet
• Interface: HP-IB (GPIB / IEEE-488) — 24-pin Amphenol connector on rear panel
• Drawing surface: 12 x 9 inches (active area)
• Programmable function buttons: 16 (numbered, along bottom of drawing surface overlay)
• Stylus: Tethered drawing pen — permanently attached to tablet via coiled cable
• Front-panel status LEDs: DIGITIZE, MENU, ERROR, LINE
• Rear HP-IB address DIP switch: 6-position — sets HP-IB bus address, Self Test, and Talk Only modes
• Power input: 100/120/220/240V AC, 48–66 Hz (rear voltage selector switch)
• Fuse: 250V; 100/120V setting: 500mA; current varies by voltage selection
• Power connector: IEC C13 AC inlet (rear panel)
• Power switch: Rocker switch on left side panel (AC LINE, I/O)
• Country of manufacture: United States
• Form factor: Benchtop / Desktop
• Includes: Tethered stylus pen
• Not included: HP-IB cable, power cable, or manual

Applications

The HP 9111A was designed as a primary input device for HP-IB-based computing and instrument control systems, particularly HP 9000-series workstations such as the HP 9826, HP 9836, and HP 9816. In these environments, the tablet served as a precision coordinate digitizer and programmable control surface — replacing or supplementing the keyboard and mouse for CAD drafting, schematic capture, data entry, and menu-driven instrument control applications. Because it communicated over the IEEE-488 bus, it could share the same interface cable daisy-chain as HP test instruments, plotters, and peripherals, making it a natural fit in HP-centric lab and engineering workstations of the late 1970s and 1980s. The 16 programmable function buttons allowed software to map custom commands or menu picks to physical keys, a common workflow in HP's proprietary operating environments (HP-UX, RTE, and the HP 9000-series desktop OS). Today the 9111A is sought by collectors and restorers of vintage HP computing systems, as well as by operators maintaining legacy HP-IB instrument automation setups that still run original HP software requiring this tablet as an input device.