Adding M2 To Windows Printers List

[jlh211]

I would like to figure out a way to add the M2 to the Windows Printers list in "Devices and Printers". This way, we could share the M2 on the LAN network and print to it from any network printer.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

John

[Toby]

There's probably someone here who can give a more definitive answer, but I'm guessing it would take something like a generic serial printer driver. But I'm vague on the details, like whether or not windows demands some sort of extra communication from a printer, or if it will just send any file down the line once the connection is established.

Sorry I can't be more help. At first I thought the question was naive, but when I started thinking about it I realized it might be possible.

[sprior]

You need Windows 8.1 to have any Windows native support for 3D printers at all, and then you'd need a Windows driver for the M2 which I don't think exists.

Controlling a 3D printer isn't as simple as submitting a paper print job anyway. The closest I've found to being able to share a 3D printer among multiple client machines is OctoPrint which I've got installed on a Raspberry Pi connected to my M2. That allows you to upload gcode, print it, and manually control the printer via a web interface on anything that can run a browser.

[Toby]

I don't know if this helps, but I have tested that if you connect to the M2 through a generic serial interface, and send g-code commands to it, the M2 will do whatever the g-code tells it to.

So if you have a g-code file you want to print and send it to the M2 that way, it'll print it. What I don't know is if the mechanism for adding generic printers can support such a thing. And there could be hidden issues with buffers overflowing or whatever, but maybe that's all handled by the general interface.

But this is at best a hack. Like sprior is pointing out, there are other, better integrated ways of getting to equivalent functionality.

[j-rod]

there are devices you can buy to transport serial communications over IP. something like this should work.

http://www.startech.com/Networking-IO/S ... NETRS2321E

then i got to thinking, why not usb over IP? sure enough...

http://www.digi.com/products/usb/anywhereusb

no idea if setting up a virtual com port over a virtual usb port would actually work though.

[sprior]

I wouldn't share a 3D printer by installing a printer host program on each and sharing a virtual serial port - makes little sense to have each client machine tied up like that while something prints. Especially when a Raspberry Pi probably costs about what the serial sharing device would cost and then it becomes the controller - much better.

[j-rod]

yeah it seems like a bit too much effort when there are easier methods like the Rasberry Pi