Centroid M-15 with CNC10 file transfer

[hunterh]

I got a second hand centroid m-15 as my first cnc machine

My main issue right now is that the controller won't recognize files on my usb stick. It recognized the files a month ago, but now it only recognizes that something is plugged in to the port, it cannot see any files or folders on it. My usb stick is formatted with FAT32 and there is only one active usb port on my controller (the usb is fine because it works fine on my computer and I already mentioned that the controller recognized it a month ago). Can anyone recommend some help with this? Anyone tried another form of file transfer such as ethernet?

Any help would be appreciated.

Note: software version: CNC10 MILL v2.30

[cncsnw]

Is this the same USB stick that worked a month ago, or a different one?

The Linux system (and especially the one used prior to v2.60) was somewhat selective about which USB devices it would recognize. Look for a SanDisk Cruzer, preferably older and smaller. I have a handful of 2GB Cruzers that I draw upon when needed.

[hunterh]

It was the exact same usb stick, but its 16GB and kinda new. I'll try to get my hands on an older one.
1) Do you think plugging a normal laptop in through a usb cable would have any success? if so would it have to be a linux laptop?
2) I'm assuming there are update files I could load onto a usb; any other ways to update?
3) If I find a usb that works, would updating to v2.6 make it recognize more usb's?

Thanks for the help.

[martyscncgarage]

Hunter,
I recently experienced the same issues. Find older smaller USB sticks to try out. I had a crusty old one and guess what...it worked.
Consider updating your control, at least the software
From the main screen press F1 setup and take a picture and post the information. Post pictures of the machine and the control.
There is also a serial number either on the back of the Console or on the control cabinet. Post a picture of that as well.
I recently upgrade a Kasuga mill with CNC10 to the last revision of software, I had to upgrade the motherboard but that helped immensly with the USB problems I was having. But need to know what version of software and hardware you are running....

ALSO, when you DO get a working USB, get a report OFF the control.

Centroid can also advise what your options are to upgrade the software, but they need your serial number. Posting pictures here will help.


Marty

[hunterh]

Where are the update files located on the centroid website? Is there a help file somewhere on how to update the software? As I mentioned I'm not sure if I need to first find a working usb in order to perform the updates or not.

[hunterh]

[hunterh]

1) If it means anything to you (I'm not very computer savvy so it's jargon to me), on startup I get an error message saying "WARNING: PCI driver not loaded". But I'm not sure what that means or how to fix it.
2) The tech bulletin 168 for linux systems says: "Note: Software versions 2.36 and below do not support active directory networking. Versions 2.61 and up do support active directory networking."
So I guess that means I really need to find a way to update to v2.36--any help on how to do so?

[martyscncgarage]

Find a USB first. That is the same revision I had and had trouble with USB.
When you find one that works, tag it for the machine.

Otherwise, contact Centroid for upgrade options.
Marc (CNCSNW) has some information on his website as well: http://cncsnw.com/
He is a Centroid Dealer, and while he offers help and advice here, he is in business and may help for a fee.
(Worth every penny too!)

Marty

[cncsnw]

The "PCI driver not loaded" message is expected, because you have a PC104-bus board and not a PCI-bus board. It is not an issue.

"Active directory networking" relates to ethernet (local area network) connections to Windows computers, not to USB.

If you know a bit about Windows network file sharing, you might be able to get the Linux system on the M15 to read and map a shared folder from a Windows computer. Assuming you are using Windows 10, you will probably run into challenges that are not addressed in TB168, since it has not been updated since the Windows XP days.

No, you cannot use a USB cable to directly connect one computer to another computer.

You should look inside your console to verify that the USB pigtail is still securely plugged into the motherboard. Maybe the power pins are making contact, but not the data in/out pins.

[hunterh]

Updates:
So none of the old usb sticks worked. I found one so old the label had worn off of it. 1GB and 2GB sticks formatted in FAT didn't work and then I tried formatting those same ones to FAT 32 and that didn't work either. I tried each of these on 2 different usb ports on my system (one of which I believe was switched over from a floppy drive). I also tried new usb sticks formatted in exFAT and NTFS out of desperation and that of course didn't work.
However the original usb stick (16GB Sandisk Ultra) started working again (even though I confirmed it wasn't working in either port this morning). So I managed to get the attached report off the system, but I'm anxious for when the usb stops working again.

**Note: typically a computer will have a drive (example f/: ) designated for a usb port, so no matter what you plug in to that port it will be recognized as f/. I noticed on the CNC10 it gives different letters for different usb sticks. So I plugged the working one in and it recognized it as f/ in 2 separate ports, then plugged a different one in that was recognized as e/ in both ports (even though it couldn't read any files from e/: ).

The ethernet comment was an attempt to transfer files without usb, but from the bulletin even if I find a computer running windows xp, the version number is too old to use networking; correct?

Thanks for the advice on checking the data pins, I'll check it out.