Com port settings for windows- error in documentation

Was banging my head against a problem where Reprap software was looking for /dev/tty/USB0. The instructions say to change the port() in reprap.properties.dist. Changing it here wasn't helping. I also noticed that when I changed the debug mode to true in the preferences, it didn't show that in the properties file.

Thinking it was storing the info somewhere else, I noticed a field in the preferences window for the COM port, when I set that to COM4 (where my USB is) the software started working, or at least talking to my motherboard properly).

Hopefully this will help some other confused soul out there.

-Tom

Any file with a .dist on the end is generally for distribution - ie, that's the default "distribution" file that gets copied over to reprap.properties when you first run the software.

On Linux and Mac systems, the reprap.properties file can be found in the .reprap directory in the user dir. I don't know where it would be on a windows system, but try searing for reprap.properties, and you'll probably find it.

Wade

Thanks a lot for this, I was a poor confused soul for the last 45 minutes and made the same observations that you did. I'm not sure where that file is, but changing it in the preferences sure works a heck of a lot better!

Thank you!

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Tom Frisch
The instructions say to change the port() in reprap.properties.dist

Where do the instructions say that? Editing reprap,properties is fine, editing reprap.properties.dist is not. The reprap.properties file is stored wherever the Java implementation you are using thinks such application data should be stored.

Using the Preferences tab of the Control Panel is one way to edit this file, using it may be easier than editing it by hand for some people, that's why it exists

• On Linux you should find reprap.properties in ~/.reprap/ (where ~ is your user's $HOME directory, often /home/$USER).
• On a standalone Windows machine, you should find it in %USERPROFILE%\.reprap\ which is usually set to C:\Documents and Settings\%USERNAME%\.reprap\ on Windows 2000 and Windows XP, and probably somewhere else, maybe under C:\Users\%USERNAME%\.reprap\ on Windows Vista and Windows 7. (%USERNAME% is your Windows username, of course) Typing the command
  

   echo %USERPROFILE%

  into a Windows command shell should tell you where it is on your machine.
• On OS X... I do not know where it goes! Possibly the same location as in Linux, possibly somewhere else.

Edited to use %USERPROFILE% not %APPDATA%.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2010 06:30AM by jmarsden.

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Jonathan

I don't think you need to edit the property files at all. Just set it in the preferences menu as previous posters have pointed out.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

Either way should work fine, editing your properties using the GUI or using a text editor is a matter of preference.

Being a bit old fashioned and command-line oriented, I tend to edit it as a text file (and sometimes keep old files called reprap.properties.20080203 around "just in case", too)! Being able to compare your setup to how it was at some earlier date can be handy.

Therefore, as I see it, documentation suggesting editing reprap.properties is not an "error", as the topic originally suggested. Editing it still works as designed. If the docs suggested editing reprap.properties.dist, IMO that would be an error!

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Jonathan