digitizer users

[frankt]

hello to al my fellow digitizer users. just wanted to share some sad news i recently found out with everyone still using  a digitizer to draw with in autocad. GTCO Calcomp suspended production of their digitizer line at the end of may 2026 and will no longer be producing that line of products. they were bought out by company they were producing some other product for and the new company apparently was only interested in the product line they were using. i spoke with a representative from the company and they are considering keeping the driver available to users who need it, but no guarantee on that.  Based on this news, i thought it might be good to purchase a spare digitizer or at least a spare 16 button puck, but it appears all digitizers and parts are no longer available. take care of the equipment you have, looks like we are being forced into extinction.

[autoid374ceb4990]

If anyone is interested in a digitizer, I used to be a Numonics digitizer dealer and I have several boards including a Calcomp 12"x12" and a 20" x 24" Numonics, and a 48" x 36" Numonics that I will part with for practically nothing.

[paullimapa]

When you mention digitizer I'm immediately reminded of this article I wrote awhile back:

What Happened To The Digitizer- AUGIWorld October 2021 Issue

[autoid374ceb4990]

I think I read your article a few years ago.  I got into digitizers when several county governments were interested in converting their paper soils maps to AutoCAD format.  I got the job of teaching their people to set up the coordinates and trace the 8.5" x 11" paper maps.  Many years ago.

[paullimapa]

Yep, digitizing paper dwgs into AutoCAD were the good old days before scanning was invented and affordable 

[AllenJessup]

Back in the early 90's we had a huge digitizer. Probably larger that an E size drawing. It was used for a while but not extensively. Being from a Surveying background I was horrified when they asked me to stake out a road Right-of-Way based on a composite of three digitized plans. I was fairly new so couldn't say no. Lets just say that things didn't work out well on that project.

[paullimapa]

I remember seeing a giant larger than Esize digitizer at USC when I attended there in the mid 80s majoring in Architecture. That’s when AutoCAD was still at its infancy and a different software was used to digitize the entire campus. Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately I was not involved in that tedious process. 

[autoid374ceb4990]

Our state used to have surplus equipment sales and I purchased a large digitizer board, approximately 60" X 48" active area. I think it cost me $100.  There were no AutoCAD drivers for this board so I had to learn how to write a digitizer driver in order to get it to work with AutoCAD 12.  This tablet came mounted on a roll around, tilting steel frame and I still have it in my basement.