Design transfer

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mikede1025
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 4:22 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Shark

Design transfer

Post by mikede1025 »

I have one more computer related question.

I've got my main computer in the living room and I have a laptop out in the shop. I have all the cnc software on both of them. My plans were to be able to design while I'm in the house and then take that design out to the shop and transfer it to the laptop out there. For the ease of answering this question let me say that I will only be making this transfer after I have completely finished my design and saved the code. This is the point that I'd like to know how to transfer that to my laptop in the shop and put it into the same program and the result would be the same as if I had been working on it out there. That way I can just open it up out there and put the code into the controll panel.

Thanks,
Mike

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Adrian
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Re: Design transfer

Post by Adrian »

The most common way is to save the toolpaths directly to a USB drive or SD card and then load that into either the control PC or controller itself depending on the model of the CNC machine.

You can also have VCarve installed on both machines if you like (it's allowed under the license agreement) and take the design file out to the workshop and produce the toolpaths there.

The other option is to have a network and move either the design file or the toolpath file as you prefer.

MarkJohnston
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Re: Design transfer

Post by MarkJohnston »

Hi Mike,

Probably the easiest and cheapest way would be to use a USB drive. Just copy it over to the drive and take it to the shop and copy it to the laptop hard drive. These drives are available everywhere and cost very little depending on the capacity of the drive. I do this all the time and it works great.

My shop is a ways from my house so I also make changes to the program in the shop and then copy it back to the thumb drive and copy it back to my main computer so I have the changes on the design computer.

The best way is to network the two computers together and have access to the files from both machines but that's a little more difficult.

Mark

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Leo
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Re: Design transfer

Post by Leo »

My CNC computer has a folder on the desktop called CNC programs

I have a desktop computer on my shop desk

I have my office (in my house) computer.

Everything is networked.

I share between all computers.

I can save from any computer directly to the CNC programs folder on the CNC computer.

I don't use a USB card or SD card very often.

I always run programs from the CNC computer hard drive.

Wireless networking is REALLY easy to setup.

Even if you don't have a network card in the computer, you can get a USB wireless adapter.
Imagine the Possibilities of a Creative mind, combined with the functionality of CNC

mikede1025
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 4:22 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Shark

Re: Design transfer

Post by mikede1025 »

Hey, thanks to each of you. I think I'll go ahead and set up a home network although I've not done that before. I'm pretty PC savvy and I'm sure the instructions will get me from A to B.

Thanks again,
Mike

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Ms Wolffie
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Re: Design transfer

Post by Ms Wolffie »

Leo wrote:My CNC computer has a folder on the desktop called CNC programs

I have a desktop computer on my shop desk

I have my office (in my house) computer.

Everything is networked.

I share between all computers.

I can save from any computer directly to the CNC programs folder on the CNC computer.

I don't use a USB card or SD card very often.

I always run programs from the CNC computer hard drive.

Wireless networking is REALLY easy to setup.

Even if you don't have a network card in the computer, you can get a USB wireless adapter.
The only problem with that is that you have to have both computer switched on at all times.
I switch mine off every night and turn the workshop one on when I get out there, then for me to get back to the main computer to transfer files is too much of a hassle.
I use an external drive that I can just take with me to the workshop when I get out there.
Cheers
Wolffie
Cheers
Wolffie

Whatshammacallit
Cut3D, VCarvePro 6.5, Aspire4, PhotoVCarve, Corel Graphics Suite X6

mikede1025
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 4:22 pm
Model of CNC Machine: Shark

Re: Design transfer

Post by mikede1025 »

MarkJohnston wrote:Hi Mike,

Probably the easiest and cheapest way would be to use a USB drive. Just copy it over to the drive and take it to the shop and copy it to the laptop hard drive. These drives are available everywhere and cost very little depending on the capacity of the drive. I do this all the time and it works great.

My shop is a ways from my house so I also make changes to the program in the shop and then copy it back to the thumb drive and copy it back to my main computer so I have the changes on the design computer.

The best way is to network the two computers together and have access to the files from both machines but that's a little more difficult.

Mark

Mark, if I did take the saved project out to the shop via flash drive, where do I put the file exactly? Just drop it onto the VCarve folder?

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zeeway
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Re: Design transfer

Post by zeeway »

Load the flash drive in the USB slot in your shop computer. Then you should be able to go to "computer" and see your flash drive and its files listed. Double click on the file name and it should bring up V carve Pro with your file already loaded in it. Generate toolpath and load onto your control and you are in business.

Angie

mikede1025
Posts: 24
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 4:22 pm
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Re: Design transfer

Post by mikede1025 »

zeeway wrote:Load the flash drive in the USB slot in your shop computer. Then you should be able to go to "computer" and see your flash drive and its files listed. Double click on the file name and it should bring up V carve Pro with your file already loaded in it. Generate toolpath and load onto your control and you are in business.

Angie

Perfect. Thank you Angie. And thanks to the others who responded. Great bunch of people here.

Mike

MarkJohnston
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Re: Design transfer

Post by MarkJohnston »

Mike,

Angie is correct but I use the same file names on both computers. I insert the flash drive into the shop computer and it open the usb drive and then I open the hard drive on my shop computer using right click on the Microsoft world and open the windows explorer. I copy from the flash drive to the folder on the hard drive where I keep all my CNC programs. I always run the control program from the hard drive not the usb drive. I often make changes to the program in the shop and when I'm done with that particular run I copy it back to the usb drive and take it back to the design computer.
It sounds like a lot of steps but it really only takes a min or two to do. I really want to set up a network but as I said in another post I don't get a good enough signal in my shop to make it work yet. I'm going to try some repeaters that were recommended but haven't had time to do it yet.

Good luck with what you're doing.

Mar

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jimwill2
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Re: Design transfer

Post by jimwill2 »

I networked my shop by laying plastic conduit in the ground. It doesn't have to be very deep. I run cable tv, my network, and my house doorbell in the same conduit.
Jim Williams

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zeeway
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Re: Design transfer

Post by zeeway »

MarkJohnston wrote:Mike,

Angie is correct but I use the same file names on both computers. I insert the flash drive into the shop computer and it open the usb drive and then I open the hard drive on my shop computer using right click on the Microsoft world and open the windows explorer. I copy from the flash drive to the folder on the hard drive where I keep all my CNC programs. I always run the control program from the hard drive not the usb drive. I often make changes to the program in the shop and when I'm done with that particular run I copy it back to the usb drive and take it back to the design computer.
It sounds like a lot of steps but it really only takes a min or two to do. I really want to set up a network but as I said in another post I don't get a good enough signal in my shop to make it work yet. I'm going to try some repeaters that were recommended but haven't had time to do it yet.

Good luck with what you're doing.

Mark
+1. I also save my toolpath program to the hard drive of the computer attached to my machine.

Angie

MarkJohnston
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Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2010 4:51 pm
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Location: Prescott AZ

Re: Design transfer

Post by MarkJohnston »

jimwill2 wrote:I networked my shop by laying plastic conduit in the ground. It doesn't have to be very deep. I run cable tv, my network, and my house doorbell in the same conduit.
Thanks Jim for the information. I thought of that but my property is so rocky that you can't get a shovel into it. I rented a trencher 15 years ago to put the electric lines in and almost ruined that plus I would have to trench about 150 feet to get to the shop and it's all downhill. I really want to try some range extenders or repeaters to boost my WIFI signal before I start digging.

Mark

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