reprap wireless link

Hi, just wondering if anyone has thought of using something like an xbee module to print wirelessly. Where my reprap is it is inconvenient even to place my laptop nearby. My thoughts were an xbee module, or possibly even using my ipod touch as a remote rs232 link. I probably won't get a chance to try either for a week or so, just wondering if anyone had ideas/comments?

well I don't know if that works...
but what about those wireless print servers they sell for cheap at the electronics store near?
Okay they are made for connecting an usb or parallel standard printer via wifi network, but maybe it can handle the gcodes (uhm or the snap protocoll) too ?

'sid

I tried printing over WiFi with my machine and it did not work. I normally use 100MB Ethernet with no buffering. With WiFi, although the bandwidth was plenty, the latenency was 100's of milliseconds. A small buffer would sort that out no doubt.

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[www.hydraraptor.blogspot.com]

nophead Wrote:
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>
> A small buffer would sort that out
> no doubt.
>
Yup!

doesn't those wifi print servers have an internal buffer?
I thought so.. otherwise it'd be nothing but some sort of wificard in a box

'sid

How about something like this:

[blog.makezine.com]

Just a standard ethernet shield

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Bob Teeter
"What Box?"

Nice, it even has a SD slot, although the site says it's unsupported right now. But, it takes also takes three extra IO pins away; I've only got one to spare right now.... and I've just come up with another use for that last pin...

Wade

I have a slightly different solution, Serial Bluetooth adaptor on the machine and pick it up with a PC, PDA or Mobile phone.

I am using Bluetooth on an instrumentation project passing quite high data rates.
The instrument reads 4 sensors then transmits the data over Bluetooth to PC or PDA. I can view the data in real time on both PC and PDA plus do basic set-ups.

When the Reprap gets kicked out into the garage I will be able to monitor it in the same way.
It will not need to pass G_Code(that's on the SD_Card) only stop and go plus progress indicator and possibly X,Y,Z.

Tony

I realise this is an old posting - but I thought i would boast share my success in getting my Prusa Mendel to print wirelessly using two XBee modules - full details on my blog: [julianh72.blogspot.com]

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Follow my Mendel Prusa build here: [julianh72.blogspot.com]