Full Version: ethernet/wireless engravers?
From: UncleSteve [#1]
13 Sep 2006
To: ALL
I know that most run from the parallel printer port but wondered if a wireless printer server would do the same job.....
From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#2]
13 Sep 2006
To: UncleSteve [#1] 14 Sep 2006
Steve,
I've had my Epilogs set up on ethernet since 2001. I never had to bring in wireless because my commercial spaces have always been wired for my needs. I don't see why it wouldn't work.
From: Webquest [#3]
13 Sep 2006
To: ALL
Hi Dave,
I've been wanting to put my Epilog on my network for awhile but I can never quite figure out how to do it (and Epilog won't support it). Realizing that this could be a long and detailed answer, could you give a quick rundown of what settings you use? How do you tell the computers on the network where to "find" it? Sorry for my ignorance! (I have to say that a lot! :S )
Thanks!
From: gingem [#4]
14 Sep 2006
To: Webquest [#3] 14 Sep 2006
The last thing in the world you would want is to put your engraver on a wireless network unless you are doing all your work for fun! Ever talked to someone on a cell phone that just fades away? Wireless is okay for some methods of communicating but you don't want to depend on it to send data to an engraver when it so easily can be DISTORTED in the air. Remember the old neighbors garage door stories? With all of the easy methods available for networking using 10/100 eithernet the cost is minimal.
If you are setting up a network and want better speed and less problems use an eithernet switch for your central point and not a hub. The hubs share data on lines while the switches send full data to all lines (simple explanation). Switches used to be very expensive but now they are in the $100-200.00 range.
From: UncleSteve [#5]
14 Sep 2006
To: gingem [#4] 14 Sep 2006
The idea is that most of the work is done at the computer and a 25' distance to another room would just be easier than running hard wire over/through the walls.
The newer wireless networks are much more reliable than the old models and also are much faster...
Just looking for opinions and anyone using one now and I DO appreciate your input! :D
From: Webquest [#6]
14 Sep 2006
To: ALL
Hi there,
I understand your point about cell phones and garage door openers, but my understanding is that wireless protocols have built-in error correction. Theoretically there should be no bad data.
What I'm looking to do is attach the engraver to a WIRED router so that several PC's can send work to it. No wireless.
From: gingem [#7]
14 Sep 2006
To: UncleSteve [#5] 14 Sep 2006
Hi Steve
I know you weren't talking about a cell phone. What I was trying to tell you is that wireless routers are NOT GOOD for the type of data that you need to transfer to your engraver. The data is not reliable on wireless.
From: PenTrophy (PENINSULATROPHY) [#8]
14 Sep 2006
To: UncleSteve [#1] 14 Sep 2006
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#9]
14 Sep 2006
To: gingem [#7] 14 Sep 2006
I have a DSL/wireless router. The Laser is across the room from me and just over the distance for a parallel port, so the wire had to hang in the air to reach, not good.
When I got the router I put an old Win98 computer next to the laser. Form the network on your main computer and make a disk to attach the other computer as the installation program recommends, (WinXP). Then run the disk in toe other computer. Set up a printer driver to the other computer's printer that is attached to the laser. (It has been a while so the step by step elude me.) I use a USB wireless plug-in at the laser computer.
I have never had a failure with transmission, but the run is about 15' as the crow flies. Sometimes I forget to attach the antenna and it still works. The reason I disconnect the antenna is that I still have to encrypt the connection, someone keeps getting to the Internet through it.
From: Pedaler (ROYBREWER) [#10]
14 Sep 2006
To: UncleSteve [#1] 14 Sep 2006
Anything that can run Ethernet can be run wireless.
I have several of my clients using either Epilog or Xenetech or both over wireless. I am in strong agreement with Bill Meyer, however, that it is not recommended. Epilog will certainly help (as will I or many others on this forum, and most of our grandchildren) you hook up Ethernet; but, there are too many pitfalls to handle a wireless network long distance. Hire even a brand new IT tech for an hour and you'll have an engraver on wireless; but if it occasionally fails, call him/her not the engraver manufacturer.
I consider it kind of like a dedicated circuit. Do you have to have one for your engraver? Very few do, but when you do that eliminates one of the potential trouble shooting steps when you have a problem. As soon as *any* tech support person from any manufacturer hears you have wireless I guarantee they will say "That's probably the problem, call me back when you have hard wire and we'll continue with the diagnosis!"
From some of the responses to Bill's posts, all don't understand that wireless routers and cell phones often (not as much as a couple years go) use the same frequency and can knock the other off connection. McDonald's has not received one cent of my $ for over 20 years. But, they have AT&T wireless and I am found in one of their franchises several times a week. On numerous occasions the instant my cell phone rings, my wireless connection is broken.
