Getting PC and Phone to talk to each other?

[speedchick]

My windows 10 desktop is downstairs, I have a laser cutter/engraver upstairs. At the moment I'm doing the designs on my desktop, saving them to my one drive and then when using the laser I'm opening the files from the one drive onto my phone and sometimes tablet, the phone (and tablet) works the laser.

Is there anyway to get my phone (Samsung S22) or Lenovo tablet to be able to see files on the desktop through the home network (mainly to cut out having to use one drive)? Or is the way I'm doing it the only way?

Thanks in advance.

[OutInTheShed]

I use a 'wifi file transfer' app which allows me to browse my phone's storage on a web browser, download and upload files.

Maybe put the files in a 'shared drive' on the PC and find a phone ap that allows you to browse PCs on the network?

[ARHarh]

How come you can't connect the PC to the laser cutter?
What sort of laser cutter is it?

[speedchick]

They do connect, beautifully, but the pc is downstairs (with my cricut and sublimation printer) and won't fit anywhere upstairs in the craft room.
Likewise the laser (Xtool d1 pro) is upstairs in the craft room with the enclosure and vent hose and there's nowhere downstairs to keep it. (It really can't live on the dining room table)
I was going to use my laptop, but it's not good enough to run the software. My phone and tablet will run the software but are not great for doing the designs on.
At present using the one drive works, I was just hoping to find a way to cut that part out.

[Whoozit]

Should be doable. Set up a specific folder on your PC for network sharing. Then add as a network drive on your phone. The second step not something I've done before, a quick Google gives some decent looking instructions.

Note there are security implications of having network-visible drives.

https://www.makeuseof.com/access-pc-files-ios-andr...

Edited by Whoozit on Sunday 4th February 12:51

Edited by Whoozit on Sunday 4th February 12:53

[ARHarh]

Why does the PC need to be next to the laser cutter? Can you not just send the file to the cutter and then press go on the cutter when you get there?

This is the way most CNC and 3d printers work, surely a laser cutter is not much different.

I send files to my 3d printer from a PC and they aren't even in the same building.

[speedchick]

ARHarh said:

Why does the PC need to be next to the laser cutter? Can you not just send the file to the cutter and then press go on the cutter when you get there?

This is the way most CNC and 3d printers work, surely a laser cutter is not much different.

I send files to my 3d printer from a PC and they aren't even in the same building.

Need to 'frame' the piece to make sure the laser is starting in the correct point (and framing correct size), select frame on pc, run upstairs, press go. If it's slightly off I need to repeat. Then when ready to cut or engrave, it's press start on pc, then run upstairs and press start on laser.

[speedchick]

Whoozit said:

Should be doable. Set up a specific folder on your PC for network sharing. Then add as a network drive on your phone. The second step not something I've done before, a quick Google gives some decent looking instructions.

Note there are security implications of having network-visible drives.

https://www.makeuseof.com/access-pc-files-ios-andr...

Edited by Whoozit on Sunday 4th February 12:51

Edited by Whoozit on Sunday 4th February 12:53

Thank you, will have a go at that

[Corso Marche]

Once you've a network share created I use X-Plore file manager on android tablets and phones to access the folders.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....

There's lots of other file managers of course - it's down to personal preference. Long press on a file to share or open with other apps etc etc etc

[md_ph]

Just sign up for something like Dropbox and install the app on both computers, anything you save in the Dropbox folder will be saved on both computers.

[mmm-five]

md_ph said:

Just sign up for something like Dropbox and install the app on both computers, anything you save in the Dropbox folder will be saved on both computers.

Isn't that what the OP is currently doing...albeit with OneDrive instead of DropBox?

[indigochim]

speedchick said:

Thank you, will have a go at that

If you manage to get the share setup ok on your PC, You'll find on your Samsung the "My Files" app is what you want to map the share. If you get all that working you could try an app called FolderSync on your android devices. I'm using it to backup my photos each evening but you could use it to sync your engraver files from the PC to your Phone/Tablet on a regular basis. It looks like the schedule could run as often as every 5 minutes. (This would likely drain your mobile device battery) but you can also just hit sync now.

edit, just be careful with the options you select you can have it set to delete files that don't exist on the source which you may or may not want.

[paulrockliffe]

I have OctoPrint running on a Raspberry Pi and plugged into a 3D Printer, it lets you send files to the printer from anywhere in the world with any device that has an internet browser. If you wanted. There's an OctoPrint plugin on my Slier software that means I can print directly from there and it'll even turn the printer on and off for me.

It's possible that there's an OctoPrint equivalent for what you're doing, maybe that would be helpful?

[ARHarh]

I believe this plugin will run you laser cutter from octoprint. https://github.com/jneilliii/GCodeSuperLaserContro... but i really don't think it will be the answer as it is far to complex for most to get there heads round.

[Baldchap]

My LE works over WiFi natively, I just kick off the job from my PC. Are you sure yours can't do that?

Set up a cheeky little NAS in the craft room with a Raspberry Pi Zero if they're just small files. Cost bugger all to do.

[tribalsurfer]

Most home routers have a usb port. Plug a memory stick into that. Accessable from anything on the network, so save from pc, loadable from whatever you are using on your engraver.

Or make your PC have a shareable drive and use Network Browser on any android device

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....

Really does work well.

[speedchick]

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm going to try and sort this later, at present both me and hubby have lurgy (him worse than me, so I'm playing nurse!), so haven't got round to playing.