HP-IL
The HP-IL (Hewlett-Packard Interface Loop) is a short range network cable enabling several devices such as printers, floppy disk drives, tape readers, etc. to be connected to the HP-41C programmable calculator. The HP-IL had a master controller, the HP-IL extension module, that plugged at the back of the HP-41C, and any number of slave devices. The HP-IL can be seen as a precursor to the Universal Serial Bus now largely in use on desktop computers. However, as it names implies, the cable formed a loop: the cable originated in the HP-IL extension module, ran through all connected devices, then came back to the module. Hewlett-Packard developed a wide range of devices to be connected to the HP-IL, but the main target was to enable the connection of scientific equipment though HP-IB and RS-232 interfaces to the calculator. Most HP-IL peripherals had therefore a price tag that made them out of reach for common users.
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