Because of the TCP/IP error checking, this would not cause a problem if you transfer the entire job before engraving (or Harvey's PC to PC network), but if you are spooling a job (job larger than laser's onboard memory, not available on all lasers), it would most likely destroy your part.
From: Pedaler (ROYBREWER) [#11]
14 Sep 2006
To: Webquest [#3] 14 Sep 2006
It would really be helpful if you filled out your profile. Our forum contributors will often respond differently if we knew which Epilog you had. That is, newer have direct Ethernet interface, older require your Epilog to be set up as a network printer but requires the PC attached to it (I think like Harvey described).
From: Webquest [#12]
14 Sep 2006
To: Pedaler (ROYBREWER) [#11] 16 Sep 2006
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#13]
14 Sep 2006
To: Webquest [#12] 14 Sep 2006
From: Webquest [#14]
14 Sep 2006
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#13] 14 Sep 2006
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#15]
14 Sep 2006
To: Pedaler (ROYBREWER) [#10] 16 Sep 2006
You knew it would happen. As soon as I said I never had a problem, I did.
The job went out at 100% speed and 25% power. The front panel showed that, but it engraved at 25% speed and 0% power.
I knew I should have kept my mouth shut but after two years of success I was
From: Engravin' Dave (DATAKES) [#16]
14 Sep 2006
To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#15] 14 Sep 2006
From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#17]
14 Sep 2006
To: Webquest [#14] 14 Sep 2006
It just helps eliminate equipment brand/model questions and facilitates a speedier, more comprehensive answer to your questions. :-)
From: logojohn [#18]
14 Sep 2006
To: UncleSteve [#1] 14 Sep 2006
Not sure if your main question was the wireless part or just the ethernet part. Roy detailed the wireless part that I have not been using.
If your issue is just running a rotary(or more easily a laser) engraver through a network so you can send from several computers, my rambling post might be what you were asking about.
The xenetech viper rotary engravers(and lasers) can be connected directly to a network hub by ethernet only. No direct connection to the engraver from a computer is necessary but it obviously would also be connected to the network. Not sure if it would work good on a wireless network.
Depending on you dsl or cable isp access likely using the same network, there may be issues with getting a workable IP address.
Our rotarys are the old non-viper so we aren't doing it yet with them. But the Xenetech laser works basically the same way which we are doing.
The normal .xot xenetech jobs can be created on any computer on the network. But each Xenetech machine only comes with 3 Xenetech software unlock codes so you can only do it from 3 computers for each piece of Xenetech equipment you buy or buy extra software packages for.
We ended up with split engraving areas the way the company grew. A computer in the area without the laser can still create the job. It is then exported as a different file type to a special folder on the designated computer closest to the laser but not hardwired to it.
The file contains all the settings needed for the job. It even will use truetype fonts and logos that are not installed on the hosting computer. Importantly, they can be saved even while the laser is running or even turned off.
The jobs are called up from a screen on the engraving equipment or laser. Select the job and engrave without going back to the computer at all.
This is even handy on the closest machine. If the machine is engraving a long job or you have to get a paper proof approved before production, you can contine to create more jobs and just export them to the que for callup when the machine is available or when the proof is approved. Or permanently save jobs that have no text changes for repeats. No going back on the computer to find were you saved the job.
With the 32 bit software hardwired to an engraver, you can still open another window with the software and prepare more layouts. But it is not connected to the engraver so if you try and send it that way, it may not work without opening the job in the connected window.
.
EDITED: 14 Sep 2006 by LOGOJOHN
From: logojohn [#19]
14 Sep 2006
To: Webquest [#3] 14 Sep 2006
I might not understand your question. But if all you want to do is send to the Epilog in real time from another computer on the network, it is easy.
We have shared our Epilog laser as a printer on several computers on the network.
But it is real time, so the laser has to be available and not running any jobs.
Not like the Xenetech that has a queue you call up on demand.
If it is like our old one, it is basically a printer.
You go in your settings on the main computer in printers, right click it and choose share printer.
Then from any computer on the network, just go to add printer, choose network printer and locate it on the list.
If it is like ours it will automatically load the print driver from the shared machine to the remote machine. When lasering just select the newly installed print driver.
.
From: Webquest [#20]
14 Sep 2006
To: logojohn [#19] 14 Sep 2006
Thanks for that. That is an option, but what I was hoping to do is plug my Epilog Mini directly into my router via Ethernet and have all the computers on the network talk to it (ie send it "print" jobs).
My internal network uses the standard 192.168.x.x address system assigned by DHCP in the router. Why would cable/dsl cause a problem with internal ip addresses? I'm not a network guy so I really know not of what I speak.
Roy, do you have any customers doing what I want to do (plug an Epilog Mini directly into a router via Ethernet and printing to it via multiple computers)?
EDITED: 14 Sep 2006 by WEBQUEST
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